2007 Legislative Report of CTD/ Coalition of Texans with Disabilities |
| BILL & SPONSORS | CTD’S ROLE/PARTNERS | WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU |
| HB1(budget bill)Funding for community services/ Reduce community services waiting list by 10% | CTD testimonies, letter writing, direct visits with legislative offices, organizer of Capitol Day of advocacy, statewide media campaign
Partners: all disability advocacy organizations, AARP | $267 Million in state funds and federal match to reduce the community services wait list + $162 M state and federal match for demographic growth. |
| HB1(budget bill)Increase wages for community care attendants | CTD testimonies, letter writing, direct visits with legislative offices, organizer of Capitol Day of advocacy, statewide media campaign | Contingencies included in budget tied to increase in federal minimum wage rate. |
| HB1(budget bill)Systems Benefit Fund | CTD lead and sole disability advocate/testimony/letter writing, direct visits with legislative offices
Partners: AARP | After being zeroed out in 2005, reinstated programs that assist low income Texans who are having trouble paying their utility bills |
| HB1(budget bill)End wait lists for Comprehensive Rehab Services | CTD and Brain Injury Assn. of TX as lead advocates | $6.3 M in new funding to end the waiting list for CRS (intensive early rehab of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries) |
| HB1(budget bill)Centers for Independent Living | CTD testimonies, fiscal analysis, office visits, Capitol Day of Advocacy
Partners: TACIL, SILC | $1M to establish 2 new centers for independent living |
| **voting legislation** | |
| HB 218 (Brown/Fraser), HB 1726 (Harper-Brown | CTD, Advocacy Inc., AARP, ADAPT as lead advocates in opposition
Testimony/direct visits with legislative offices | NOT PASSEDKept all onerous “voter ID” bills from passing. These laws would have effectively suppressed voting by the elderly and people with disabilities. |
| HB 690 (Brown), HB 600 (Smith Wayne), HB 1031 (Chisum),HB 65 (Leibowitz), HB 101 (Riddle), HB 731 (Kolkhorst) | CTD, and Advocacy Inc., as lead advocates in oppositionTestimony/direct visits with legislative offices
Partners: ADAPT | NOT PASSED
Killed the worst of the bills designed to change Texas Election Code to exempt political subdivisions from having accessible voting machines and meet the same accessibility requirements used in federal elections |
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| HB 626 (Phil King) | CTD and Advocacy Inc., as lead advocates in opposition |
NOT PASSEDWould have created new obstacles in the voter registration process which could in turn disenfranchise many voters & practically eliminate voter registration drives. |
| HB 556 (Hildebrand) | CTD, Advocacy Inc. lead advocates in support /work with senate author on bill text, diluting exclusionary language | PASSED
Provides protections for people with disabilities: requires accessible voting available on demand, public notification of availability of accessible voting machines in very small political subdivisions, maintaining at least one accessible machine in small political subdivisions and maintaining current accessibility standards for medium and large political subdivisions. |
| ** Diverse Disability Legislation** | |
| HB 2216 (Turner/Shapiro) Modified Vehicles | CTD initiated bill
Partners: Lone Star Adaptive Auto Dealers Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Akin Gump | PASSED
Ensured that new vehicles structurally modified for people with disabilities will be available. |
| HB1299/SB447(Strama/Hinojosa)ADA bill | CTD initiated bill
testimonies, letter writing, direct visits with legislative offices, organizer of Capitol Day of advocacy, statewide media campaign | NOT PASSED
This bill would waive the state’s sovereign immunity to ADA complaints, ending Texas’ offensive practice of claiming immunity for its acts of disability discrimination. Passed in House Civil Practices committee, blocked in Senate State Affairs committee |
HB5(Berman, Naishtat/Deuell)
Tax cuts | CTD and ADAPT lead disability organizations in support
Partners: AARP, TX Silver Haired Legislature | PASSEDExtends property tax cuts to homeowners with disabilities and older homeowners. |
| HCR 35 (Rodriguez/Ellis) Eliminate Medicare waiting period | CTD, TX Center for Disability Studies, UCP TX, Center for Public Policy Priorities, ADAPT, DD Council, American Heart Association
All in support | PASSED
Urging the United States Congress to enact legislation to eliminate the 24-month Medicare waiting period for participants in Social Security Disability Insurance. |
SB 439, other bills (Deuell/Hughes/Rodriguez)
Don’t Pull the Plug | CTD in strong support, testimony, office visits, committee advocacy
Partners: TX Center for Disability Studies, ADAPT, TX Right to Life | NOT PASSED
Advanced directives legislation. CTD advocated for treatment pending transfer—“don’t pull the plug”, protection for people with disabilities. |
SB 409 (Janek/Gattis)
Epilepsy medications | CTD offered testimony in support
Partner: Epilepsy Foundation of South & Central Texas, Santos Alliances | NOT PASSED
Relating to restrictions on the interchange of anti-epileptic drugs and drugs used to treat or prevent seizures. This bill would have assured that persons with epilepsy would not have their medications changed for any reason unless specified by their Doctor. |
| HB 75 (Naishtat/Wentworth) State court judicial review | CTD in strong support, testimony
Partners: Texas Legal Services Center, Center for Public Policy Priorities, Advocacy Inc. | PASSED
Allows state court judicial review of decisions about Medicaid and other public assistance benefits. |
SB 744 (Seliger/Rose)
Protection from abuse, neglect | CTD offered testimony, committee advocacy, in support
Partners: Advocacy Inc. | PASSED
Prohibiting retaliation for reports of possible abuse, neglect, or exploitation of certain persons receiving home and community-based services. |
| SB458(Watson/Giddings)Workers comp coverage | CTD in strong support, worked with sponsor, testimonyPartner: Lone Star Amputee RightsCTD in strong support, committee advocacy
Partners: ADAPT, Ovations Heatlh | PASSED
Requires workers comp to cover prosthetics and orthotics damaged on the job. |
| SB 1766 (Watson/Naishtat)Consumer Directed Services | CTD in strong support, committee advocacyPartners: ADAPT, Ovations Heatlh | PASSED
Continues the Consumer Directed Services Workgroup and extends CDS to more consumers |
SB 1866 (Zaffirini/Naishtat)
Remove HCS cost caps | CTD in support, testimony
Partner: TX Center for Disability Studies, ARC of TX | PASSED as amendment to SB 10Removes a cost cap on the Home and Community Services waiver, will allow people with high needs to more easily exit institutions |
HB 416 (Strama/Watson)
Restroom Access | CTD in support, working with sponsors
Partner: Krohn’s & Colitis Foundation | PASSED
provides for restroom access for persons with certain medical conditions; for example: employee restrooms in commercial facilities |
HB 308 (Kuempel)
Accommodations for certain hunters with disabilities | CTD offered testimonies & press in supportPartners: Paralyzed Veterans of America, Texas State Rifle Association | PASSED
A reasonable accommodation bill. Legalized the use of laser sighting devices by hunters who are legally blind. This bill will allow hunters who are blind to hunt safer along side a sighted hunter. |
| HB 1168 (Menendez, Shapleigh)Standards for small group homes | CTD in support, testimony | PASSEDExtends state licensing and regulation to unregulated group homes; provides standards to protect residents |
HB 1781 (Harless/Ellis)
Accessible Parking | CTD in supportPartners: Travis County Constable, Advocacy Inc. | PASSED
Provides for easier ID by police of proper user of parking placards for people who are disabled. |
HB 1230 (Rodriguez/Zaffirini)
Community living options | CTD in support, testimony
Partners: TX Center for Disability Studies, TX Advocates | PASSED
Increases transition services for young people with disabilities exiting school |
HB 1738 (Lucio III, Deuell)
Medicaid Buy-In for families with kids with disabilities | CTD key support, committee advocacy
Partner: TX Center for Disability Studies | NOT PASSED
Would remove the disincentive to work for families with kids needing Medicaid services and require families to share in costs. |
| SB 62/HB939 (Zaffirini/Naishtat)Individual development accounts | CTD in support, testimony
Partners: CPPP, Foundation Communities, TX Mental Health Consumers | NOT PASSED
Would have created subsidized savings accounts for low income households. |
SB 568 (Ellis, Smithee)
Mental health parity | CTD in support, testimony
Partners: Mental Health America, NAMI, TX Mental Health Consumers | NOT PASSED
Would have required equal insurance coverage for mental illnesses as for physical illnesses. |
HB 407 (Chisum/Watson)
Home delivered meals | CTD participated on implementation workgroup | PASSED
CTD advocated that extra funding could provide home delivered meals to people with disabilities under 60, a population not allowed under federally-funded home delivered meals. |
| SB 1620 (Van De Putte) | CTD testimony
Partner: Santos Alliances | NOT PASSED
CTD initially opposed a provision in this bill that would restrict prescription information to consumers; once the provision was removed, CTD supported a study on this issue. |
