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Call your Mayor TODAY!!!
June, 2005

The US Conference of Mayors will be meeting next weekend (6/10 - 14) in Chicago. The Mayor of the host city, Mayor Ricard Daley, submitted 3 resolutions for this Annual Meeting. One was on Money Follows the Person, One was on MiCASSA and one on the national Visitability bill (all were in support of these efforts). Money Follows the Person and Visitability were included in the initial slate of resolutions, MiCASSA was inadvertently (?) left out -- but will be submitted from the floor of the meeting.

The two resolutions on the slate are included below.

ACTION: Contact your Mayor today and ask him/her to support ALL 3 of these resolutions at the Annual Meeting!

Don't delay because they are meeting starting this coming FRIDAY!

Thank you to Mayor Daley and to the Chicago ADAPT and other disability activist of Chicago!

FREE OUR PEOPLE!

Resolution No. 22
Submitted By:

The Honorable Richard M. Daley Mayor of Chicago

MONEY FOLLOWS THE PERSON ACT OF 2005

  1. WHEREAS, the 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead v. L.C. decision ruled that unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities is discriminatory under the Americans with Disabilities Act; and

  2. WHEREAS, people with disabilities want to choose where they want to live and be a part of their communities; and

  3. WHEREAS, over 70 percent of Medicaid dollars spent on long term care is spent on institutional services, leaving only 30 percent for all community services; and

  4. WHEREAS, the institutional bias of Medicaid results in isolating people with disabilities by limiting their choices of where they can live and receive support services; and

  5. WHEREAS, the money follows the person model has been recognized by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the best practice for ending unnecessary institutionalization consistent with the Olmstead decision; and

  6. WHEREAS, the Money Follows the Person Act of 2005 would allow people with disabilities to transfer the funds they receive in institutions to pay for long-term care in more integrated, community-settings; and

  7. WHEREAS, the Money Follows the Person Act of 2005 would help states comply with the Olmstead decision by providing people with disabilities the choice to live in their communities near family and friends; and

  8. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports local and state efforts to ensure the civil rights of people with disabilities of all ages to receive community-based services and supports; and

  9. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to enact S. 528, the Money Follows the Person Act of 2005.

Resolution No. 34
Submitted by:

The Honorable Richard M. Daley Mayor of Chicago

INCLUSIVE HOME DESIGN ACT OF 2005

  1. WHEREAS, the U.S. 2000 Census indicates that approximately 20 percent of the American population has a disability, and that by 2030 there will be over 70 million seniors; and

  2. WHEREAS, with the population aging and the likelihood of developing a disability or other mobility limitations increasing with age, the growth in the number of people with disabilities can be expected to rise dramatically; and

  3. WHEREAS, only five percent of new single family homes and town homes built with federal assistance require any access features that make it possible for people with disabilities to live or visit; and

  4. WHEREAS, visitability is an inclusive design approach that integrates a limited number of crucial accessibility features, such as no step entries, doorways with 324 clear passage space and at least one accessible bathroom into newly built homes; and

  5. WHEREAS, visitability features would allow seniors to stay in their homes longer and people with disabilities to visit friends and families in their homes, thereby enhancing quality of life and community living; and

  6. WHEREAS, numerous municipalities and states across the country, including Chicago, Naperville, Bolingbrook and Urbana, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Pima County, Arizona, Vermont, Texas and Kansas have adopted visitability standards in their building codes; and

  7. WHEREAS, the Inclusive Home Design Act of 2005 would require all newly constructed single family homes and town houses receiving federal funds to meet basic visitability features; and

  8. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly supports the independence of persons with disabilities and seniors by promoting the concept of including visitability standards to increase access to the homes of friends, family and neighbors; and

  9. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports local and state initiatives to promote visitable housing and urges Congress to enact H.R. 1441, the Inclusive Home Design Act of 2005.

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