047-2006 Senate Budget Panel Votes 13% Increase for Supported Employment Program

CDCAN
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
#047-2006 May 21, 2006 - Sunday
Advocacy Without Borders:
Connecting people with disabilities & seniors to rights and unified action
1225 8th Street Suite 480 - Sacramento, CA 95814 916/446-0013 Fax: 916/446-0026
Marty Omoto - director email: martyomoto@rcip.com    website: www.cdcan.us

State Senate Budget Actions
* Approves 13% Increase for Supported Employment Programs
* Okays "Focused & Targeted" Start-ups of New Community Programs
* Actions Impact Persons with Developmental Disabilities
* Assembly Budget Subcommittee To Meet Monday 5/22

SACRAMENTO -   The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, chaired by Sen. Denise Ducheny (Democrat - San Diego, 40th District) voted Thursday and Friday to approve a 13% rate increase - 10% more than what the Governor proposed in January, for supported employment programs that provide employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. The action was widely praised by disability advocates across the State who raised employment as a major disability rights issue and a priority for an increase in State funding.

Over 7,000 persons with developmental disabilities are in supported employment programs provided by community-based organizations funded by the 21 non-profit regional centers. The program provides training, and support services for persons with developmental disabilities to learn or improve job skills and maintain employment in integrated job settings across the State. Supported employment provides services in individual or group settings for persons with developmental disabilities, placing persons in both small and large businesses.

The Senate panel, which also includes Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee chair Sen. Wes Chesbro (Democrat - Arcata, 2nd District) and Dave Cox (Republican - Fair Oaks, 1st District) also took action to lift the freeze on the start-up of new community programs funded by the 21 non-profit regional centers but restricted the start-ups that will be "focused and targeted" for the 2006-2007 state budget year that begins July 1.

The Senate Budget Subcommittee however did not vote to lift the freezes on many other community-based programs that the Governor proposes to continue at least for the 2006-2007 State budget year. The Assembly budget subcommittee on Health and Human Services on April 24th voted to lift many of those freezes - and that issue will likely go to a joint budget conference committee to resolve

A full CDCAN report on budget actions taken to date by both houses that impact people with disabilities and seniors, including In-Home Supportive Services, SSI/SSP, developmental centers, other regional center programs, mental health and senior programs will be released later today (Sunday) [Note: many thanks to people across the State expressing prayers, concern and good thoughts regarding the major heart surgery of my father. It was successful and he is recovering and I am back to work now]

What the Senate Budget Subcommittee Did On Supported Employment
* Supported Employment Program
- On 5/18 approved $974,000 ($207,000 State funds - remainder federal money) to the Department of Rehabilitation for additional funding to increase supported employment job coach hourly rate by 13% (10% more than what the Governor proposed in January).
- On 5/18 approved $2.8 million ($1.5 million State funds - remainder federal money) to the Department of Rehabilitation to increase Supported Employment Program placement payment for successful employment, from $1,000 to $2,000.
- On 5/19 voted to approve $6.120 million ($4.266 State funds - remainder federal dollars) to the Department of Developmental Services, for a total rate increase of 13% for supported employment programs for 2006-2007.
- On 5/18 and 5/19 approved modifying existing budget legislative language or inclusion of still to be drafted budget related legislative language to implement these actions for the 2006-2007 State budget.

Action by Assembly Budget Subcommittee Needed
* The Assembly, while voting on April 24th to lift many of the rate and service freezes that the Governor is proposing to extend another year, did not take specific action on increasing funding for supported employment programs beyond what the Governor proposed.
* The Assembly budget subcommittee did hear but took no action on a proposal for a much larger increase covering other programs, advanced by the California Rehabilitation Association and supported by many advocates.
* The Assembly budget subcommittee, given the strong support of members from both parties, is likely to approve the actions taken by the Senate Budget Subcommittee on supported employment.

NEXT STEPS
Senate:
* The Senate Budget Subcommittee hearing, held Thursday and Friday are the last of the budget subcommittee hearings in the Senate. No other subcommittee hearings are scheduled.
Assembly:
* The Assembly wraps up its budget subcommittee hearings this week. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee #1 on Health and Human Services - the Assembly counter-part to the Senate panel, holds its final hearing on Monday, May 22, after the end of the Assembly Floor session, in the State Capitol, in room 4202. The Assembly is scheduled to meet at 12 noon on Monday, and is likely to meet for at least an hour.
* The subcommittee has also scheduled hearings for Tuesday, and Wednesday if necessary, though in different rooms and upon call of the subcommittee chair.
Conference Committee
* A special joint committee, called a "conference committee" composed of 3 members of the Assembly and Senate normally meets in early June upon the end of the subcommittee hearings. Normally the conference committee meets over several days to resolve differences in actions taken by either house on budget issues before presenting a compromise budget for both houses to vote on. This year, because of a major increase in revenues that helped to close the budget shortfall for 2006-2007, the process is expected to be much faster.
* The leadership of both houses - at this point - want to pass a State budget by the June 15 state constitutional deadline, and prospects for that seem fairly good. The actual state budget year runs from July 1 to June 30th each year.

CDCAN Capitol News Reports and Alerts
These CDCAN Reports are partially funded by a small grant from the USC UCEDD, Grant #90DD0540 from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. The opinions expressed or content in these reports do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the USC UCEDD.
The California Disability Community Action Network is a non-partisan link to tens of thousands of Californians in every community, including people of color, people of every type of disability, including people with physical disabilities, people with developmental and other disabilities, people with traumatic brain and other injures, people with mental health needs, seniors, people with MS, Alzheime iner's and others, and all of their families, community organizations and providers, direct care and other workers, and other advocates. These action alerts and news reports is for all of them.   If you would like to get on this distribution (and conversely, get off of it) please send an email with that request to: martyomoto@rcip.com OR sign up via the NEW CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us Sharing information is part of our organizing effort. Please feel free to forward or copy this (attribution is nice but not necessary). We're all in this together!
MANY THANKS to Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR), CHANCE Inc, Parents Helping Parents, Arriba, Strategies Toward Empowering People, Parents Helping Parents, Asian American parents groups, Resources for Independent Living and many other Independent Living Centers, several regional centers, People First chapters, IHSS workers, other self advocacy and family support groups, developmental center families, and hundreds of individuals. Thanks also to partnerships and the good people with the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and also the Department of Health Services, the Department of Developmental Services, Department of Social Services and the CA Health and Human Services Agency and other agencies, and the State Legislature and staff, the Legislative Analyst Office. Good people who do good things can make a difference together.