FDDC: Capitol Update * Volume 12 * Issue 2

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From: Florida Developmental Disabilities Council Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2012 12:16 PMTo: denisekarp@...Subject: Capitol Update * Volume 12 * Issue 2 Having trouble viewing this email? Click here February 8, 2012 * Volume 12 * Issue 2124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203, Tallahassee, FL 32301-2981Phone: * * Fax: TDD / www.fddc.org Announcement FromThe Florida Developmental Disabilities Council The Agency for Persons with Disabilities is Working with Stakeholders to Improve SB 1516C1 SB 1516, as introduced, addressed a number of provisions relating to Florida Statute 393 and the Developmental Disabilities Home and Community Based Services Waiver. It outlined eligibility requirements based on citizenship and state residency. It required the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) to promote partnerships and collaborative efforts to enhance the availability of non-waiver services. The bill revised provisions relating to eligibility under the Medicaid waiver re-design and provides criteria for calculating a client's initial iBudget. Amendments added to SB 1516 in its first committee improved the bill, however, the Council continued to have to major problems with the bill, It appeared to narrow the responsibility of APD to just health and safety issues, revised the implementation of the iBudget to operationalize the new narrower scope of responsibility, and there was no language ensuring waiver recipients a meaningful day or quality of life. APD recently proposed amendments to SB 1516C1 and a draft strike-all bill that appear to address the main concerns of the Council. CS/SB 1516 will be heard in the Senate Health Regulation Committee on Thursday, February 9th. The Council has been told that three of the proposed amendments will be added on Thursday and the strike-all bill with all the proposed amendments would most likely be heard next week in Senator Negron's committee. The three proposed amendments will further improve the bill by removing the health and safety identified services and priority for the iBudget and adding maximizing independence as a clear responsibility of APD. However, the strike-all bill will be needed to address the full scope of concerns of the Council. SB 1516C1 by Negron General for Agency for Persons with DisabilitiesEffective Date: July 1, 2012- No House Companion. 01/17/12 SENATE Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Health Regulation; Budget01/25/12 SENATE Favorable with CS by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; 6 Yeas, 0 Nays 01/26/12 SENATE Committee Substitute Text (C1) Filed 01/31/12 SENATE Temporarily Postponed by Health Regulation02/06/12 SENATE On Committee agenda - Health Regulation, 02/09/12, 1:15 pm, 412 K Additional Developmental Disabilities Home and Community Based Services Waiver issues: The Council voted to work with stakeholders to ask for a budget of at least $865 million for the Developmental Disabilities Home and Community Based Services Waiver.The Council is concerned about the availability of funding for Personal Care Attendant Services for children on the DD/HCBS Waiver when they turn 21 years old. The Council will work to ensure that children who reach adulthood and who are on the Waiver will keep their PCA services.Budget NewsThe Senate Health and Human Services Committee received a larger allocation than previously thought. Instead of $850 million in reductions, the committee will only be required to cut $390 million. The Senate will present their sub-committee budgets on Wednesday, February 8. Contact the members of the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee and make your budget requests known. The Council is requesting:$865 million for the Developmental Disabilities Home and Community Based Services Waiver to protect the health and safety of those on the Waiver.A funding plan for the Developmental Disabilities Home and Community Based Services Waiver Waitlist.$6.9 million more dollars for Early Steps to keep the program in operation.No more cuts to non-emergency Medicaid transportation funding. SB 144 by Seclusion and Restraint of Students with Disabilities in Public SchoolsThe bill requires that manual physical restraint be used only in an emergency when there is an imminent risk of serious injury or death to the student or others. It provides restrictions on the use of manual physical restraint. The bill prohibits the use of manual physical restraint by school personnel who are not certified to use district-approved methods for applying restraint techniques and requires that each school medically evaluate a student after the student is manually physically restrained. The bill also prohibits school personnel from placing a student in seclusion and provides requirements for the use of time-out. The bill requires a school district to report its training and certification procedures to the Department of Education. EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2012.The Council is supporting this bill.09/08/11 SENATE Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Budget01/30/12 SENATE Favorable by Education Pre-K - 12; 5 Yeas, 0 Nays 02/06/12 SENATE On Committee agenda - Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 02/09/12, 1:15 pm, 401 S Similar House Companion HB 1467 by 01/12/12 HOUSE Referred to K-20 Innovation Sub-committee; PreK-12 Appropriations Sub-committee; Education Committee SB 1826C1 by Gardener General Developmental DisabilitiesThe bill requires that health care providers provide pregnant women with current information about the conditions that are tested for in a prenatal test, the accuracy of such tests, and resources for obtaining support services for such conditions, including information and support services regarding Down syndrome and other prenatally diagnosed conditions. The bill establishes a prenatal advocacy council within the Department of Health. The bill requires that each school provide information regarding the M. McKay Scholarship Program upon the enrollment of a dependent child of a member of the United States Armed Forces. The bill also requires that each regional autism center in this state provide coordination and dissemination of local and regional information regarding available resources for services for children who have developmental disabilities, not just autism or autistic-like disabilities. The committee substitute adds a pilot program for supported employment scholarships creating a 2-year program to provide for scholarships to certain students who have disabilities. Effective Date: July 1, 2012.The Council will be neutral on this bill.01/17/12 SENATE Referred to Health Regulation; Budget01/31/12 SENATE Favorable with CS by Health Regulation; 7 Yeas, 0 Nays 02/01/12 SENATE Committee Substitute Text (C1) Filed 02/03/12 SENATE Now in Budget SENATE Sub- referred to Budget Sub-committee on Health and Human Services Appropriations Identical- HB 1371 by Boyd. 01/12/12 HOUSE Referred to Health & Human Services Quality Sub-committee; K-20 Innovation Sub-committee; Appropriations Committee; Health & Human Services Committee SB 554 by Ring Disability Awareness The bill requires that each district school board provide disability history and awareness instruction in all K-12 public schools. The bill requires the Department of Education to assist in creating the curriculum for the disability history and awareness instruction. The bill requires the Department of Education to establish a disability history and awareness advisory council and provides for the membership of the council. EFFECTIVE DATE: upon becoming a law.The Council voted to support the bill and suggests to the sponsors that presenters could also be family members, and that the bill could be just as effective with less bureaucracy and responsibility for FDOE. Duties could be addressed at the local school district level.11/02/11 SENATE Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Budget 01/09/12 SENATE Favorable with CS by Education Pre-K - 12; 6 Yeas, 0 Nays 01/25/12 SENATE temporarily postponed by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs 02/06/12 SENATE On Committee agenda - Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 02/09/12, 1:15 pm, 401 SIdentical- HB 589 by .11/15/11 HOUSE Referred to K-20 Competitiveness Subcommittee; PreK-12 Appropriations Sub-committee; Education Committee SB 434 by RichIndependent LivingThe bill provides protections for children in foster care who are in middle and high school to enable them to receive a quality education and participate in extracurricular and enrichment activities. The bill includes provisions relating to school stability, transfers, transportation, attendance, and identification of an education advocate. The bill also specifies requirements for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF or department), its community-based care (CBC) providers, and caregivers relating to the education of children in foster care, including those with disabilities, and requires the development of a transition plan. The Council is supporting this bill. 01/10/12 SENATE Read Second Time; Amendments adopted (465118, 965684, 878336, 641580, 191652, 565926, 651436, 743638); Read Third Time; Passed (Vote: 40 Yeas / 0 Nays); immediately Certified 01/11/12 SENATE In MessagesIdentical- HB 417 by Glorioso.10/28/11 HOUSE Referred to Health & Human Services Access Subcommittee; Rulemaking & Regulation Subcommittee; Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee; Health & Human Services Committee SB 282 by Wise Health Care Transition Programs and Services for Adolescents and Young Adults Who Have Special Health Care Needs The bill establishes the Florida Health and Transition Services (Florida HATS) program within the Division of Children's Medical Services Network in the Department Of Health (DOH) to implement health care transition programs for adolescents and young adults who have special health care needs. The bill requires the program to provide technical assistance to communities, providers, and organizations. The bill also requires DOH to work with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), and community-based pediatric and adult health care providers to develop health care transition programs for adolescents and young adults who have special health care needs; finally, the bill requires that at least one proposed health and transition services program be associated with each region of the Children's Medical Services Network.The Council is supporting this bill.10/04/11 SENATE Referred to Health Regulation; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Budget02/06/12 SENATE On Committee agenda - Health Regulation, 02/09/12, 1:15 pm, 412 KIdentical -HB 279 by Logan.10/17/11 HOUSE Referred to Health & Human Services Access Sub-committee; Health Care Appropriations Sub-committee; Health & Human Services Committee. HB 951 by Jr. Autism This bill requires physicians to refer a minor to an appropriate specialist for screening for autism spectrum disorder under certain circumstances. It also requires certain insurers and health maintenance organizations to provide direct patient access to an appropriate specialist for screening or for evaluation or diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. This bill requires certain insurance policies and HMO contracts to provide a minimum number of visits per year for screening for, or evaluation or diagnosis of, autism spectrum disorder.The Council is supporting this bill.12/21/11 HOUSE Referred to Health & Human Services Access Sub-committee; Insurance & Banking Sub-committee; Appropriations Committee; Health & Human Services CommitteeIdentical- SB 162 by Ring.09/08/11 SENATE Referred to Health Regulation; Banking and Insurance; Budget. HB 991 by Van Zant Intellectual Disabilities This bill is being filed for the third year. This time it has a House sponsor. The bill substitutes The Arc of Florida for Association for Retarded Citizens for purposes of certain proceedings relating to children. It substitutes the term " intellectual disability " for " mental retardation " and clarifies that the meaning of the terms " intellectual disability " or " intellectually disabled " is the same as the meaning of terms " mental retardation, " " retarded, " and " mentally retarded " for purposes of matters relating to criminal laws and court rules. It revises definitions relating to intermediate care facilities for developmentally disabled to delete unused terms. The Council is supporting this bill.12/28/11 HOUSE Referred to Health & Human Services Access Sub-committee; Criminal Justice Sub-committee; Health Care Appropriations Sub-committee; Health & Human Services CommitteeIdentical- SB 460 by Altman.11/02/11 SENATE Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Criminal Justice; Budget02/06/12 SENATE On Committee agenda - Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 02/09/12, 1:15 pm, 401 S SB 1270C1 by Relating to Dan Marino Foundation Florida Vocational College This bill establishes the Dan Marino Foundation Florida Vocational College in Broward County as a residential post-secondary school for certain students who have developmental disabilities. The bill provides for funding for the school through the Department of Education subject to a specific one-time appropriation. The bill most importantly provides that the Dan Marino Foundation Florida Vocational College is a component of the delivery of public education within the Florida College System. An amendment was added to provide that foster children and children in the state protective services system will be able to attend. This was done by adding the word' inclusionary' to a description of the college. Effective Date: July 1, 2012. The Council will be neutral on this bill. 01/11/12 SENATE Referred to Higher Education; Budget 01/19/12 SENATE Favorable with CS by Higher Education; 5 Yeas, 1 Nay 01/24/12 SENATE Committee Substitute Text (C1) Filed SENATE Now in Budget 01/25/12 SENATE Sub-referred to Budget Sub-committee on Higher Education Appropriations SENATE Now in Budget Sub-committee on Higher Education AppropriationsSimilar Bills -HB 0973 - by 12/21/11 HOUSE Now in K-20 Innovation Sub-committee Visit our Website Visit us on Facebook Forward emailThis email was sent to denisekarp@... by vandab@... | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.Florida Developmental Disabilities Council | 124 Marriott Drive | Suite 203 | Tallahassee | FL | 32301