|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STATE PAGES
Action
Center
2006 Legislative Session
State News & Events
Advocacy Tools |
Olympia Insider
News and Information on
Developmental Disabilities
Oh baby If you ever feel discouraged about making an impact through the legislative process, two words are worth a thousand reasons not to give up: Cecile Lindquist. For those of you who don't know of Cecile's work, just look around. If you see inclusion, education and any degree of quality life for children and adults with developmental disabilities, you'll see Cecile's visionary imprint. Now, you can add babies to the list. As one of the pioneers of the Education for All Act (later, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), Cecile has made it her mission for the last 36 years to provide every child with disabilities an inclusive education from birth to age 21. Two days ago, her mission was accomplished with the final passage of House Bill 1107 -- early intervention services for children with disabilities (aka the Birth to Three bill). This legislation requires all school districts to participate in birth-to three early intervention services by the year 2009. During these final days of session, Cecile's success has elevated our spirits and inspired us all. She would say she's not alone, that the determination of Representative Dickerson and Senator Rasmussen, in addition to the tireless efforts of the WEE Care coalition and other advocates, were key to the bill's passage. While it's true that advocacy requires a mountain of people to make a molehill, it's people like Cecile who shake the earth until everyone's in motion. In lieu of flowers or cards (though she deserves both) please thank Cecile by making a commitment to get involved and stay involved. No excuses. Think of Cecile and just keep going until you either overwhelm or outlive the opposition. Others to thank: Rep. Dickerson (D-36), the bill's sponsor; Sen. Rasmussen (D-2), sponsor of the senate companion bill; Sen. Zarelli (R-18) for pulling this bill out of the pile of hopefuls and getting it to the Senate floor; Sen. McAuliffe (D-1), chair of Senate Education that helped the bill pass through her committee; Rep. Kagi (D-32) for her help in the House; and any of your legislators you contacted for help to pass this legislation (no one voted against it). More good news... As our winter weather has already demonstrated, when it rains it pours. Several of our priority bills have popped out the process alive and well. The winners (so far) are: Disability Access Voting -- HB 2479. This bill uses Help America Vote Act funding to ensure accessible voting in every county, a 20-day voting period, and county advisory boards that must include persons with disabilities. Please thank: Rep. Haigh (D-35), the bill's sponsor; Rep. Nixon (R-45) for helping to improve the bill in the House; Sen. Kastama (D-25) and the entire Senate Government Operations committee; Sen. Fairley (D-32) who staunchly supported this bill through the Senate; Sen. Brown (D-3) for making sure it got on the Senate floor before we all had a heart attack from the stress; the Secretary of State's office; and any of your legislators who voted for the bill (no one voted against it, though some were absent or excused). Community Protection -- SB 6630. This bill puts statutory language around the DD Community Protection program. It's a good first step to clarifying entry into and out of the program, as well as provider requirements and sanctions. An important component of the program, however, appears in the Senate budget and needs help to ensure that it is included in the final budget -- it's funding to provide legal services to clients who are entering, or who are already in, the program. Please thank the bill's Sponsor, Sen. Kline (D-37) for his leadership on this controversial issue. Please also thank Rep. Roberts (D-21) for responding to concerns raised by a recent series of articles about serious problems in the DD Community Protection program. Mercury-Free Vaccines -- SB 5305. This legislation, spearheaded by the Autism Society of Washington, prohibits vaccinating pregnant women and children under age three with vaccines that contain mercury. There's been a debate as to whether or not mercury is linked to the incidence of autism. While this bill doesn't settle the issue one way or the other, it does remove at least one barrier for those who avoid vaccinations out of concern about autism. Please thank Sen. Rasmussen (D-2), the bill's sponsor for her strong commitment to individuals with autism. For those of you who don't know, Sen. Rasmussen is very involved in supporting her grandchild who has autism. Protecting Dependent
Persons -- HB 1080. This bill expands the circumstances under
which a person can be guilty of criminal mistreatment. HB 1080 includes the
withholding of basic necessities of life by someone who has assumed the
responsibilities to provide these basic necessities. It was introduced last
session and has moved all the way to final passed, thanks to the bill's
sponsor
Rep. McDonald (R-25) and
Sen. Kline (D-37), chair of Senate Judiciary, who has provided
exceptional support on this and other legal issues impacting persons with
developmental disabilities. For the status on other bills that flooded the legislature this session, visit: http://capwiz.com/arcwa/issues/bills/?type=ST Budget Behind Closed Doors This is the time when budget negotiators from the House and Senate toil away in private to knock out a budget that most can agree with. It's been no secret that DD advocates have worked long and loud for legislators to hold to the Senate funding for developmental disabilities. Even though we've been told the budget numbers will land somewhere in between the two budget proposals, we are doing everything to hedge those numbers in the right direction. It's not a lot compared to other areas of the operating budget -- just $5.5 million in the Senate and $2.5 million in the House. These are mere rounding errors for big ticket items like K-12 and pension funds. In just a few days, we'll know which way the budget bounces. If there's any last minute opportunity to squeeze in a final request, we'll get the word out. Thanks to You The Arc of Washington State thanks the following organizations for ensuring that the voice of developmental disabilities was heard this week: The Arc of King County, Developmental Disabilities Council, Parent Coalition of Pierce County, Parent Coalition of King County, People First of Washington, SNAP, Self Advocates in Leadership, Self Advocates of Washington, Washington Protection & Advocacy and the WEE Care Coalition. Upcoming Events Developmental Disabilities Advocacy Day The Arc of Washington State
Copyright© The Arc of Washington State. All Rights Reserved |