1) What’s Happening in the Nation’s Capital?
Historic Healthcare Reform Vote Possible This Week
2) National News
Education Department to Step Up Enforcement of Disability Rights
Republicans Name Six to Obama's Deficit-Reduction Commission
3) State News
DOJ Moves to Halt Admissions to Abusive Arkansas “Human Development Center”
UN Universal Periodic Review - San Francisco
4) Announcements and Additional Resources
April 26: Federal Hiring Event Set for People with Disabilities
Member Submission: A New Advocacy Crisis: Radiofrequency Sickness
Save the Date! Reap What You Sow: Harvesting Support Systems
Historic Healthcare Reform Vote Possible This Week
This week may mark the end – or the beginning of the end – of the healthcare reform process in Congress. Congressional leaders have made clear that a vote is planned, President Obama has announced plans to postpone an overseas trip, and the President’s advisors are saying that they will be on this Sunday’s morning news talking about the vote. If the Senate bill fails to pass the House, that will be the end of comprehensive reform this year. If the bill passes, there will be one more vote in each chamber as Congress tries to make improvements to the Senate bill through budget reconciliation.
Late Sunday night, the House Budget Committee released a 2,309 page reconciliation bill. The House Budget Committee will begin to mark-up The Reconciliation Act of 2010 today. Many of the proposed changes are expected to be added in today. All eyes are on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) as it works to give a cost estimate of the Senate bill that passed last December. The bill had already been scored, but requires another before the vote by the House. The new score is expected to be almost identical to the previous score. The CBO is also working on scoring the provisions of the budget reconciliation bill, should it pass the House later this week.
Politics remain in play as the Democrats in Congress look to secure the 216 votes needed to have a majority in the House. Vote counters in Washington have enough “firm no” or “leaning no” commitments by Democrats that there will be no cushion for error in the final count. The Democratic Whip, Rep. Jim Clyburn, the person responsible for tallying the likely votes has indicated that right now there are not enough votes to pass the bill. However, he said that the work to convince fellow Democrats was going well and that he felt confident that there would be enough yes votes to pass reform.
NCIL will continue to monitor the effort to reform this nation’s healthcare and long-term care systems. It is important to call your Representative in the House and urge them to vote YES on the Senate healthcare reform bill. Remind them that the Senate bill contains many good provisions such as the Community First Choice Option, the CLASS Act, and provisions to end the practices of denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions and rescission of coverage. If the Senate bill does not pass, another generation or more may go by before such opportunities exist to bring us closer to fairness and equality in the health insurance market and the long-term care system.
Education Department to Step Up Enforcement of Disability Rights
Source: Disability Scoop, by Michelle Diament
The federal government is redoubling its efforts to crack down on civil rights violations against students with disabilities and other minority groups, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Monday.
The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will be issuing a series of letters offering guidance to school districts across the country and ramping up efforts to reach out to parents and advocacy groups, Duncan said in a speech in Selma, Alabama.
Plans are in place to send 17 letters before the fiscal year ends Oct. 1 advising school districts on issues ranging from restraint and seclusion to teaching English language learners with disabilities and working with students who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
“The truth is that, in the last decade, the Office for Civil Rights has not been as vigilant as it should have been in combating gender and racial discrimination and protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. But that is about to change,” Duncan said. “We are going to reinvigorate civil rights enforcement.”
The move is promising, says Curt Decker, executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, which acts as an umbrella group for the federally mandated protection and advocacy systems in each state. Read More.
Republicans Name Six to Obama's Deficit-Reduction Commission
Source: Washington Post, by Lori Montgomery
Congressional Republicans named six members to President Obama's deficit-reduction commission Friday, choosing the party's most respected leaders on budget issues and hard-line conservatives who said they are determined to steer the panel toward cutting spending and away from raising taxes.
While the GOP appointees said they would approach the commission's work with an open mind, independent budget analysts said the choices suggest that Republican leaders are girding for an ideological battle over the size of government that could make it difficult for the bipartisan commission to reach agreement on a plan to rein in soaring budget deficits. "The Republican leadership is sending a signal that their top priority is cutting spending," said Robert Bixby, executive director of the nonpartisan Concord Coalition, which advocates balanced budgets.
Created by a presidential executive order, the commission is tasked with reducing budget deficits that are projected to hover around $1 trillion a year for much of the next decade. If 14 members can agree on a plan to raise taxes, cut spending and reform costly entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-NV) have pledged to bring it to a vote in Congress before year's end.
The naming of the Republican appointees had been eagerly anticipated, because at least two of them would have to support a deficit-reduction plan in order for the commission to recommend it to Congress. The six include Rep. Paul D. Ryan (WI), the senior Republican on the House Budget Committee; Rep. Dave Camp (MI), the ranking GOP member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee; and Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the former head of the conservative Republican Study Committee. Read More.
DOJ Moves to Halt Admissions to Abusive Arkansas “Human Development Center”
Source: kfsm.com, by Jill Zeman Bleed (AP)
The U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal judge to halt new admissions of school-age children at the Conway Human Development Center, claiming that the facility "exposes residents to death and injury."
In a court filing Tuesday, Justice Department attorneys claim that one patient fatally overdosed because of "medication mismanagement" and that an 8-year-old child suffered kidney damage after he received a high dose of Lithium.
The filing also says the center unnecessarily uses straitjackets, restraint chairs and a device called a "papoose board" — a padded board intended to immobilize someone's legs, arms and torso.
The center has more than 500 residents and is one of six residential facilities operated by the state. The lawsuit was filed last year under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. DHS spokeswoman Julie Munsell declined to comment because the agency hasn't fully reviewed Tuesday's court filings.
UN Universal Periodic Review - San Francisco
You are invited to attend a consultation taking place in San Francisco that will assist the United Nations Human Rights Council to determine the extent to which the United States complies with legally-binding obligations under Human Rights treaties that it has signed and ratified as well as under the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The San Francisco consultation will be held on Friday, March 26, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Mclaren Conference Center at the University of San Francisco. A panel on disability and Human Rights led by Mary Lou Breslin of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund will take place from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., including time for questions and comments. This panel will focus on the experiences of the disability community in the San Francisco / Northern California area concerning healthcare, mental health issues, and community living / deinstitutionalization. An additional open comment period will take place from 3:30 p.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
If you plan to attend, you must register for this free event at: http://uprconsultationsf.eventbrite.com/
The process of this examination is called “Universal Periodic Review” or “UPR,” in which the human rights status of every UN member state is reviewed every four years. During November 2010 the United States will undertake its first review since the process was created.
April 26: Federal Hiring Event Set for People with Disabilities
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U. S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) are sponsoring a historic day-long Federal Hiring Event for People with Disabilities. Representatives from many agencies will be reviewing resumes prior to the event, and inviting prospective candidates for interviews.
How to Participate: Review the Hiring Event information. Participants must submit resumes to Hiringevent@opm.gov. Documentation supporting your disability (e.g., proof of disability and job readiness certification letters) and/or veteran’s status (e.g., VA letter and DD-214) can be provided with your resume, or at the time you are interviewed. [Note: To ensure the hiring process moves quickly and to expedite the agency's ability to make tentative offers, you are strongly encouraged to submit your supporting documentation along with your resume.] Disabled veterans with less than a 30% rating or with non-service connected disabilities are encouraged to submit their resumes, along with proof of disability and job readiness. If you need assistance submitting your resume or have any questions regarding this Event, including the type of documentation required please forward your inquiry to Hiringevent@opm.gov.
What to Expect Next: You will receive notification that your resume has been received. Agencies will review your resume and any supporting documentation provided. You may be invited to attend the Hiring Event via email for an interview with one or more agencies and for one or more available positions. Applicants who are scheduled for interviews must bring the required documentation to the Hiring Event, if not previously provided.
Member Submission: A New Advocacy Crisis: Radiofrequency Sickness
By NCIL Member Catherine Kleiber
I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in my mid-twenties. Nearly ten years ago I discovered that it was really radiofrequency sickness. I have been very fortunate to have been able to control my environment and minimize my exposure to radiofrequency radiation. This has allowed me to recover and be well since then. My family and I have paid a steep price for our health. We have been forced to be successively more restricted and isolated as wireless technology and severe electrical pollution have become ubiquitous.
Now new public utility policy further threatens our health, functionality, and independence. The threat comes from our utility company’s refusal to accommodate our need for an environment low in radiofrequencies. They are insisting on replacing our existing rotating disk electrical meters, which must be read by a person, with transmitting electrical meters (so called “smart meters”) on our home and farm electrical services. These meters transmit in strong bursts of radiofrequency radiation. We have offered to read and report our own meters readings, but they refuse to allow that. Many people with radiofrequency sickness are being forced to have transmitting meters on water, gas, and electrical services.
I am writing this article to try to dispel the depth of ignorance I have encountered about radiofrequency sickness. I hope that you will continue reading so that you understand and are prepared for the others who call you for assistance. Keep Reading.
Save the Date! Reap What You Sow: Harvesting Support Systems
July 29 – 31, 2010; Raleigh, North Carolina
The National Youth Leadership Network is excited to announce the dates for a new hands-on training opportunity. The training focuses on creating your own support systems. Support systems are teams of people that help make your goals realities. This event is created for young people, parents, siblings, friends, allies, teachers, community support providers, and more.
Reap What You Sow: Harvesting Support Systems is the title of the training. It will be held July 29 – 31, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina. SAVE THE DATES and REGISTER NOW! For more information, visit our web site www.nyln.org. There will be a link at the bottom of the page for more information and registration. We will also have an Information Walk-About Session on Friday, July 30, 2010. If you are interested in hosting a table, please visit our web site and find the Information Walk-About form.
For more information, visit the National Youth Leadership Network at www.nyln.org. You can also contact Betsy Valnes, NYLN Executive Director, at 1-866-480-6565 or bvalnes@tie.net.
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March 16, 2010