056-2006 Budget Committee To Meet Sat 12 Noon

CDCAN
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
#056-2006 June 9, 2006 - Friday evening
Advocacy Without Borders:
Connecting people with disabilities & seniors to rights and unified action
IN MEMORY OF WARREN A. MATTINGLY WHO PASSED AWAY MAY 24
1225 8th Street Suite 480 - Sacramento, CA 95814 916/446-0013 Fax: 916/446-0026
To Respond to THIS email report reply to: martyomoto@rcip.com
CDCAN website: www.cdcan.us

California State Budget
* NO ACTION TODAY - CONFERENCE COMMITTEE DOESN'T MEET
* SCHEDULED TO MEET SATURDAY JUNE 10TH 12 NOON
* KEY ISSUES IMPACTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, CHILDREN
* OVER 100 ATTEND PEOPLE FIRST OF CALIF HEARING AT CAPITOL

SACRAMENTO - The joint legislative committee to resolve different actions taken by the Assembly and Senate on the State Budget did not hold any meetings Friday (June 9) but is scheduled to hold what could be its final meeting on Saturday (June 10) at 12 noon, in the State Capitol in Room 4203. Several major issues remain open that impact people with disabilities, seniors and children of low-income families.

The joint legislative committee - called a budget conference committee, is composed of 6 members - 3 members from the Assembly and 3 from the Senate. The committee is chaired by Sen. Wes Chesbro (Democrat - Arcata, 2nd District).

The leaders in both the Assembly and State Senate are still pushing to pass a State Budget on or close to the state constitutional deadline of June 15 for the first time in nearly 20 years. The budget conference committee could finish its work over the weekend and then send the budget package for what legislative leaders hope will be final votes on the floor of each house on or before June 15.

Over 100 Persons Attend People First of California Capitol Hearing
Meanwhile, over 100 persons with developmental disabilities and support staff came to the Capitol Friday afternoon (June 9) to participate in the very first People First of California Hearing at the Capitol, to hear how people with disabilities were faring in their homes and communities after years of changes in state laws, funding in the state, federal and local budgets and the impact to their rights.
People First of California, a statewide organization made up entirely of persons with developmental disabilities held the hearing in the largest of the Assembly hearing rooms - Room 4202 in the State Capitol, with the Michael Cooke, the president, and other officers of the organization on the podium presiding over the hearing. People First of California is holding its annual statewide conference in Sacramento this weekend and the hearing was the kick-off event.
Sen. Wes Chesbro (Democrat, Arcata, 2nd District) and several legislative staffers, and the Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Developmental Services provided brief updates and remarks at the hearing. Chesbro received a standing ovation from the audience.
WIth final action on the 2006-2007 State Budget pending, many persons with developmental disabilities testified for the need of increased support for employment, housing, increases in funding for staff and other programs, including SSI/SSP.
A videotape of the entire hearing will be available for viewing on the CDCAN website later this evening at www.cdcan.us See CDCAN Disability Rights News Report #57-2006 for more details on this hearing, which CDCAN helped to organize.

Several Key Issues Remain Open Including SSI/SSP and Employment
Some of the major issues still left open that impact people with disabilities and seniors and children from low income families include:
* Proposal for significant increases in supported employment program funding for adults with developmental disabilities
* Proposal to end on-going budget reductions called "cost containment" on regional center funded programs,
* Proposal to repeal last year's budget deal that will withhold the January-March 2007 federal cost of living money that is supposed to go to the State's poorest people with disabilities and seniors who receive SSI/SSP (Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment)
* Proposal for $5 million for support of county public guardian programs
* Maor funding and proposed restructuring of AB 3632 mental health services for children with special needs
* Proposal for health care coverage for all children from families with incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level
* Major issue regarding licensing and certification fees for health facilities providers including ICF-DDs and skilled nursing facilities.

Members of the Budget Conference Committee
The 6 member special joint budget committee - called a "conference committee" is composed of two Democrats and one Republican members from each house and is chaired this year by Sen. Wes Chesbro (Democrat - Arcata, 2nd District) who is the chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. The other Conference Committee members are:
* Sen. Denise Ducheny (Democrat - San Diego, 40th District) chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services
* Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth (Republican - Murrieta, 36th District), Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee vice chair
* Assemblymember John Laird (Democrat - Santa Cruz, 27th District), and Assembly Budget Committee chair.
* Assemblymember Judy Chu (Democrat - Monterey Park, 49th District), Assembly Appropriations Committee chair
* Assemblymember Rick Keene (Republican - Chico, 3rd District), Assembly Budget Committee vice chair

The budget conference committee does not hear testimony from the public or from the various departments, and meets only to resolve differences in budget actions taken by the State Senate and the Assembly earlier this year.
No public testimony is allowed during the hearings of the conference committee, though the meetings are open to the public and televised (available on the California Channel).

A CDCAN Alert was issued Wednesday, May 31 and a CDCAN Disability Rights Townhall Telemeeting, drawing well over 150 people, was held on June 1 to focus on the issue of supported employment program funding - and also employment of persons with disabilities. See CDCAN Alert or go to the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us

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, Alzheimer'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.