AUCD Advocacy Update

1. AUCD AdvocacyUpdate Cornerstone Government Affairs Amy Souders Lauren Ackil November 12, 2007

2. Appropriations Update FY 2008 began Oct. 1, 2007. None of the appropriations bills have been enacted, and the government is operating on a continuing resolution through Dec. 14, 2007. Congress passed the final FY 2008 Labor HHS Education appropriations conference report last week. The House bill passed 274 – 141. The Senate bill passed 57 – 36. The President is expected to veto the bill, and an override will be attempted. It is not likely that the override will be successful.

3. UCEDDs Funding History Over 5 years, this is more than a 50% increase for the UCEDDs.

4. H.R. 3043 • Developmental disabilities • The Committee recommends $33,213,000 for the university centers for excellence in developmental disabilities. This is $1,000 more than the fiscal year 2007 level and the same as the budget request. This funding provides discretionary grants to public or not-for-profit entities associated with universities. The grants provide basic operational and administrative core support for these agencies. In addition, these funds support interdisciplinary training, community services, research and technical assistance, and information dissemination.

5. S. 1710 • Developmental Disabilities • The Committee recommends $38,713,000 for the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities [UCEDDs], a network of 67 centers that are interdisciplinary education, research and public service units of a university system or are public or nonprofit entities associated with universities. The Centers serve as the major vehicle to translate disability-related research into community practice and to train the next cohort of future professionals who will provide services and supports to an increasingly diverse population of people with disabilities. The Committee recommendation provides an increase of $5,501,000 above the comparable fiscal year 2007 level, which will fund the existing centers at their authorized level, allow them to receive a modest cost of living adjustment and support additional training for critical and emerging national needs, such as autism spectrum disorder.

6. Conference Report • Developmental Disabilities      For University Centers for Excellence, the conference agreement includes $37,613,000, instead of $33,213,000 as proposed by the House and $38,713,000 as proposed by the Senate.

7. LENDs Funding History This is a 32% increase for the LENDs.

8. H.R. 3043 • Autism.--The Committee provides $30,000,000 for activities authorized in the Combating Autism Act, including the promotion of screening tools and the expansion of Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) training sites to diagnose autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities. The Committee believes it is critical to strengthen HRSA's activities targeting autism spectrum disorders to respond to this emerging national epidemic.

9. S. 1710 • Autism and Other Developmental Disorders • The Committee provides $37,000,000 for the autism and other developmental disorders initiative. The fiscal year 2007 comparable level was $20,000,000 and the budget request for fiscal year 2008 was $20,000,000. The program supports surveillance, early detection, education and intervention activities on autism and other developmental disorders, as authorized in the Combating Autism Act of 2006. • The Committee has included sufficient funding to continue and expand the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities [LEND] program, previously funded in the MCHB SPRANS account. These University-based programs provide long-term, graduate level interdisciplinary training as well as services and care for infants, children, and adolescents with disabilities.

10. Conference Report • HRSA • The conference agreement provides $37,000,000 for a separate program for autism and other related developmental disorders, as proposed by the Senate. The House proposed $30,000,000 within the Maternal and Child Health block grant SPRANS set-aside for these activities. The conferees intend that no less than $6,000,000 be used to continue and expand the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities program. In addition, no less than $6,000,000 is provided for research on evidence-based practices for interventions for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, for development of guidelines for those interventions, and for information dissemination.

11. What does the Future Hold? • Vote on the veto override of the Labor-H appropriations bill could happen as early as next week. • Contact Members of the House of Representatives and ask that vote yes on the Labor-H appropriations bill veto override. • If veto override vote is not successful, the bill will go back to Committee to be renegotiated at a lower spending level than the current bill. Most programs in the bill will be cut. The President’s budget is $9.8 billion less on a $150 billion total. 11

12. Veto Override AUCD Message Talk about the work that you do at your Center or program, its impact on individuals, your state, and the country.  Please educate your Members about the impact of cuts you may have received as well as how important any increases are to accomplish your work and our goal of improving the lives of people with disabilities and families. If the veto is sustained, our programs will likely lose the entire increase that is in the conference report. The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.  Ask to be connected to your Senators and Representatives.

13. Plans for 2008 Hill Visits AUCD Hill Day – March 2nd through March 4th