here is more info ont he current status of the Work Incentives
Improvement Act vs the bill passed last week. Act as you see fit.
*Disclaimer* this comes from the National Centers for Independent
Living and is ABSOLUTELY Pro-HR 1180. Use as much salt as necessary to
form your own opinion.
Harry Gewanter
Subject: **** Dingell/Bliley Amendment Can Restore Work Incentives Bill
! ! !
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON INDEPENDENT LIVING
October 16, 1999
The Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999
Dingell/Bliley Amendment Can Restore Work Incentives Bill ! ! !
"What the House work incentives bill looks like still depends on us!"
Late Breaking News !
**** President Clinton Radio Address
President Clinton focused his weekly radio address this morning on
employment
of people with disabilities. The speech was excellent, and his support for
passage of the Work Incentives Improvement Act (H.R. 1180) was clear.
Please
thank the President and ask him to do all he can to continue to fully fund
H.R. 1180 before it goes to the Rules Committee on Monday at 5 PM eastern.
Unless H.R. 1180 is fully paid for, the House is threatening to pass
intact
a
weaker bill, H.R. 3070.
**** Dingell/Bliley Amendment Can Restore Work Incentives Bill ! ! !
At the Rules Committee Hearing, Monday, October 18th, 5:00pm ET,
Representatives Thomas Bliley (R-VA) and John Dingell (D-MI) plan to
offer
an
amendment requiring mandatory funding for all the Medicaid provisions. This
would alter H.R. 3070 to include these provisions just as they are
written
in
S. 331 and H.R. 1180, the Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999.
The Rules Committee must approve the Dingell/Bliley amendment to
preserve
the
strength of the work incentives bill we are fighting for. The House, the
Senate and the Administration must come together to fund the entire bill
with
"pay-fors" that do no harm to people with disabilities and that will allow
for the enactment of work incentives legislation that states and consumers
will get to use!
****
People across the country have been working very hard to make our voices
heard on this issue, and we ask you to stay strong now. PLEASE DO THE
FOLLOWING:
ONE MINUTE ACTIONS NEEDED UNTIL MONDAY EVENING - OCT. 18
1. Call the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert: (202) 225-2976, Majority
Leader Richard Armey: (202) 225-7772, and Majority Whip Tom Delay: (202)
225-
5951
WITH THIS ONE MINUTE MESSAGE:
"Keep the Medicaid provisions funded, we need H.R. 1180 passed without
weakening amendments. Restore Medicaid funding provisions to be mandated,
not discretionary, as they are written in H.R. 1180 and S. 331!"
2. Call the White House at 202-456-1414. Tell the President thank you
for
his
superb radio speech on the employment of people with disabilities. Ask
him
to
continue to do all he can to find the money to fund WIIA -- H.R. 1180 --
fully!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BACKGROUND
>From Jonathan Young, White House Office on Disability Policy:
President Clinton's Weekly Radio Address today focused on employment of
people with disabilities.
A main topic of the President's radio address, Saturday, October 16, 1999:
CHALLENGE THE CONGRESS TO PASS THE BIPARTISAN WORK INCENTIVES IMPROVEMENT
ACT.
Under current law, people with disabilities often become ineligible for
Medicaid or Medicare if they work, forcing many to choose between health
care
and employment. The bipartisan Work Incentives Improvement Act helps
address
this problem by giving workers with disabilities more options.
President Clinton today will call on the House, which is scheduled to
vote
on
this legislation next week, to finish the job so that people with
disabilities who want to work do not have to wait another day.
On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee passed its version of this
legislation. While an improvement over the version passed by the House last
year, it still does not guarantee funding for vital health care and
employment incentives. In particular, it does not include: (1) mandatory
funding for infrastructure grants which provide an incentive for states to
adopt the Medicaid buy-in portion of the legislation; (2) a mandatory
demonstration that allows people who are not yet too disabled to work to buy
into Medicaid; and (3) a guarantee of Medicare coverage for eligible
individuals returning to work. In contrast, the bill that has passed the
Senate 99-0, as well as the bill voted unanimously out of the House Commerce
Committee, provide mandatory funding of the grant and demonstration
provisions within this legislation. Under the leadership of Senators
Jeffords, Kennedy, Roth and Moynihan, and Representatives Bliley, Dingell,
Lazio and Waxman, this version of the bill has received broad bipartisan
support.
Marcie Roth
Director of Advocacy and Public Policy
National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
1916 Wilson Blvd. Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 525-3406 (Voice)
(703) 525-4153 (TTY)
(703) 525-3409 (Fax)
(Email)
www.ncil.org (Website)
* Bryon R. MacDonald
Community Advocate Volunteer
CIL Berkeley/Oakland
436 14th Street, Suite 218
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-763-9999, press ext. 19
Home Office 510-763-6482
Fax: 510-763-4910
TTY: 510-444-1837
* Alana R. Theriault
Disability Program & Training Consultant
Work Incentives Update Listserv Manager - Volunteer
2228 Sacramento St.
Berkeley, CA 94702
Write Congress?
http://www.congress.org
US Capitol Telephone Switchboard?
202-224-3121
=====
This post is from the Work Incentives Update Listserv. If you would
like to
add, delete or change your address on this list; have questions about
The
Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999; would like a copy of our latest
legislative summaries; or have other comments, contact Alana R.
Theriault
<> or Bryon R. MacDonald <>.
=====
end
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