Health Care for Kids Thwarted!
Call your US Representative
Funding runs out September 30, 2007

The situation as of September 11, 2007:
Resident Bush avoided using either a veto or one of his infamous signing statements to hold back funding SCHIP funding for children's healthcare. He thwarted congress' will by issuing impossible guidelines...

One example of an onerous obstacle to funding is that if a state cannot enroll 95% of the poorest children, then money is withheld from other low-income, uninsured families. The most aggressive state with the highest participation rate, Vermont, enrolls 92% of the poorest children. It is not going to be possible for any state to track down every family living in a car, working two jobs, or otherwise too overwhelmed to apply for assistance. Thus, the money will be held back by the federal government.

Another Bush guideline makes enrollees wait one year for medical services. There is no exception for pre-natal care or sick children.

Call your US Representative to urge them to override these unfair SCHIP Guidelines by passing a new tamper-proof SCHIP funding bill. Passage of a new tamper-proof SCHIP bill will secure medical care for the 17% of all children in Colorado who do not have insurance. SCHIP has already passed both houses once. If they did it before, they can do it again. To find your US Senate and House representatives, visit www.votesmart.org;

You can also help by calling or writing Governor Ritter's office to ask that we join New York Governor Elliot Spitzer in a lawsuit against the administration. Such a ruling could override the administration's flippant signing order and callous guidelines. Governor Bill Ritter can be reached by mail to Bill Ritter, Governor, 136 State Capitol, Denver, CO 80203-1792. His telephone number is (303) 866-2471. His fax number is 303) 866-2003. He can also be contacted online.

You can also help by writing a letter to your local newspaper editor. A sample letter is posted online.

SCHIP Background:
SCHIP, the plan to expand Medicare to middle-income children, is conservative and fiscally responsible. It is cheaper than the Medicare prescription drug program AND it involves concrete revenue plans. Private Insurers will not be crowded out becase they already have contracts through the states.

Want the Latest News on
Colorado Health Care Reform?
Visit this Blog:
www.thebell.org/blog/208

Food Stamp Reauthorization
Call Senator Salazar

Congress returns to Washington in September and the Senate will begin its work on the 2007 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill includes reauthorization of important nutrition safety net programs such as Food Stamps and The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Senator Salazar sits on the Agriculture Committee and will have an important role in crafting the reauthorization bill.

Please take a moment to call Senator Salazar asking him to make crucial improvements to Food Stamps such as ending the erosion of the purchasing power of the food stamp benefit and allowing child care costs and retirement savings to be deducted for purposes of income eligibility. Senator Salazar's telephone number is (303) 455-7600.

Volunteer to Advocate for Children
Sign-up Today for Training Sessions in September

The Community Parent Training Resource Center is creating a cadre of trained parent volunteers who are available to go to IEP meetings with other parents. There is a huge need in the community for this service, and we are eager to train more volunteers! Because there is much information to cover, the training will be in two, 2-hour, evening sessions and participants must complete both. These trainings will be held in September in the Denver Metro Area. Exact dates and location will be published soon!

This training will be limited to the first 10 qualified participants. The following requirements are asked of participants:
• Parent of a child with a disability
• Experience attending IEP meetings
• Interest in advocacy
• Strong communication/listening skills
• Open-minded
• Strong problem solving and negotiating skills
• Dependable and commitment to follow through
• Experience with other cultures/bilingual a plus


Interested participants should contact Wayla Murrow, Denver Metro CPRC Administrative Assistant. The best way to reach Wayla is by e-mail: waylam@denvermetrocprc.org, or by fax at 303-365-2778. Wayla is in the office for a limited number of hours, but you may also call and leave a message at the office phone which is 303-365-2772. You will be sent an application and information about the exact dates, times, and location for this training as soon as they are available. Be sure to leave your e-mail address, your mailing address, and your phone number or the best way to contact you!

ADA Watch
Call Your US Representative

First, a big THANKS to Colorado US Representatives Perlmutter and Degette, who have signed onto this bill. Second, a word of encouragement to the rest:

Seventeen years ago, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with overwhelming bipartisan support. However, in recent years, a number of Supreme Court decisions have significantly reduced the protections available to people with disabilities in employment settings.

Courts are quick to side with businesses and employers, deciding against people with disabilities who challenge employment discrimination 97% of the time, often before the person has even had a chance to show that the employer treated them unfairly.

Indeed, courts have created an absurd Catch-22 by allowing employers to say a person is “too disabled” to do the job but not “disabled enough” to be protected by the ADA. People with conditions like epilepsy, diabetes, HIV, cancer, hearing loss, and mental illness that manage their disabilities with medication, prosthetics, hearing aids, etc. -- or “mitigating measures” -- are viewed as “too functional” to have a disability and are denied the ADA’s protection from employment discrimination.

People denied a job or fired because an employer mistakenly believes they cannot perform the job or because the employer does not want people with disabilities in the workplace are also denied the ADA's protection from employment discrimination.

Congress is coming to the rescue of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the bipartisan civil rights protections signed into law in 1990. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 on July 26, the 17th anniversary of the ADA. This vital legislation will restate and clarify the intent of Congress in order to keep the promise of the ADA. Please take action now to encourage members of Congress to sign-on and pass this legislation which was drafted with the support of a broad coalition of disability organizations. This bill is posted online.

What you can do:

Contact your US Representative and Senator

Sign the Petition.

Tell Your Story

Know About Independent Living?
Have Six Free Days in the Next Year?
The Governor's Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)
wants you!

The Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) needs your creativity, good ideas and thoughtful consideration in order to increase access and civil rights for Coloradoans with disabilities. This Council works with the local CIL directors and the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to develop and write a three year plan of goals for increasing access and independence for people with disabilities.

The independent living philosophy and perspective are different from both the social service model and medical model of disability. People with disabilities know best about their own needs, and they are the best judges of the supports and services necessary for their independence.

As a SILC member, you have an opportunity to educate policymakers in areas such as affordable, accessible housing, accessible public transportation, home and community based services, and employment for people with disabilities.

Member Duties
Generally, there are six full SILC meetings a year that are held in various locations around the state. These meetings usually last a full day. Between meetings, committees get together, usually by conference call. This is where the work of the SILC gets done. Travel and hotel costs, if necessary, are paid for by the SILC with arrangements made by staff. Mileage and per diem are paid by reimbursement. In addition to travel around the state and participation in meetings, both in person and on the telephone (captioning provided), members need to be able to access email frequently as documents and information are shared electronically.

You may download an application by going to www.state.co.us/gov_dir and clicking on Application PDF, or phone the office of Boards and Commissions at (303) 866-6328.

2008 Presidential Issues
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities
54 Million Americans with Disabilities to be Affected

The presidential candidates should discuss this issue and make disability rights a central plank in their respective platforms. Rising to this great civil rights challenge should not be a partisan issue. Disability, in all of its' many forms, affects Republican and Democrat alike. It should prominent on the campaign trail and in the heart and mind of our next president.

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

The USA was the only member nation that refused to sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We also refused to send a representative. This landmark set of principles supports of the human rights of more than 650 million people worldwide with disabilities. Recently, there has been a disappointing track record when it comes to the establishment and enforcement of international norms. The next president should sign this U.N. convention. We are the greatest nation on earth. We should act like it.

Special Assistant To The President:

The next president should create a permanent administrative post, special assistant to the president for disability issues. Such a top-tier position existed to a lesser degree in each of the last two administrations, but has recently been staffed by rotating, temporary federal employees. A permanent special assistant would guarantee the disability community a long overdue voice in White House discussions on everything from the economy and homeland security to education and health care.

Special Education:

The next president should fully fund special education. By law, the federal government is supposed to pick up 40 percent of the special education tab. In practice, however, it has never even come close to meeting this obligation. The next president must use both pen and pulpit to ensure a resource-rich special education initiative. The next president must also fully enforce federal special education law - a step critical to ensuring children with disabilities receive the quality public education they need to lead productive lives.

Veterans:

The next president should make health-care funding for veterans a mandatory budget item rather than a discretionary one. The Veterans Administration should not have to beg year-after-year to provide our nation's veterans with the quality health care that they need and deserve. And with so many soldiers coming home from Iraq with disabilities, the need for such mandatory care is great.

Home And Community Services:

The next president should support legislation that gives Americans community-based long-term care, services and supports. We must end the forced institutionalization of older and disabled people, and instead, we must provide the community services, housing, assistive technology and devices that promote health, employment, independence and full community participation.

For Your Information

You can find the elected officials who represent you at VoteSmart.org.

Click here for a brochure explaining effective strategies for speaking with legislators.