Capitol Insider
Major Events Last Week
Income Support – House Holds Hearing on Reducing Poverty
Last week, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on “Moving America’s Families Forward: Setting Priorities for Reducing Poverty and Expanding Opportunity”. Witnesses were former Governor John Engler, President of Business Roundtable; Karin VanZant, Executive Director of Life Services at CareSource; Olivia Golden, Executive Director of CLASP; and Tarren Bragdon, President and Chief Executive Officer at the Foundation for Government Accountability. Visit the Committee web site for more information and to review testimony and watch the archived video.
Prevention – Toxic Chemicals Reform Bill Approved by the House
The House passed a new version of the Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (HR 2576) on May 24. This bill would regulate chemicals so that they no longer present unreasonable risks of injury to health or the environment. In recent years, many chemicals commonly used in every day products have been linked to increased risks for learning and developmental disabilities as well as cancer, infertility, and obesity. If the Senate passes the bill, it will be the first major environmental legislation to pass Congress since the mid-1990s. While the legislation contains reforms that should enable the Environmental Protection Agency to tackle the most dangerous chemicals, it falls short of what public health advocates have sought. Learn more at http://saferchemicals.org/.
Education – ESSA Proposed Regulation Issued
The U.S. Department of Education issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement key provisions of the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) on May 26. This proposed regulation pertains to school accountability, data reporting, and consolidated state plans. The Arc is reviewing the proposed rule to consider whether it aligns with goals of making data accessible to families, ensuring students with disabilities are included in all school accountability systems, and resulting in effective interventions for children with disabilities if they are in a consistently underperforming subgroup. Comments to the Department are due on July 31. For more information, see the Department’s fact sheet, chart, and a press release.
Announcements
Income Support – National Disability Institute to Host Webinar on “Better Money Habits”
On Wednesday, June 8, at 3:00 pm EDT, the National Disability Institute is hosting a webinar titled Exploring Bank of America’s “Better Money Habits”. The webinar will review the resources and information available on BetterMoneyHabits.com, a website developed by Bank of America in partnership with the Khan Academy. Register for the webinar here.
NOTE: With Congress on recess until June 3, the next issue of Capitol Insider will be published on June 13. In the meantime, please check the Capitol Insider blog for updates.
Tony Paulauski
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org