CDCAN
DISABILITY
RIGHTS NEWS REPORTCalifornia Disability Community Action Network
Advocacy Without
Borders: We Are One Community
News Impacting People With
Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors & Others
Goes out to over 45,000
people, organizations, policy makers across California
Marty Omoto - martyomoto@rcip.com
website: www.cdcan.us
Report #060-2008 - April
7, 2008 - Monday
BREAKING NEWS
REGIONAL CENTER "COST CONTROL" OPTIONS
REPORT NOW AVAILABLE
* Report Now Posted On CDCAN and DDS Websites
* Report Called "Controlling Regional
Center Costs"
* Lists Options To Control Regional Center
Spending
* Report Required By AB 203 Last Year
SACRAMENTO (CDCAN) - The Department of Developmental Services 102
page report "Controlling Regional Center Costs" released
on Friday (April 4th) and is now posted on the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us
and the Department's website. While the report is
potentially significant in terms of what could happen during
the budget process this year - or for next year, what type of impact it
will have on policymakers and others is not certain.
With a budget shortfall still at over $8 billion to $9 billion -
even after over $7 billion in spending cuts and budget changes made by
the Legislature in February - including over $329 million in permanent
"cost containment" reductions to regional centers, advocates
remain deeply concerned about the report's impact on possible new major
spending cuts to regional centers either in May when the Governor
proposes revisions to his proposed State budget for 2008-2009, or when
the Governor proposes the 2009-2010 budget next January.:
* Advocates fear the report could provide the Governor and legislators
with a "laundry list" to expand or propose new major cuts in
spending of regional center funded community based services that serve
over 230,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities,
including thousands of children with autism.
* Some advocates and observers fear that policymakers will consider rate
reductions to regional center funded community-based providers as a
possible proposal that could emerge if the budget shortfall worsens,
though the report makes no actual recommendations for any particular
cost controls or spending reductions.
* It is not certain how the report will impact the recent package of
bills addressing what the US Centers on Disease Control and Prevention
has called a "national public health crisis" that California
legislators unveiled in a press conference yesterday (April 4).
[See CDCAN Report #55-2008]
NEXT STEPS
* Department of Developmental Services released report to Legislature
today (April 4). The 102 page report is now posted on the CDCAN (www.cdcan.us)
website and also the Department's website.
* It is not certain what next steps will occur regarding the report,
though the report could be an agenda item for the upcoming April 17th
(Thursday) Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human
Services and April 23rd (Wednesday) Assembly Budget Subcommittee
#1 on Health and Human Services that will focus on Department of
Developmental Services budget issues
ACTUAL TEXT OF AB 203 DEALING WITH THE REPORT
The controversial report was required by AB 203 that was passed last
August as one of several budget related bills and signed by the
Governor on August 24, 2007 (Chapter 188, Statutes of 2007.
AB 203 required the Department of Developmental Services to submit a
report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and the Senate and
Assembly Human Services Committees listing out options "to
better control" regional center costs of "operating
and providing state-supported services". The bill gave a
deadline for the Department of Developmental Services to submit the report to
the Legislature by October 1, 2007.
.
The following paragraph is the actual text taken from AB 203, as
passed August 21, 2008 by the Assembly and Senate, and signed by the
Governor dealing with the required report (the other parts of the bill
covered other budget related issues):
SEC. 102.5. (a) (1) The State Department of Developmental
Services shall develop a plan of options for consideration by the
Administration and the Legislature to better control regional center
costs of operating and providing state-supported services. The options
shall provide program efficiencies while protecting clients.
(2) The plan developed pursuant to paragraph (1) should include a wide range of options, with an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of each.
(b) The department shall submit the plan developed pursuant to subdivision (a) to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature no later than October 1, 2007.
(2) The plan developed pursuant to paragraph (1) should include a wide range of options, with an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of each.
(b) The department shall submit the plan developed pursuant to subdivision (a) to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature no later than October 1, 2007.
URGENT!!!
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED!
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Townhall Telemeetings, reports and alerts and other activities cannot continue without your help!
Advocacy
Without Borders - We Are ONE Community:
Connecting People With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors, Traumatic Brain & other injuries, People with MS & other health needs, including People of color, different languages, cultures, Families, Workers, Providers, & Organizations to Rights & Unified Action.
This report - and the CDCAN townhall telemeetings, and other events and projects are for all of them and for promoting advocacy without borders toward unified action. We are one community.
To respond to this report reply to: Marty Omoto at martyomoto@rcip.com CDCAN website: www.cdcan.us
To continue the CDCAN website, the CDCAN News Reports. sent out and read by over 45,000 people and organizations, policy makers and media across California and to continue the CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings which since December 2003 have connected thousands of people with disabilities, seniors, mental health needs, people with MS and other disorders, people with traumatic brain and other injuries to public policy makers, legislators, and issues. Please send your contribution/donation (make payable to "CDCAN" or "California Disability Community Action Network):
CDCAN
1225 8th Street Suite 480
Sacramento, CA 95814
Note: the paypal option on the CDCAN website is temporarily not working and will be fixed soon.
The CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings are partially funded by a small grant from the USC UCEDD, Grant #90DD0540 from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. (note: the opinions expressed or content in these reports do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the USC UCEDD.
MANY MANY THANKS to Alta California Regional Center, FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment), Friends of Children with Special Needs, Life Steps, Easter Seals California, Parents Helping Parents, UCP of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Work Training, Foothill Autism Alliance, Arc Contra Costa, Pause4Kids, Manteca CAPS, Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR) including CDR chapters, CHANCE Inc, , Strategies To Empower People (STEP), Harbor Regional Center, Tri-Counties Regional Center, 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, adoption assistance program families and children, and others across California
Connecting People With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors, Traumatic Brain & other injuries, People with MS & other health needs, including People of color, different languages, cultures, Families, Workers, Providers, & Organizations to Rights & Unified Action.
This report - and the CDCAN townhall telemeetings, and other events and projects are for all of them and for promoting advocacy without borders toward unified action. We are one community.
To respond to this report reply to: Marty Omoto at martyomoto@rcip.com CDCAN website: www.cdcan.us
To continue the CDCAN website, the CDCAN News Reports. sent out and read by over 45,000 people and organizations, policy makers and media across California and to continue the CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings which since December 2003 have connected thousands of people with disabilities, seniors, mental health needs, people with MS and other disorders, people with traumatic brain and other injuries to public policy makers, legislators, and issues. Please send your contribution/donation (make payable to "CDCAN" or "California Disability Community Action Network):
CDCAN
1225 8th Street Suite 480
Sacramento, CA 95814
Note: the paypal option on the CDCAN website is temporarily not working and will be fixed soon.
The CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings are partially funded by a small grant from the USC UCEDD, Grant #90DD0540 from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. (note: the opinions expressed or content in these reports do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the USC UCEDD.
MANY MANY THANKS to Alta California Regional Center, FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment), Friends of Children with Special Needs, Life Steps, Easter Seals California, Parents Helping Parents, UCP of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Work Training, Foothill Autism Alliance, Arc Contra Costa, Pause4Kids, Manteca CAPS, Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR) including CDR chapters, CHANCE Inc, , Strategies To Empower People (STEP), Harbor Regional Center, Tri-Counties Regional Center, 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, adoption assistance program families and children, and others across California