Get Ready for the 2017 Legislative Session

The phrase, “What a difference a year makes,” certainly rings true today. Since the conclusion of the 2016 Georgia legislative session, there have been so many changes in leadership on the federal, state and local levels.

A presidential election was held, new legislators were elected bringing a few new faces to the legislative arena, and there have been changes in leadership within departments that support people with disabilities. For example, in the fall, Governor Deal appointed new leadership at the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Commissioner Judy Fitzgerald; Commissioner Frank Berry at the Department of Community Health (DCH); and Executive Director Sean Casey at the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA). In addition, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) added some new faces to its team as well.
We hope you will come join us for our 2017 Advocacy Days where you can meet many of these new faces and support our mission to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families in Georgia.

To carry out our mission, GCDD remains committed to working hard on a daily basis at the Gold Dome during the legislative session alongside policymakers and other allies to support our mission to bring about social and policy changes that promote opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities and their families to live, learn, work, play and worship in Georgia communities. Keep reading to find out more about our legislative priorities and some things we have been doing to gear up for this year’s session.

Leading up to the 2017 Georgia General Assembly
Over the past year, GCDD focused on developing its new strategic plan for FFY 2017 through FFY 2021. After receiving input from the public and being vetted by our Council, the five big areas of focus for the new strategic plan include employment, education, real communities, formal/informal supports and self-advocacy. You will notice that our 2017 legislative priorities focus heavily around these areas.

In fact, during the fall, we were engaged in many activities to support our strategic plan. One such activity supporting our employment focus was our second annual Take Your Legislator to Work Day (TYLTWD), in which employees with disabilities signed up with GCDD and then invited their legislators to visit them at their place of employment to highlight the wonderful work they do and the benefits of employing people with disabilities in the workforce, as well as educate them on policies that can promote competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities. You can read more about TYLTWD in another article within this issue. Supporting competitive, integrated employment and improving employment outcomes for Georgians with disabilities is a huge priority for GCDD, one that we will be tackling during the upcoming session and in the years to come. (Read about TYLTWD on page 18.)

Not only were we engaging with our legislators on TYLTWD, but the UNLOCK! Coalition, formerly known as “Unlock the Waiting Lists!” continued to grow its membership and has held three major meetings since the end of the 2016 legislative session. In spring 2016, an UNLOCK! Post Legislative Summit was held to celebrate the successes from the 2016 legislative session. Then, in the fall, an UNLOCK! Pre-Legislative Summit was held where legislative issues were presented and the UNLOCK! Coalition voted on what issues should be supported by the Coalition during the 2017 legislative session. Finally, in December an UNLOCK! Rev-Up pep rally was held to get people excited and ready to advocate and tell their stories for the upcoming advocacy season. You will read more about the UNLOCK! agenda items later in this article.

2017 Legislative Priorities – Led by GCDD
Support Employment First

Employment First means that employment should be the first and preferred option for all people, regardless of their disability. Under Employment First legislation, employment in the general workforce at or above minimum wage is the first and preferred option for all working-age citizens with disabilities. Currently, the Georgia system creates many barriers for individuals with disabilities to work. Although the majority of Georgians with developmental disabilities want to work, only 10% of Georgians with developmental disabilities are currently employed in the community.1 Under an Employment First policy, state agencies will need to re-align their policies and funding to prioritize employment for all working-age Georgians with disabilities.

• Support legislation that addresses employment barriers for people with disabilities, makes Georgia an Employment First state, and prioritizes competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities

Support Students to Attend Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Programs in GA
Inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) provides opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to access higher education. This prepares them to live increasingly independent lives and pursue careers of their choice. Individuals with intellectual disabilities who receive post-secondary education are more likely to find paid employment than those who don’t, and their earnings are 73% higher than peers who do not receive post-secondary education.2

Thanks to legislative support, the number of IPSE programs in Georgia has grown from one to five, with two more coming in 2017. However, students in these programs have very few resources available to pay for them compared to what is available to students of traditional college programs. For example, IPSE students cannot access the HOPE scholarship program. Without financial support many qualified, eager students cannot afford the life-changing opportunity of inclusive post-secondary education.

• Support the sustainability of inclusive post-secondary educational programs in Georgia and increase student access to these programs. Increase legislative funding from $200,000 to $500,000 in total, $100,000 of which can be student scholarships. The FY 2018 ASK for new funding: $300,000

We Need More DD Waivers
Out of the several Medicaid waivers that Georgia offers to those who qualify for this level of care, the New Options Waiver (NOW) and the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) has by far Georgia’s longest waiting list. As of 9/30/16, there are 8,698 individuals with developmental disabilities on this waiting list. These individuals and their families are desperately hanging on and need Georgia to throw them a lifeline.

• Fund at least 2470 NOW (80%)/COMP (20%) waivers to reduce Georgia’s longest waiting list and allow more individuals to begin to receive services. $33,058,273

Children’s Freedom Initiative (CFI): Bring Georgia’s Children Home
There are a number of school-age children living in nursing facilities or intermediate care facilities in Georgia. These children did nothing wrong. They are in facilities simply because they have a disability and need care despite the fact that it is completely possible to care for them in the community. Georgia needs to shut the front door to these facilities and ensure every child has a permanent loving home.

• Support the CFI effort to ensure all children have a permanent loving home. Support legislation to prevent young Georgians under the age of 22 from being placed in intermediate care or nursing facilities. Provide funding for all of the young Georgians with disabilities under the age of 22 who are currently living in facilities to move into permanent loving homes and have the care they need.

Supported by GCDD but led by other entities
Support Georgians Who Care for Their Families: The Family Care Act
Many Georgians balance their work lives with caring for their families. The Family Care Act would enable Georgians who have earned sick leave to use up to five days of that leave to care for sick members of their immediate family. The Family Care Act does NOT add any additional sick days or require employers to provide them; it only allows Georgians to use the sick days they’ve already earned to care for family members.

• Support the Family Care Act.

Change the Standard to Prove Intellectual Disabilities in Capital Punishment Cases
In 2002, the US Supreme Court said it is wrong to execute a person with intellectual disabilities because it violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.3 But right now in Georgia, it is extremely difficult for an individual to prove in court that they have intellectual disabilities. Georgia is the only one of the fifty states that requires a person to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that they have intellectual disabilities in capital punishment cases.

• Change the legal standard of proof for proving intellectual disabilities in O.C.G.A. to “preponderance of the evidence,” which is the standard used in most other states.

Support the Elder and Disabled Abuser Registry
Georgia needs an Elder and Disabled Abuser Registry comparable to the Child Abuse Registry established in 2016 in Georgia. This would allow employers of direct care workers to have a better way to screen potential employees and may deter abusers.

Support Enable Work
• The creation of the Phillip Payne Personal Assistance Program, a sliding fee scale program for workers with disabilities to pay a cost share that would allow them to access Personal Assistant Services to maintain their independence.
• The creation of PeachWork, a program whose purpose is to provide people with disabilities who are working the opportunity to earn as much as they can and accumulate savings while maintaining needed health coverage.

Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities (SPADD) Housing Study Committee
Supplemental Security income is the only resource available to many individuals with developmental disabilities to pay for housing. A legislative study of residential care costs and exploration of funding to support intellectual and other developmental disability organizations to bridge the gap between an individual’s Social Security income and the cost of housing is necessary.

UNLOCK! Coalition (formerly “Unlock the Waiting Lists”)
UNLOCK! advocates with Georgians with disabilities so they and their families can live full lives and contribute to Georgia communities and the Georgia economy. We believe Georgia must rebalance its system of long-term services and supports, so that fewer dollars are spent on institutional care and more dollars are invested into home and community-based services (HCBS). Here are a list of issues that UNLOCK! supports for the 2017 session. All issues are led by an organization but supported by UNLOCK! as voted on by its Coalition members:

• DD Waivers – address longest waiting list in Georgia (GCDD)
• Employment – reduce barriers, improve outcomes, support Employment First (GCDD)
• Offensive language – eliminate offensive language in Georgia code (The Arc Georgia)
• Elderly and Disabled Abuser Registry – create comprehensive registry (Georgia Council on Aging)
• Residential Housing Study Committee – explore costs for folks in residential services (SPADD)
• Transportation – advocate for accessible transportation for people with disabilities (American Wheelchair Society)

Get Involved!
Mark Your Calendar and Register to Attend 2017 Advocacy Days at the Capitol
No matter how robust our legislative agenda, we cannot be successful in our efforts without YOU – the voices of the people with disabilities, their families and other allies. So don’t forget to register TODAY by going to http://bit.ly/2fRxoYX . You don’t want to miss it!

• February 1: DD Waivers Day 1 & Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) Day
• February 7: DD Waivers Day 2
• February 23: Employment Day
• February 28: Enable Work and Families Day (Family Care Act, PeachWork, Phillip Payne Personal Assistance Program)
• March 9: Home & Community Day (Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry, Offensive Language, Transportation, Residential Housing Study Committee)

Join Our Weekly Advocacy Calls on Mondays
(Open to Everyone)
The calls start on the first Monday of the legislative session, January 9, 2017. Calls made every Monday at 9:30 AM that is a legislative day until the session is over. Call 1.888.355.1249 and enter pass code 232357

Read Our Legislative Newsletter Public Policy for the People and Receive the Latest Information Alerts throughout the Session
Please go to www.gcdd.org, scroll to the bottom of our homepage and click on “Join our Advocacy Team!” and follow the instructions. You will have the opportunity to select your subscription preferences. Be sure that you sign up to receive our “Advocacy & Policy Alerts” and “UNLOCK! Alerts.” This will also allow you to receive our legislative newsletter, “Public Policy for the People” that comes out every two weeks during session and calls-to-action regarding important actions we need you to take!

References:
1. National Core Indicators 2014-2015. National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services and Human Services Research Institute. http:www.nationalcoreindicators.org/charts/
2. Migliore, A., Butterworth, J., & Hart, D. (2009). Postsecondary Education and Employment Outcomes for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities. Think College Fast Facts. No 1. http://www.thinkcollege.net/publications/fast-facts
3. See Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002)

2017 Advocacy Days
Registration is now open for the 2017 Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities’ Advocacy Days! Learn how to speak to your legislators. Then visit the Capitol to educate them about the issues you care about. Each day has a specific topic; we welcome you to register for as many days as you would like!

Let’s show Georgia legislators that we have a voice – a voice that must be heard! We will not be put to the side and ignored. We Georgians care about our community and know that these topics are of vital importance to the health of our great State. As a community we have achieved much in the past fifty years. Now as a community we need to keep up the good fight and make Georgia a place where all of us, regardless of our ability, can live, learn, work, play and worship in our community.

So come out, bring a friend or two, and let your voice be heard! Register today to reserve your spot. Space is limited, so don’t delay! Please be sure to register your support staff if needed so we will have an accurate head count.

Register online at http://bit.ly/2fRxoYX

Dates & Topics of 2017 Advocacy Days
Time: All advocacy days will run from 8:30 AM till approximately 12:30 PM
Location: Central Presbyterian Church across from the Georgia State Capitol at 201 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

• February 1: DD Waivers Day 1 & Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) Day
• February 7: DD Waivers Day 2
• February 23: Employment Day
• February 28: Enable Work and Families Day (Family Care Act, PeachWork, Phillip Payne Personal Assistance Program)
• March 9: Home & Community Day (Elder & Disabled Abuser Registry, Offensive Language, Transportation, Residential Housing Study Committee)

Daily Schedule Overview
8:30 - 9:00 Arrival and registration
9:00 - 9:20 Welcome and understand the Issue
9:20 - 9:40 Demonstration of a visit with a legislator
9:40 - 10:10 Break into teams to practice the legislative visit
10:10 - 12:30 Go to the Capitol in teams to call legislators to the ropes
12:30 approx. Drop off legislative visit form to Dawn, Hanna or Stacey

We will have CART (Computer Assisted Real Time) available at all Advocacy Days. We are dedicated to all Advocacy Days being accessible for all, so please let us know if you have any specific needs or accommodations. Please note, sign language interpreters require at least seven business days of notice to arrange.

Questions? Problems Registering?
Contact Hanna at 404.657.2124 or

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!
To make each advocacy day a success, we are in need of many volunteers. The number of volunteers we will need to help on a given day will depend upon how many people register. If you are interested in helping if needed on the days for which you are registered to attend, please indicate this on the registration form and we will contact you with specifics. Please see below additional information about parking and accessibility. Thank you for your interest in Advocacy Days!

Parking around the Georgia State Capitol: https://gba.georgia.gov/general-public-parking
Map of parking locations: http://1.usa.gov/1NnBRvz
Information on Public Transportation: https://gba.georgia.gov/transportation
Capitol Hill Accessibility Guide for Visitors with Disabilities: http://1.usa.gov/1TNQr1

Read Making a Difference Winter 2017 here:

 


Download pdf version of Making a Difference Summer 2015    largeprint




Listen to the audio version of the magazine by clicking on the orange "Play" button below:

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save