Advocacy Network Alert
Activities and issues are heating up quickly in the current legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly. Below are both updates and calls for action. Special thanks to the MACS organization for providing the bulk of this information for us.
Minimum Wage -ACTION ALERT
Come to Raise the DD Wage Lobby Night on Monday, February 10th in Annapolis. If you cannot attend, CALL or email your legislator as soon as possible. These contacts are urgently needed since the Governor's minimum wage bills go to hearing next week, on February 11th and 13th.
There is a HUGE amount of debate and discussion surrounding various bills and proposals to increase the Minimum Wage. We must redouble our efforts to raise awareness of the need for the State to concurrently adjust reimbursement rates for the dedicated staff who provide direct support and care for thousands of Marylanders with developmental disabilities.
We must get our legislators to focus on this issue and commit to fix it. They must see us and hear from us. If you can go this coming Monday, February 10th, please contact Mary Snyder at msnyder@macsonline.org. Here's the schedule:
4:30 PM - Gather in Senate Finance Committee Room on 3rd floor of Miller Senate Office Building
5:00 PM - Receive briefing and handouts for visits to legislators to discuss minimum wage and the need to address direct support wages
5:45-7:45 PM - Visit legislators (Please contact your legislator's office for an appointment if at all possible, but if not, you can still deliver materials and see if a drop-in visit is possible)
If you cannot attend Lobby Night, PLEASE make calls or send emails as soon as possible. Do NOT delay. Hearings are next week so it's critical that legislators hear from us NOW. Here are the key points for your calls and emails (but do personalize your message).
- I support increasing the minimum wage in Maryland AND an increase in the direct support rate paid to DDA community providers. SB890 and the pending companion house bill would raise direct support staff wages.
- DDA community providers rely on State and Federal funding, and the State currently factors approximately $9.82 per hour in the rate paid for Direct Support wages.
- The current rate of $9.82 is only 35% higher than minimum wage. In 2007, it was 77% higher. If minimum wage is increased without additional funding for direct support positions, recruiting and retaining quality direct support staff will become more difficult - to say the least. (Click here for more detail on the wage factor.)
- Direct support staff have very difficult and demanding jobs with requirements from the State, the Board of Nursing, and numerous regulators. They are not minimum wage jobs.
- Support SB 890 (sponsored by Senator Mac Middleton, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee) and the pending companion House bill that would ensure that DDA community direct support positions do not become minimum wage jobs.
If you are unsure who your legislators are or you need contact information, click here. Below are the the Baltimore area legislators on the House Economic Matters and Senate Finance Committees (where the bills are being heard). They are particularly important and they need to hear from all of us.
House Economic Matters Committee Members & Contact Information
Senate Finance Committee Members & Contact Information:
Budget Update (Click here to review complete budget summary for DD programs)
Transitioning Youth-- $5.1 million ($2.9 million General Fund / $2.2 million Federal Fund) to serve 596 Transitioning Youth. This initiative is significantly underfunded in comparison to previous years with no significant change in the number of students transitioning this coming June. DDA itself estimates that for the current year (FY14), they will expend the annualized equivalent of $13.3 million (in total funds) for services to 658 transitioning students. This clearly indicates that the transitioning youth initiative is approximately $8 million less than what will be needed.
We will keep you abreast of potential provisions to address concerns that there is not enough funding budget to cover the nearly 600 students who will be graduating and requiring services. We will issue Action Alerts when contact with the Governor or legislators is needed.
Pending Legislation Highlights
HB14-Small Business Reserve Program - This bill would exclude nonprofits from State Contracts of a specific type and range. The Arc Baltimore employs many supported workers through landscaping and janitorial contracts with the State. These would be in jeopardy. We are carefully monitoring this and have provided testimony to the committee.
DD Employee Database / Abuse Registry / Background Check - Several bills have been introduced offering potential safeguards and processes that would help community provider agencies identify applicants for employment who should not be hired because of prior bad acts. The different bills propose varied approaches to the problem and each has pros and cons associated with it. After careful analysis and collaboration with our DD Coalition partners, we will update you on any position taken and action advised.
