NYS Independent Living Council, Inc.

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Capitol Hill Success ADAPT Action Report
By Tim Wheat

ADAPT activists spent the day on Capitol Hill contacting lawmakers about the importance of the Community Choice Act (CCA, S. 799 and HR 1621). Introduced in March, CCA will end the nationwide institutional bias in Medicaid funding, and provide Americans with disabilities with the real supports and services needed to get out of expensive institutions and rejoin community life. Ninety-nine ADAPT activists were arrested when they took over offices in the Rayburn House Office Building and demanded hearings on CCA. The Capitol Police acted fast and quickly arrested the demonstrators, but the message permeated the walls of Congress. When members of Pennsylvania ADAPT told Sen. Arlen Specter's staff today that they were not leaving until the Senator called for hearings on CCA, Sen. Specter was located and he wrote a letter requesting hearings at the earliest possible date.

Spitzer and Patterson take the Helm as Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Recently, ADAPT has been very productive. ADAPT heard positive statements from the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development concerning vouchers and a new working relationship with ADAPT. Later that same day, ADAPT activists stormed the headquarters of the American Hospital Association and blocked their garage, demanding that they develop a discharge protocol that does not automatically send individuals to nursing homes because of their disability. The AHA agreed to meet with ADAPT in May 2007.

As a follow up to ongoing efforts to get the support of the Republican National Committee, ADAPT members met with Mike Duncan the Committee Chair. Mr. Duncan agreed to communicate with state and local organizers and to cooperate with state ADAPT organizers, but they would not yet endorse the bipartisan legislation. Introduced ten years ago by then Representative Newt Gingrich, the Community Choice Act has gone through some changes and improvements. Most recently, the name changed from CASA (when Gingrich introduced it in 1997) to MiCASA and MiCASSA.

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