Issue Eight - March 10, 2019
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March is DD Awareness Month!
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Our partners at the Oregon Council on
Developmental Disabilities
invite you post pictures, videos and stories of valued community members, with and without disabilities, on social media to showcase the diversity and strength that exists throughout Oregon. Include the hashtag of
#BetterTogether19
with a caption in the spirit of being better together.
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CO-CHAIRS' BUDGET RELEASED FOR 2019-21
Near the beginning of each long session, the Ways and Means Co-Chairs release their preliminary budget. This is their initial framework for what the Ways and Means Subcommittees will use to start their budgets for individual programs.
For Education, the Ways and Means Education Subcommittee will be working with the Joint Committee on Student Success to determine which programs to prioritize in the Education budget.
Th
e Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Services is tasked with prioritizing funding for Healthcare and DD Services.
Last Thursday, the Ways and Means Co-Chairs released their
preliminary budget
. The budget does not name specific programs. Instead, it focuses on program types like human services, education, public safety, transportation, etc. The Co-Chairs budget only considers current revenue. It excludes revenue packages that may pass during this session because they have not passed yet. A few things to consider in the Co-Chair's framework:
- Fully funds Oregon Health Plan without changes to eligibility or benefits with the passage of HB 2010 Provider tax that will add $379 million and $141 million general fund offset from Oregon Health and Sciences University through an Intergovernmental transfer agreement.
- Reserves 2% rather than the typical 1% for an ending balance reserve.
- Holds state school fund (K-12) budget to current service levels, but includes a small increase from marijuana taxes.
- Cuts other areas of the budget by between 4-5% from current service levels and relies on the Ways and Means Subcommittees to determine specific program area budgets and priorities.
The answer to these problems is new revenue. There are proposals underway for an increase in the tobacco tax and other revenue packages. As those proposals solidify, we will be bringing you more information.
The bottom line is that
the Ways and Means Human Services Subcommittee members need to hear from you about why DD Services, Direct Support Professional wages, Case Management funding, Family Networks and the Fairview Trust matter to you. Unless legislators hear about the importance of these programs, vital supports that Oregonians experiencing I/DD depend on each day may be in jeopardy.
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2019 Coalition Priorities
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It’s Time to Stabilize Oregon’s Developmental Disabilities Services System!
Oregon is strongest when everyone has what they need to fully participate in community life.
The safety and security of Oregonians with Developmental Disabilities relies
on current service funding levels and protecting eligibility criteria as well as
other critical investments:
Pay Direct Support Professionals Living Wages
- Support rate restructure to reduce turnover and create a living wage for Direct Support Professionals.
Fully Fund DD Case Management
- Ensure DD Case Managers are fully funded to support people with DD to create plans and achieve their goals.
Support innovative approaches in Oregon’s DD Services System that strengthen families and communities:
Protect the Fairview Trust
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Safeguard the $6 million in the Fairview Housing Trust. Support moving the trust to Oregon Community Foundation where the trust advisory committee can oversee its use.
Invest in Families
- Protect $1.2 million in existing funding for Family Networks connecting families experiencing disabilities and communities. Add $330,000 to build capacity across the state by sustaining new networks in Eastern Oregon.
Develop Statewide Data Systems
- Establish an integrated information technology system that will support case management and provide statewide data to inform policy-making and report quality of life outcomes for Oregonians with I/DD.
Access the Coalition's 2019 Priorities Page
here.
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TOWN HALL MEETING ROAD SHOWS
The Ways and Means Committee has started traveling for their Town Hall Meeting Road Show to hear from Oregonians across the state. This is a great opportunity to show support for DD Services by wearing yellow and asking the budget committee to fund Developmental Disabilities Services! Thank you to all those who showed up in Coos Bay to advocate for needed funding. There are three more Town Halls scheduled:
- Pendleton: FRI 03/15 5:30-7:30PM at Blue Mountain Community College, Pioneer Hall, Bob Clapp Theatre, 2411 NW Carden Ave.
- Redmond: SAT 3/16 2:00-4:00PM at Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Three Sisters Conference and Convention Center (South Sister), 3800 SW Airport Way
- Portland: THU 3/21 5:30-7:30PM at Portland Community College Cascade Campus, MAHB 104 Auditorium, 5514 N. Albina Ave.
To support your participation in these statewide budget town halls, we are identifying “hosts” in each region who will be on site at the events to provide you with fact sheets, advocacy stickers and more.
What to expect if you go? Be prepared for large crowds so plan to arrive at least one hour early, especially if you want to sign up to give testimony. The sign-up sheet for testimony fills up quickly.
The committee will not have enough time to hear from everyone but please come prepared with one to two minutes of remarks about the importance of DD Services funding.
Even if you don’t plan to give testimony, your presence at these events, wearing and/or waving something yellow in support of the DD Community, will send the message to legislators that the DD Community is unified in its support of DD programs and services.
CONTACT LEGISLATORS DIRECTLY
First, contact the State Representative and State Senator that represents the district you reside in. To learn who your two state legislators are, visit the
Oregon legislative website
and enter your home address. Let both of these legislators know that you are their constituent and that DD Services funding is important to you and why.
Then, contact members of the
Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Services
and ask for their continued support of Oregonians who experience I/DD and their families by fully funding DD Services! Tell them why this is important to you!
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More than 80 advocates participated in the March 5th Advocacy Day at the Capitol who were there to support DD Services funding as well as Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Services in partnership with the Oregon Alliance for Early Intervention. We encourage advocates to continue to message members of the
Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education
to ask that they fully fund EI/ECSE Services because every child deserves a bright future!
Our next Advocacy Day will be April 30th at the State of Oregon Public Library across the street from the Capitol.
The Oregon Developmental Disability Coalition’s GO! Project Advocacy Team will be available from 10 AM to 2 PM to provide information and support. Join us for free legislative advocacy training from 11 AM to Noon.
Here is how to participate:
- Before the Advocacy Day - Visit www.oregonlegislature.gov to get contact information for your State Senator, State Representative and members of the Joint Ways and Means Human Services Committee, then schedule visits with these key legislators and/or their staff.
- On the Advocacy Day - Wear something yellow to show unity in advocacy then stop by our Advocacy Headquarters at the State of Oregon Library before and after your visits for important advocacy updates and to complete our GO Project Survey.
Access the updated 2019 GO Project Advocacy Day Schedule
here
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Policy Bills and Upcoming Hearings
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The following are the hearings for the upcoming week on important budget or policy bills we’re tracking. You can access an updated DD Coalition Priority Bills report
here
to stay updated.
March 11th – Monday
8:00 am/HR E:
House Committee on Business and Labor
will be holding work sessions on the following bills:
- HB 2211 Directs Department of Human Services to study issues and identify barriers relating to employment of persons with disabilities.
- HB 2212 Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Oregon Department of Administrative Services for purposes of providing financial assistance to state agencies that provide workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities
8:30 am/HR C:
Senate Committee on Judiciary
will be holding public hearing on
SB 378
, a bill that requires that court-ordered fitness to proceed examination and filing of examination report to occur within 14 days of examination order if defendant is in custody.
8:30 am / H-170:
Joint Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Education
will continue to hear
invited testimony
on
HB 5015
(Grant in Aid) and
HB 5016
(State School Fund), the budget bills for the Department of Education.
1:00 pm / HR 50:
House Committee on Human Services and Housing
will be holding a work session on
HB 2601
, a bill that limits a guardian's authority to limit a protected person's preferred associations with third parties.
Note: HB 2601 is being scheduled for a work session solely for the purpose of moving it to the House Committee on Judiciary.
3:00 pm / HR D:
House Committee on Education
will be holding the following hearings:
- HB 2441 Public hearing: Requires school districts to provide coordinated comprehensive school counseling program.
- HB 2026 Work session: Extends sunset on pilot program to decrease rates of school absenteeism by using trauma-informed approaches to education, health services and intervention strategies.
- HB 2023 Public hearing: Directs State Board of Education to ensure that academic content standards for certain subjects include sufficient instruction on histories, contributions and perspectives of certain classifications of individuals.
- HB 2964 Work session: Directs Department of Education to conduct study to determine adequacy of public education in state.
- HB 2224 Public hearing: Directs Department of Education to distribute grants for improving student outcomes by supporting social, emotional, mental and physical health needs of students.
- HB 2940 Public hearing: Establishes pilot program for purpose of increasing number of public school students who are served by school social workers.
5:00 pm / HR 50:
House Committee on Human Services and Housing
will be holding the following hearings:
- HB 3000 Public hearing: Directs Department of Human Services to deduct expenses for medically necessary guardianship services from recipient's income when calculating eligibility for assistance provided by Oregon Supplemental Income Program.
- HB 2908 Public hearing: Requires division of Department of Human Services that administers Oregon Project Independence, in collaboration with area agencies, to study statewide expansion of Oregon Project Independence and resource needs of division if Oregon Project Independence is expanded statewide.
- HB 2302 Possible work session: Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Department of Human Services to administer general assistance project.
March 12th – Tuesday
8:00 am / HR-D:
Senate Committee on Workforce
will hold a public hearing and possible work session on
SB 494
, a bill that relates to sub-minimum wage and employment of individuals with disabilities.
8:30 am / H-170:
Joint Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Education
will continue to hear
invited testimony
on
HB 5015
(Grant in Aid) and
HB 5016
(State School Fund), the budget bills for the Department of Education.
3:00 pm / HR B:
Senate Committee on Human Services
will be holding public hearings and work sessions on several bills we’re tracking or monitoring:
- SB 918 Work Session: Directs local mental health authority to notify local systems having contact with deceased individual 24 years of age or younger of suspected suicide if local mental health authority received notice of death from third party.
- HB 2215 Work Session: Adds to rights of persons with mental illness committed to Oregon Health Authority, right to reasonable privacy and security in resting, sleeping, dressing, bathing, personal hygiene and toileting.
- SB 491 Work Session: Transfers from the department of Human Services to the Oregon Community Foundation responsibility for administering the Fairview Housing Trust.
- SB 475 Public Hearing: Directs Department of Human Services to conduct monthly, in-person visits with child or ward in substitute care that include updates on academic status and progress. Directs department to conduct exit interview with child or ward no later than 30 days after department removes child or ward from substitute care placement.
- SB 745 Public Hearing: Directs Department of Human Services to conduct annual in-person case planning with ward 14 years of age or older during which department informs ward that ward is eligible for transition services and provides ward with assistance in applying for transition services, if applicable.
3:00 pm / HR E:
House Committee on Health Care
will be holding hearings on the following bills:
- HB 2563 Public Hearing: Directs the Oregon Health Authority to adopt rules requiring infants to be screened to detect certain diseases.
- HB 3063 Work Session: Removes ability of parent to decline required immunizations on behalf of child for reason other than child's indicated medical diagnosis.
INTERESTED IN TRACKING BILLS OR HEARINGS?
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Use the Oregon Legislature's
Capitol e-Subscribe
service to receive bill alerts for individual bills as they move through the legislative process, receive committee agendas, news from members of the legislative body and more.
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You can also watch or listen to live or archived
video and audio
of Oregon Senate and House chamber sessions and Committee hearings.
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About the Oregon DD Coalition
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The Oregon DD Coalition advocates for DD services on behalf of and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and support organizations in Oregon.
We influence DD service and community support systems and legislation by communicating with a common, consistent voice – creating better opportunities for Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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Interested in signing up for the GO! Bulletin or
becoming a member of the Oregon DD Coalition?
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1775 32nd Place, Suite F, Salem OR 97301
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