3/8/12

The state Assembly postponed a vote yesterday on the bills lifting the Family Care/IRIS caps until Tuesday, March 13. Next week is the final week the Assembly and Senate will be in session for the rest of the entire year. If these bills dont pass next week, the caps will remain in place until at least 2013.

Since both Assembly Bill 477 and Senate Bill 380 were amended by the Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, both houses must pass the bills by next week.

Please call your state representative and state senator and urge them to pass the bills. Use the AARP toll-free number (1-800-844-2847) to make your calls.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2/22/12

The Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care will hold a hearing on Assembly Bill (AB) 477 on Thursday, Feb. 23. AB 477 will lift the caps on enrollment in Family Care and IRIS and expand the programs statewide. If the bill does not pass the Committee, it will die until January 2013. This may be Wisconsins last chance to end waiting lists for many years!

The hearing will be held this Thursday at 10:00 am in 417 North of the State Capitol. Please take action and help to get this bill passed!

How you can help:

Come to the hearing and testify.

Come to the hearing and submit written testimony.

E-mail testimony or messages to Rep. Dan Knodl, Committee Chair, at Rep.Knodl@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Contact all of the Committee members.

This is your chance to tell your story. You can share why:

Long-term care services are important to you or somebody you care about.

You need long-term care services so you can work and volunteer in your community.

Your family needs long-term care services for a member of your family so you can work and contribute to your community.

It is unfair that people living in 15 counties do not have access to Family Care and IRIS.

Individuals who want additional information or help with their testimonythe day of thehearingcan come to the office of the Board for People with Developmental Disabilities starting at 9:00 am. The office is located at 201 W. Washington, Suite 110, Madison.

______________________________________________________________________________

2/16/12 update:The bills to lift the caps on Family Care/IRIS and to remove the R-word from state law pass the Senate with great bi-partisan support!

Please share this great news AND thank your Senator! We still have work to do getting these bills passed in the Assembly but the victory here is to be savored!!

Senate Action yesterday - 2/14/12

• SB-377Disabilities (Galloway) Changes terminology for those with an intellectual disability. Passed, voice vote.
• SB-380. Family Care (Moulton) Removes the cap on enrollment of Family Care and other long-term care programs. Passed, 33-0.

The State Assembly still has to act on both bills. Assembly Bill (AB) 477, the bill to lift the caps and expand the Family Care and IRIS programs statewide, still needs a hearing before the Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee. AB 471, the bill to eliminate the R-word, has passed the Health Committee but still needs to be voted upon by the full Assembly.

You can still get involved...

If you want these bills to become law, contact your Assembly representativeand ask him or her to work to get these bills passed!

You can use a toll-free number from AARP to call your representative. The number is1-800-844-2847

Thanks to Rick Hall, Wisconsin APSE, and DAWN for sharing this information.

To find out the latest news about the Family Care/IRIS caps and the bill to remove the R-word, go to the DAWN website. DAWN (Disability Advocates: Wisconsin Network) is an initiative of the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD).