|
Still Alive
-
Giving young adults with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities scholarships to attend college-based programs like the University of Iowa’s REACH and Northwestern College’s NEXT programs. (HF 252, Sen. Jeff Taylor)
-
No longer allowing insurance companies to limit how many times a person can receive treatment for autism or stop coverage at age 26. (HF 243, Rep. Shannon Lundgren)
-
Requiring schools to excuse a student’s absence from school while they are getting treatment for autism. (HF 610, Rep. Steven Bradley)
-
Changing guardianship laws so that everyone uses the same forms whether the guardian is a family member, friend, volunteer, or lawyer. Note that many disability advocacy organizations are concerned about the House version, but they support the Senate version. The House has said they will be amending their version, but we do not yet know if it will be the same as the Senate. (*HSB 109, SF 295: Rep. Bill Gustoff, Sen. Dan Dawson)
-
Making changes to boards and commissions under the new Department of Health and Human Services. This includies eliminating the Brain Injury Advisory Council and Children’s Behavioral Health Board. (HF 566, Rep. Joel Fry)
-
Ending the ability of insurance companies to switch or end coverage of someone’s medicine if they are stable and doing well on it. (HF 96, Rep. Gary Mohr)
-
Making it harder to prove a person is eligible for public assistance (food assistance, Medicaid) by adding new layers of checks against national and state databases and looking at what every member of a household owns. (HF 613, SF 494: Rep. Tom Jeneary, Sen. Jeff Edler)
-
Protecting teachers from “disruptive students” by allowing them to physically remove the student from the classroom. If students are removed from a classroom more than three times they can be expelled . Legislators have said they may amend this to clarify that this does not apply to students with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). (HF 604, Rep. Skyler Wheeler)
-
Requiring all employees of HCBS providers, including contract employees, go through background checks. (*HF 504, Rep. Derek Wulf)
-
Eliminating the ability of a hospital or nursing facility (including intermediate care facilities, or ICF) to restrict visitors,.They can still require masking and other protective policies. (*SSB 1196, *HSB 215: Sen. Jeff Edler, Rep. Eddie Andrews)
| | | |
|
Failed
-
Requiring Medicaid to offer a safer option for catheters that do not contain harmful chemicals like DEHP. (HF 387)
-
Creating a new program called Work Without Worry to allow individuals with disabilities to work to their full potential without risk of losing the services that enable them to do so. (SF 368, HF 403)
-
Making big changes in voting. This Bill would question whether an early in-person voter would have their votes counted. It would open the state up to many voter registration challenges. Itwould eliminate the ability of voters to get assistance in marking their ballots, and could potentially make the way a person voted public. (HF 65, HF 543, SF 341, SF 342, SF 351)
-
Requiring Medicaid managed care companies to report on institutional vs. community-based spending for long term supports and services. (HF 188)
-
Expanding educational options for persons with disabilities (HF 513)
-
Designating new Van Accessible Parking Spaces (HF 521)
-
Requiring insurance to pay for complex rehabilitation technology wheelchairs, including repairs and annual preventive maintenance. (HF 562)
-
Adding a new Medicaid HCBS waiver for individuals with autism. (HSB 49)
-
Increasing reimbursement for adult day care services by 3.55%. (SF 373)
| | | |
|
State Reorganization Update
The House State Government Committee finished its work on the bill that combines departments and changes how state department heads are paid (HSB 126). They worked through the night, finishing up at 12:20 a.m. on Friday morning. Democrats offered 39 amendments, which they say addressed each issue brought up by Iowans during the six subcommittee hearings. The amendments included:
- Keeping the independence of the Department for the Blind.
- Leaving the School for the Deaf and Braille and Sight Saving School alone.
- Requiring every legislative meeting to have an ASL interpreter available.
The amendments all failed by party-line vote (Republicans voting no, Democrats voting yes). Rep. Jane Bloomingdale, the committee chair, said she wants to continue to talk about the amendments being offered. They may be included in a larger amendment she will offer on the floor. She indicated they would be working on these bills over the next two weeks, with hopes for passing them soon after. A Senate Committee already passed its bill earlier in the week (SSB 1123).
There is still time if you are concerned with something in this bill.
Contact your legislators and the Governor
Contact Rep. Jane Bloomingdale & Sen. Jason Schultz
| |
|
Instead of a Capitol Snapshot this week, we thought it was a good time to run an oldie but a goodie. It's a great time to connect with your legislators about Medicaid funding, HCBS waiver reform, employment, and any of the bills you see being debated. We thought it was a great time to send you our "How to Use the Take Action Center" video. While it shows our old website, the Take Action Center is the same. Check it out!
| |  |
Sign Up for Capitol Chats
You can watch our Capitol Chats here.
Sign up for our next Chats:
Mar. 31
Apr. 28
| | |
|
Remembering Judy Huemann
The advocacy world has lost another of its trailblazers. For more than 50 years, Judy Huemann fought discrimination and as the New York Times said, "brought on a revolution in the government's treatment of the disabled."
Hearing the news of her passing, President Joe Biden called her a "rolling warrior." The White House put out this statement:
“Judy Heumann was a trailblazer...After her school principal said she couldn’t enter Kindergarten because she was in a wheelchair, Judy dedicated the rest of her life to fighting for the inherent dignity of people with disabilities. Her courage and fierce advocacy resulted in the Rehabilitation Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act – landmark achievements that increased access to education, the workplace, housing, and more for people with disabilities. Judy also served in leadership positions in two presidential administrations, and she started multiple disability advocacy organizations that continue to benefit people here and around the world."
Read more about Judy:
| | | |
|
|
Iowa legislators still take time out of their weekends home to go to public forums or town halls. It's their time to meet the people they represent, share what they are doing at the State Capitol, and hear what people think that work.
You can find these on our calendar, and you can download the list for the next two weeks here.
| | | |
infoNET is the disability policy project of the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council and its network of Iowans with Disabilities in Action. | |
Stay connected with us: | |
This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $774,176 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government. | | | | |
