New York State Assembly, Albany, New York 12248 |
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from the NYS Assembly |
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Kevin A. NYS Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities
LDAD The New York State Assembly Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day will be held in Albany on Wednesday, June 11, 2003. Watch your mail in the upcoming weeks for more details.
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A Message from the Chair... May 2003 Dear Friend, So far this year, the Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities has been very busy working on several issues critical to New York’s disability community. First and foremost, we have been holding firm against the Governor’s Article VII proposal to restrict our new Olmstead legislation signed into law last year, which created the "Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council." This law was developed as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead vs. L.C. that states that the unnecessary segregation of individuals with disabilities is unconstitutional and could be considered a violation of a person’s civil rights. Among other things, the Governor’s proposal would diminish the authority of the Coordinating Council by eliminating provisions set forth in the new law and would alter the fundamental purpose to accommodate the integration of services for the disabilities community. The Governor seeks to remove any language with respect to the creation of a uniform assessment tool to be used by counties to determine the most appropriate manner of care for persons with disabilities and the aged. The Task Force finds his suggestions absolutely unacceptable. I am confident that we can maintain the integrity of this landmark legislation. We have also been working closely with advocates and staff to ensure that the requirements of the federal “Help America Vote Act” meet our higher, more reasonable standards. Voting is the cornerstone of government participation, and every person is entitled to participate to the fullest extent. We believe that people with disabilities should have equal access to polling places, and any new voting machines purchased in the future should be suitable to that purpose. In addition, the Task Force has been fighting the delay of the Medicaid Buy-In start date. We recognize that many people with disabilities are anxious to start working, but cannot for fear of losing their Medicaid benefits. Be assured that we are doing all that we can to ensure that the Buy-In begins promptly. Finally, the Task Force has been busy with plans for our annual Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day, which is being held this year on Wednesday, June 11th. A comprehensive legislative package aimed at enhancing the lives of people with disabilities will be advanced in the Assembly (see page 2 for our 2003 legislative agenda). We hope to see you there. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Task Force Director Kimberly Hill at 518-455-4592.
Sincerely, |
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2003 Legislative Agenda |
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Every year, the Task Force develops a legislative agenda with a great deal of input from the disability community. Listed below are several of the bills that the Task Force is supporting this year.
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