An Interview with Catherine Strode
The State Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing next week on a bill to reauthorize funding for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission (CCRC.) Funding the CCRC is being called one of the most contentious issues of the 2018 Legislative Session with opinions being drawn down party lines. In February, Republicans on the Joint Budget Committee voted to withhold the funding.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Senate Judiciary Committee member Rhonda Fields voices her strong support of the reauthorization. She says the pending Supreme Court case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission of a Colorado baker refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple is driving the partisan debate.
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Passage of Senate Bill Proves Words Matter
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Nationwide, the “intellectual and developmental disability” is gradually replacing the term “mental retardation”. Advocates have rightfully asserted the “R” word is offensive. Colorado lawmakers agree. They have adopted Senate Bill 18-096, which modernizes the terminology in statute, and have sent the bill to the Governor for his signature.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, the bill’s sponsor explains how the outdated language will be removed from all Colorado statutes and how the testimony of Self Advocate Connor Long made that happen.
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Bill Fights Abuse of Vulnerable People By State Employees
An Interview with Catherine Strode
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, people with developmental disabilities are four to ten times more likely to be abused compared to their peers in the general population. They also tend to be abused by a caregiver and repeatedly abused for longer periods of time. The Colorado Department of Human Services employs nearly 3,000 direct care staff to serve our state’s most vulnerable people. A small handful of them (two or three) charged with abusing clients, are still employed by the Colorado Department of Human Services because current law does not allow them to be dismissed.
State Representative Janet Buckner (HD 40) is sponsoring a bipartisan bill, House Bill 18-1065, that allows the Colorado Department of Human Services to dismiss employees when there is suspicion of harm. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Representative Buckner says she has a passion for protecting vulnerable people.
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Tenants’ Rights Top Colorado Arc’s 2018 Legislative Agenda
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Tenants’ rights for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities will be under review during the 2018 Legislative Session. According to Jon Labadie, Senior Associate with Mendez Consulting, Colorado state statutes are in conflict with the settings rules of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
In an interview with Catherine Strode, he says the language in Colorado statutes denies individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities basic rights. This issue, along with early childhood student discipline, will lead The Arc of Colorado’s 2018 legislative agenda.
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Child Mental Health Treatment Act Initiates Wait List
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The Child Mental Health Treatment Act (CMHTA), enacted by the state in 1999, is celebrated as a victory for the mental health community. The Act allows families to access children’s treatment services without requiring parents to be charged with abuse or neglect. In its current format, the bill faces reauthorization every ten years in the legislature. Mental Health Colorado’s VP of Public Policy Moe Keller says the CMHTA has had to institute a wait list because of increased referrals this year.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, she says in addition to requesting the reauthorization of more funding for the Act this Session, changes are also being proposed.
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Disabilities Fund Executive Cautions Proper Use of ABLE Accounts
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Colorado has now become the 28th state to launch an ABLE program. The ABLE (Achieving A Better Life Experience) Act amends the IRS tax code of 1986. Colorado ABLE will allow individuals with disabilities to save thousands of dollars in an ABLE account without threat of losing their eligibility for benefits from the federal government.
Megan Brand, Executive Director of the non-profit organization ‘Colorado Fund for People With Disabilities,’ administers the state’s largest locally managed pooled trust and oversees a wide range of fiduciary services that protect the finances and benefits for individuals with disabilities.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, she cautions individuals and families to be well-informed about ABLE account usage. She says using the funds improperly can permanently jeopardize their public-funded support.
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Self-Advocates Join Medicaid Protest Rally
An Interview with Catherine Strode
AdvocacyDenver Board Member and Self-Advocate Mitch McKinney was one of over 400 individuals to protest the proposed cuts to Medicaid in the GOP health bill in a rally held in front of Senator Cory Gardner’s downtown office. Several Colorado legislators also participated in the Medicaid Protest Rally, including State Representative Dave Young. Representative Young spoke at the rally calling the proposed cuts to Medicaid a ‘civil rights issue.’
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Representative Young who serves on the Joint Budget Committee said Colorado would not be able to accommodate the cost shift from federal to state funding.
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Educational Expert Discusses Disparities and ‘School to Prison Pipeline’
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Dr. David Houchins is recognized as one of the country’s leading researchers in juvenile justice reform and academic strategies for at-risk youth. He was recently a featured speaker at a local conference addressing the ‘school to prison’ pipeline, defined by the American Civil Liberties Union as practices that drive kids from the classroom into the criminal justice system.
Now a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at Georgia State University, Dr. Houchins formerly taught high school and middle school students. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Dr. Houchins shares his thoughts on how to impact school expulsion rates and in doing so, impact the school to prison pipeline.
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2017 Session Brings Big Wins for People with IDD
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The Executive Director of the Arc of Colorado, Marijo Rymer, says the major legislative goals for supporting adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the 2017 Session were successful. These issues include banning the use of prone restraints in public schools, establishing a pilot for the creation of an Office of Public Guardianship, Adult Protective Services background checks for direct care providers, and addressing case management conflict of interest.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Ms. Rymer adds that two public education issues which failed this Session may make a repeat appearance during 2018.
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Local Control Argument Rejected by Restraints Bill Sponsor
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Three education bills have been strongly backed this session by disability advocacy groups. Two of them, a bill restricting corporal punishment in state schools and a bill restricting suspensions of young children, were Postponed Indefinitely. A central argument in each debate over the bills was ‘local control.’ House Bill 17-1276 prohibits prone restraints on students in Colorado public schools. It has passed out of the House Education Committee.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, the bill’s Republican sponsor, State Senator Bob Gardner, says he believes in ‘local control.’ However, he says it is not an argument that applies to the student restraints issue.
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