The Direct Care News 
For direct care workers and their allies June 19, 2012
|
The Voices Institute Comes to Florida
|
 | | Florida Voices Institute attendees |
Direct care workers from across the state honed their leadership and advocacy skills on June 14 and 15 at the Florida Voices Institute, a state-level version of the DCA's intensive, interactive national Voices Institute. The training covered both personal and professional development, with attendees learning how to make their voices heard in policy discussions.
Read more about the event, which was co-hosted by the Direct Care Alliance and the Florida Professional Association of Care Givers. |
|
Direct from Washington, DC
| |
Hearing to address community integration: On June 21, Senator Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, is hosting a Committee Hearing on the enforcement of Olmstead, a 1999 Supreme Court decision requiring states to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by ensuring that persons with disabilities receive services in the most integrated settings appropriate to their needs. Learn more about the hearing.
Senate spending bill includes funds for community living and Older Americans Act programs: The U.S Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (S. 3295) for fiscal year 2013. The bill includes $71 billion for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including $1.7 billion for the Administration for Community Living, which is working to increase individuals' access to community supports. The legislation also calls for continued funding for most Older Americans Act programs. Next, the bill will be considered by the full Senate.
|
| Help Me Tell DOL We Home Care Workers Can't Wait |
 | | Clara Glenn |
Earlier this year, the DCA sent me to a hearing in Washington, D.C. about the rule the Department of Labor has proposed that would guarantee us home care workers minimum wage and overtime pay.
The hearing was held by people who don't want the rule to pass, so a lot of people spoke against it. One man who owned an agency said he couldn't afford to pay overtime, and a woman who had been taking care of her parents at home said the same thing. But we need the overtime pay. Read more from Clara Glenn.
|
|
