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February 20, 2024 | Vol. MMXXIII | Issue 85
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Budget and Appropriations
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On January 7th, President Biden and Congressional Leaders released a bi-partisan topline agreement on funding levels for Fiscal Year 2024 that includes $772.7 billion for non-defense discretionary (NDD) funding and $886.3 billion in defense funding. With these topline agreements in place, and agreement on how to allocate the funding among the twelve appropriations bills (known as 302bs), the Appropriations Committee and subcommittees are drafting the twelve appropriations bills.
Currently, the federal government is operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR) that continues last year’s funding at the prior levels. The CR extends funding for appropriated programs through March 1st (Agriculture, Military Construction/VA, Energy/Water, and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development bills) and through March 8th (Labor/Health/Human Services/Education (LHHS), Defense, State/Foreign Operations, Commerce/Justice/Science, Financial Services, Interior/Environment, Legislative Branch, and Homeland Security bills).
The House and Senate are in recess. The House is in recess until February 28th and the Senate until February 23rd which leaves few days to finish the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2024. On March 7th, President Biden is scheduled to give his address at the State of the Union. On March 11th, the White House is planning to release President Biden's Fiscal Year 2025 budget request.
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Plain Language
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On January 7th, President Biden and leaders in Congress came to an agreement on a budget for Fiscal Year 2024. Congress is working to write the bills before they expire in March to fund the government for the rest of this year.
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Action Steps
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Call and educate your Members of Congress on the importance of passing the appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 by the deadlines. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
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House of Representatives Introduces and Holds Hearing on the Autism CARES Act
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On February 1st, Representative Smith (R-NJ-4) and Representative Cuellar (D-TX-28) introduced the Autism CARES Act of 2024 (H.R. 7213). The bill will continue the CARES Act for another five
years with increased funding levels for the programs that were included in the Autism CARES Act of 2019. The CARES Act works to better coordinate the research and training programs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services focused on autism. Learn more about the CARES Act. The CARES Act includes the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Programs and the Developmental Behavioral Pediatric (DBP) Programs. The current Autism CARES Act will expire on September 30th.
The reauthorization of the Autism CARES Act was discussed during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing titled “Legislative Proposals to Support Patients and Caregivers”. The hearing focused on 18 bipartisan bills that would improve healthcare for
numerous populations. The hearing provided Members of the Subcommittee an opportunity to hear from experts across different fields, including Dr. Andy Shih, Chief Science Officer at Autism Speaks. AUCD sent this letter to the Members of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee in advance of the hearing.
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Plain Language
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On February 1st, Representative Smith (R-NJ-4) and Representative Cuellar (D-TX-28) introduced the Autism CARES Act of 2024. The bill will allow research and training programs focused on autism to continue. The current Autism CARES Act ends on September 30th, so the version introduced earlier this month needs to be passed by October 1st to continue these programs.
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Action Steps
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Read this brief on the Autism CARES Act from AUCD and the Autism Society. Watch the hearing titled “Legislative Proposals to Support Patients and Caregivers”. Call and educate your Members of Congress on the importance of continuing the Autism CARES Act.
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House of Representatives and Senate Introduce Legislation to Support People with Disabilities in the Political Process
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On February 7th, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Scanlon (D-PA-5) introduced the Accessible Voting Act (S. 3748 / H.R. 7389). The bill will work to
ensure that older adults, persons with disabilities, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and persons with limited English proficiency can exercise their right to vote. Specifically, the bill will set up an Office of Accessibility within the Election Assistance Committee, expand the number of options to cast ballots, create a national resource center to provide election workers with more information on accessibility, provide grants to states to improve voting accessibility, and more.
On February 7th, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Dean (D-PA-4) introduced the Removing Access Barriers to Running for Elected Office for People with Disabilities Act (S. 3747 / H.R. 7351). The bill will
amend the Social Security Act to clarify that filing to run for an elected office and campaigning for an elected office is not considered work, substantial gainful activity or any other type of activity that would disqualify an eligible person with a disability from receiving federal disability benefits, like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
On February 7th, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Dean (D-PA-4) introduced the Accessibility and Inclusion to Diversify (AID) Local Government Leadership Act (S. 3749 / H.R. 7350) that will provide smaller
local governments most likely to have limited budgets with a grant to support reasonable accommodations for local elected officials with disabilities.
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Plain Language
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On February 7th, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Scanlon (D-PA-5) introduced the Accessible Voting Act (S. 3748 / H.R. 7389). The bill will make voting
in national elections more accessible for people with disabilities.
On February 7th, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Dean (D-PA-4) introduced the Removing Access Barriers to Running for Elected Office for People with Disabilities Act (S. 3747 / H.R. 7351). The bill will make
sure that people with disabilities running for office can still access their federal benefits like Medicaid and SSI.
On February 7th, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Dean (D-PA-4) introduced the Accessibility and Inclusion to Diversify (AID) Local Government Leadership Act (S. 3749 / H.R. 7350). The bill will give money
to small local governments so they can provide accommodations to people with disabilities elected to local government.
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Action Steps
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Read the bill text and the factsheet on the Accessible Voting Act. Read the bill text and the factsheet on the Removing Access Barriers to Running for Elected Office for People with Disabilities Act. Read the bill text and the factsheet for the Accessibility and Inclusion to Diversity (AID) Local Government Leadership Act. Call and educate your Members of Congress on the importance of improving accessibility in the political process. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
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U.S. Census Bureau to Hold Virtual Listening Sessions for 2030 Census
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The U.S. Census Bureau is holding several virtual listening sessions to improve the way data is collected in the 2030 Census. The listening sessions are focused on different populations. The remaining sessions include:
As a reminder, the U.S. Census Bureau recently announced they would not be making previously proposed changes to the way disability data is collected in the American Community Survey. The previously proposed questions would have asked disability questions based on functionality, which would have underestimated the amount of people with disabilities across the country. The U.S. Census Bureau responded to the comments from the disability community, saying the changes would not be implemented in the 2025 American Community Survey, and that they would work with relevant stakeholders moving forward when
proposing changes to the way data is collected.
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Plain Language
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The U.S. Census Bureau is holding virtual listening sessions to improve the way they collect data for the 2030 Census. Below are the listening sessions and links to register.
The U.S. Census Bureau also announced that they would not be making changes to the way they ask questions about disabilities. They previously announced they would be making changes, but after hearing from the disability community, they decided not to make the changes.
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Action Steps
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Register for the U.S. Census Bureau’s listening sessions. Read more about the U.S. Census Bureau’s response to the feedback from the disability community.
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Senate Introduces Companion Legislation for the Words Matter Act
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On February 1st, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Senator Moran (R-KS) introduced the Words Matter Act (S. 3726 / H.R. 3111). The House
version of the bill was introduced last year by Representative Pocan (D-WI-2). The bill will change the use of the phrase “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability” in the federal law. Rosa’s Law, which was passed in 2010, made this change for most federal laws, but this law will make the change for the remaining federal laws.
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Plain Language
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On February 1st, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Senator Moran (R-KS) introduced the Words Matter Act (S. 3726 / H.R. 3111). The House
version of the bill was introduced last year. The bill will stop the use of the phrase “mental retardation” in U.S. laws, and change it to say, “intellectual disability”.
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Action Steps
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Read the bill text. Read this announcement from Senator Casey. Call and educate your Members of Congress on the importance of removing the term “mental retardation’ from all federal laws!
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U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Releases New Data and Resources for Students with Disabilities
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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released four new resources today with information for students, parents and families, and schools. The resources discuss the
legal rights of students with certain disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. “Section 504 prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities by institutions that accept federal financial assistance, which includes almost all public schools and public and private institutions of higher education.” OCR also released a data snapshot about education access for students with disabilities based on the data from OCR’s 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The resources provide information for students, families, and educators on
the application of Section 504 with regards to asthma, diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disorder, and food allergies. These resources will ensure that students with disabilities are receiving accommodations so they can receive an education in the least restrictive environment.
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Plain Language
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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released new documents that will help students with certain disabilities, their families, and their teachers understand how to
get accommodations in schools. The documents cover different medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, food allergies and more.
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Action Steps
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Read the resources from OCR. Review the data snapshot from OCR.
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Check out the latest episode of "Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All"
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"Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All" is a YouTube video series highlighting current issues and hot topics in disability policy. Past guests of Tuesdays with Liz include U.S. Senators and Representatives, AUCD’s President Elect, and key members of the disability community.
Liz Weintraub is AUCD's Senior Advocacy Specialist and the host of "Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All".
Liz has extensive experience practicing leadership in self advocacy and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations, including the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL) and the Maryland Development Disabilities Council.
Find the full playlist on YouTube or check out the latest episode featuring OSERS' Assistant Secretary, Glenna Wright-Gallo.
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