The Direct Care News 
For direct care workers and their allies June 18, 2013
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Let's Give Home Care Workers Reason to Celebrate FLSA
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 Next Tuesday marks the 75th anniversary of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This landmark law restricted child labor, gave American workers the 40-hour work week, set a minimum wage and required overtime pay when people worked over 40 hours in a week. Its immense popularity has led to repeated amendments by Congress to expand protections to workers who were previously excluded. In other words, there's a lot for us to celebrate.
We at DCA can't think of a better way to celebrate FLSA's 75 th anniversary than by extending minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers. That's why over the next week we'll be celebrating DCA members like Shirley Bitner of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania - who at 77, was born prior to the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Read more.
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Direct from Washington, D.C.
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Commission on Long-Term Care to Meet:
The Commission on Long-Term Care, established by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012,has elected officers and will hold its first meeting on June 27. The 15-member Commission is charged with creating a plan to establish, implement and finance a "comprehensive, coordinated, and high-quality system" of long-term services and supports. Learn about the Commission members and the American Taxpayer Relief Act's impact on direct care workers.
Senate Debates Immigration Reform Bill: The U.S. Senate is currently debating a comprehensive immigration reform bill titled the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744). The bill, introduced on April 16 by Charles Schumer (D, NY), has bipartisan co-sponsorship and seeks to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently living and working in the U.S., create a guest worker program, increase "high-skilled" immigration and increase border security. Immigration reform may offer significant benefits to thousands of direct care workers. Learn more about the bill.
Urge Your Congresspeople Not to Cut Nutrition Assistance: The U.S.
House of Representatives will debate the Farm Bill this week, which includes nearly $21 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
SNAP is often referred to as food stamps and offers nutrition assistance to millions of low income individuals --including direct care workers-- and their families. Tell your members of Congress that these cuts are unacceptable --take part in today's toll-free National Call-In Day or send an email.
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Get Covered America is Launching This Week
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 On October 1, 2013, health insurance exchanges will launch across the country. These exchanges will provide people without health insurance with a one-stop shop to compare health plans, determine eligibility for insurance subsidies and Medicaid, and to get covered. This is a very exciting development for the nearly one million direct care workers that are currently without health insurance and is why DCA will be launching a campaign to educate direct care workers and businesses that employ direct care workers about the options that are available to them.
As a part of our effort to make sure that every uninsured direct care worker has the information they need to decide what's best for them, DCA is partnering with Enroll America and many other organizations across the country. This week, Enroll America is launching Get Covered America to kick off this historic effort to get the word out and make sure that every American has affordable health care. Read more.
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