Legislation Committee
What is the Legislation Committee?
The goal of the NADS Legislation Committee: to assist NADS members by helping them to be informed on legislation that, we feel, most affects individuals with Down syndrome, in Illinois, and on a national level.
The hope of the Legislation committee: NADS members will use the information provided to decide what is important to their families and to provide the tools needed for each family to contact legislators and follow the legislation they are interested in.
Do you want to help?
The Legislation Committee is looking for NADS Members interested in helping out with our work. If you are available to attend meetings (possibly Sundays) and would be interested in assisting with Legislation Forums for the upcoming Governors Race please contact cmorgan1027@comcast.net
New Federal Bill of Interest:
NADS Supports Rosa’s Law –
Let’s get rid of the “R” word
After the unacceptable comments by Rohm Emanuel and Rush Limbaugh in February of 2010 we all need to speak up. A great way to get your thoughts known is to let your legislators in Washington know you support Rosa’s Law. The purpose of Rosa’s Law is to replace the terms “mental retardation and mentally retarded” with “intellectual disability and individual with an intellectual disability”.
Rosa’s Law was introduced in the Senate by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D – MD) and Michael Enzi (R- WY) in November 2009 as S2781. There are 28 co-sponsors in the Senate (no co-sponsors presently from Illinois). On 1-27-2010 it was introduced into the House as HR 4544 by Rep Michael E. McMahon (NY). There are presently 2 co- sponsors in the House (both from NH). 30 National organizations support Rosa’s Law including NADS.
Our culture has taken a medical term used to describe people who have cognitive challenges and turned it into a way to demean and make fun of people who they consider behaving in a “stupid” manner. We all know people with cognitive disabilities are not stupid. Let’s not allow one person to use a term to make fun of people and someone else to use the same term to describe our loved ones. If you agree please join us in contacting you legislator and asking them to support S2781 (in the Senate) and HR 4544 in the House.
New Illinois Bill of Interest
Income Tax Credit for the Disabled in Illinois House Bill 5111
Introduced by Rep. Tom Cross on 1/26/2010
As of 2/20/10 there are 3 co- Chief Sponsors and 2 co-sponsors
Synopsis As Introduced
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a credit in an amount equal to 10%, but in no event to exceed $1,200, of the gross wages paid by the taxpayer to any person with a developmental disability in the course of that person's sustained employment during the taxable year. Defines "sustained employment" as a period of employment that is not less than 185 days during the taxable year. Exempts the credit from the Act's automatic sunset provision. Effective immediately.
Please check out http://www.ilga.gov to read the full text and to see if your House Rep is a sponsor. If he/she is not please call to ask him/her to sponsor HB5111. If he or she already is please call to thank him/her.
All of us can call our Senators in Springfield and let them know this bill is in the House and we want their support when it makes it to the Senate.
What is on the line in Illinois in the upcoming year?
In 2008 the Coleman Institute of the University of Colorado ranked Illinois among the worst performing states in regard to how it cares for and supports people with cognitive and physical disabilities. Illinois continues to rely largely on housing people with cognitive disabilities in large institutions versus assisting people to live in their own communities. Illinois’s financial situation finds our residents with $5 billion in overdue bills and $9 million in combined depts. As we prepare to vote for a new Governor and as we watch Springfield attempt to pay its bills and manage the deficit we need to let our legislators know that they must remember our citizens with cognitive and physical disabilities.
Managed Care is being considered as a way to deliver health care to Illinois citizens. The Arc of Illinois and the Family Support Network are fighting hard to prevent this from including people with developmental disabilities. To learn more go to http://www.thearcofil.org/ and check out Issues of the Day and http://www.familysupportnetwork.org/ and check Managed Care Alert.