The Arc Maryland's Weekly Legislative Update
For the Week of February 10 - 16, 2020
Every Monday in the Insider, check out updates on key legislation affecting the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and professional supports, learn about upcoming advocacy events and receive notices about Federal and other initiatives of The Arc of the United States!
The Annapolis Insider Bill Tracker
Top Bills of the Week
HB209 / SB313 : Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act

Status: House Hearing 2/11 at 1 PM, E & T Committee, Room 250
Senate Hearing 2/20 at 1 PM, Finance Committee, 3 East Miller Senate Bldg.

Position: Letter of Information

The bill creates a mandate for a 10 cent charge on plastic bags and creates a workgroup to make recommendations on the reduction of single-use plastics.  There is currently not a member suggested for that work group who would represent the interests of the disability community. We need to ensure the availability (albeit limited) of plastic straws for those who need them for nutrition and hydration, therefore we are working with coalition partners and speaking with the sponsors for friendly amendments.
HB312 / SB473 : Discrimination in Employment- Reasonable Accommodations for Applicants with Disabilities

Status: House Hearing 2/11 at 1 PM, Economic Matters Committee, Room
Senate Hearing 2/18 at 12 PM, JPR Committee, 2 East Miller Senate Bldg

Position: Support

The bill includes requirements of businesses to comply with Fair Labor Standards and the ADA so in many ways it is redundant, but there are many Marylanders who have experienced discrimination in the employment process as they have been job seeking and there is misunderstanding among employers of what can be considered a reasonable accommodation.
HB548 : Career and Technology Education Training in Soft Business Skills

Status: House Hearing 2/14 at 1 PM, Ways and Means Committee, Room 130

 Position: Support

The bill would require public schools to adjust Career and Technology programs to include modules on Workplace "soft skills" to include interacting with co-workers and supervisors, email and other communication ettiquite. The Arc Maryland's position is that this training would contribute to the success of students with I/DD to enter the workforce.
HB1115 / SB436 : Courts- Improperly Summoning a Police Officer- Civil Liability

Status: Senate Hearing 2/14 at 12 PM, JPR, Room 2 East Miller Senate Bldg.

Position: Letter of Information

This bill would allow a civil complaint to be made from the first person against a second person who summons the police without cause to arrive at a location to address the 1st person.  Some people with I/DD and co-occuring mental health conditions may summon the police out of reaction to stress, paranoid ideation, or out of another need for support and attention. This summoning is not typically malicious, and seems reasonable to the person at the time. This bill as written would expose people to civil action for damages if charges are brought against them by the person about whom they called police.
Recap of the Previous Week
Bills, Bills, and more Bills!

An incredible amount of bills were introduced last week as the deadlines for bill submissions approached: February 3 for Senate bills and February 7th for House bills, although House members were encouraged to submit everything by February 6th due to the number of bills expected.

In total, there are now 2674 bills submitted for consideration in session 2020.
This has stirred conversations about possibly making changes in the future to limit the number of bills each legislator can present in any given session. It is already challenging to give each bill a proper hearing given the short time frame (90 days) of our legislative session.
Last session, 2471 bills were submitted for consideration. With at least 200 more this session, it will be a scheduling challenge for the committees who may need to adjust their testimony time limits or employ other strategies to fit everything in.

Recent Bill Highlights

SB796/ HB984: Developmental Disabilities Administration- Program Changes and Required Reports

In Maryland, there are 25,000 people with developmental disabilities rely on DDA supports and services to live and work in their communities. Roughly 17,000 of these people receive daily direct residential and/or day support from community providers or self direct their services and supports.

The Developmental Disabilities Administration is moving forward with major systems change that will impact all aspects of community supports, including services that are available to people, funding for services, person-centered planning, changes to billing and payment, and soon we will have new regulations. While we do not disagree with the direction in which the Administration is going, we believe the timeline for change is too ambitious and is already resulting in disruptions to the lives of people with disabilities and their families, and must be re-assessed and adjusted.

The bill, if passed, would delay implementation of the new service definitions and LTSS to July 1, 2021 and require a number of reports froom DDA to the General Assembly to ensure the components of the system transformation are all in place for a smooth transition of rates, billing (billing system and methodology), and service definitions with ample communication with families and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to aid in understanding of all of the changes.

The Senate sponsor of this bill is Senator Guy Guzzone, and the House Sponsor is Bonnie Cullison. If you have a personal story to share about how the transformation has affected you and your family, please contact these sponsors, or Ande Kolp (ED, The Arc Maryland) and she will convey your stories to the legislators.


SB959/ HB1171: Public Health- Demonstration Program and Developmental Disabilities

Status: Hearing in Senate Finance on 3/10 at 1 p.m.

This bill (as amended) would create a statewide advisory council on Self-Directed Services and re-establish definitions that were adjusted in recent waiver amendments for support broker, eligibility for those interested in directing their own services and supports, and qualifications of staff and vendors.

Amendments proposed by SDAN and adopted by the Senate bill sponsor are currently not available on the Maryland General Assembly website, but will be available at the time of the hearing.
Hearings last week:

HB0010 : Public Facilities- Changing Facilities

Status: Favorable with Amendments Report by HGO- to be heard on the House Floor for Second Reading on 2/11/20.

Position: Support with amendments

This bill would create a requirement for newly constructed or extensively remodeled public buildings and facilities to provide changing stations suitable to hold the weight of an adult.

Amendments include a change to the title of the bill (eliminating the word diaper), the department responsible for collecting and keeping information related to locations of changing stations throughout the state, and implementation date (delaying a year to account for the development of table standards and plans/permits already in process)

Please contact your legislative representatives in the House and let them know how important changing stations would be to you and your family.

To find out who your elected officials are, please use this link HERE.
HB0231 / SB530 : Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act

Status: House Hearing Tuesday, February 4 at 1:00 PM, E&T, Room 251
Senate Hearing Tuesday, February 4 at 1:00 PM, Judicial Proceedings Committee, Room 2 East, Miller

Position: Support with DD Coalition Partners Testimony

This bill would prohibit discrimination in housing on the basis of source of income. Several other states have laws preventing source of income discrimination along with many Maryland counties and cities. This bill would expand these protections from discrimination statewide.
SB0158 : Lodging Establishments - Accessible Rooms for Individuals With Disabilities - Bed Height

Status: Hearing Thursday, February 6 at 1:00 PM, FIN, 3 East, Miller

Position: Support with DD Coalition Testimony

This bill would require that lodging establishments ensure that accessible rooms have beds that meet ADA standards for height from the floor, and include at least 7 inches of clear space from the floor to the bottom of the bed to accommodate a lift.

The lack of compliance with accessibility standards has made statewide travel and lodging very difficult for people who need to transfer from a wheelchair into a bed. Most beds are too high or do not have under-bed clearance to accommodate the legs of a adaptive equipment such as a hoyer lift.
Education and School Bills

All of the following bills will be heard on Wednesday, February 5 in House W&M Committee (Rm 231) starting at 2:00 PM

HB0277 : State Department of Education - Guidelines on Trauma-Informed Approach

HB0327 : Public Schools – School Resource Officers – Prohibited Conduct
Support.

HB0328 : State Department of Education – School Discipline – Data Collection

HB0331 : Public Schools – Medical Cannabis – Guidelines for Administration to Students (Connor’s Courage)
Position: Support

Each of the bills are detailed in our bill tracker along with rationale for our positions of support.
Hearing Schedule
February 11th
House:

E&T, 1:00 PM, Room 251
HB0209 : Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act

EMC, 1:00 PM, Room 231
HB0312 : Discrimination in Employment - Reasonable Accommodations for Applicants With Disabilities

HB0771 : Lodging Establishments - Accessible Rooms for Individuals With Disabilities - Bed Height

APP, 1:00 PM, Room 121
HB0475 : Community Colleges - Students With Disabilities

HB0498 : Department of Aging - Grants for Aging-in-Place Programs - Funding

Senate:

EHEA, 1:00 PM Room 2 West, Miller
SB0371 : Environment - Drinking Water Outlets in School Buildings - Testing for Elevated Level of Lead

SB0992 : School Buildings - Drinking Water Outlets - Elevated Level of Lead (Safe School Drinking Water Act)
February 12th
House:

EMC, 1:00 PM, Room 231
HB0304 : Consumer Protection – Unfair, Abusive, or Deceptive Trade Practices – Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults

HGO, 1:00 PM, Room 241
HB0317 : Mental Health - Involuntary Admissions - Procedures

HB0332 : Mental Health - Emergency Facilities List - Comprehensive Crisis Response Centers, Crisis Stabilization Centers, and Crisis Treatment Centers

JUD, 1:00 PM, Room 101
HB0477 : Estates and Trusts – Guardianship of the Property of Disabled Persons – Court–Appointed Attorneys

Senate:

EHEA, 1:00 PM, Room 2 West, Miller
SB0610 : Community Colleges – Supplemental Services and Supports for Students With Disabilities Grant Program

JPR, 1:00 PM, Room 2 East, Miller
SB0401 : Places of Public Accommodation and Public Buildings - Single-Occupancy Public Restrooms - Availability (The Accessible to All Act)

SB0407 : Office of the Attorney General - Senior and Vulnerable Adult Asset Recovery Unit
February 13th
Senate:

JPR, 12:00 PM, Room 2 East, Miller
SB0481 : Criminal Law - Crime of Violence - Vulnerable Adult

FIN, 1:00 PM, Room 3 East, Miller
SB0260 : Labor and Employment – Leave With Pay – Bereavement Leave (Family Bereavement Act)

SB0547 : Health Care Facilities - Hospitals and Related Institutions - Discrimination Protections

EHEA, 1:00 PM, Room 2 West, Miller
SB0576 : Health Occupations – Nurse Practitioners – Certifications of Competency and Incapacity
February 14th
House:

W&M, 1:00 PM, Room 131
HB0548 : Career and Technology Education - Training in Soft Business Skills

Senate:

JPR, 12:00 PM, Room 2 East, Miller
SB0436 : Courts - Improperly Summoning a Police Officer - Civil Liability
February 18th
House:

HGO, 1:00 PM, Room 241
HB0421 : State Government – Open Meetings – Requirements and Application of Open Meetings Act (Maryland State Agency Transparency Act)

Senate:

JPR, 12:00 PM, Room 2 East, Miller
SB0473 : Discrimination in Employment - Reasonable Accommodations for Applicants With Disabilities

FIN,1:00 PM, Room 3 East, Miller
SB0441 : Mental Health - Emergency Facilities List - Comprehensive Crisis Response Centers, Crisis Stabilization Centers, and Crisis Treatment Centers

SB0453 : Behavioral Health Administration - Children With Mental Disorders - List of Available Services

SB0455 : Health - Maryland Children's Service Animal Program - Establishment

SB0624 : Health - Mobile Response and Stabilization System for Children and Families in Maryland - Study

EHEA, 1:00 PM, Room 2 West, Miller
SB0504 : Office of the Attorney General - Special Education Ombudsman

SB0605 : Public Schools – Medical Cannabis – Guidelines for Administration to Students (Connor’s Courage)

SB0783 : Special Education – Judicial Actions – Attorney’s Fees and Related Costs

SB0853 : Education - Voluntary Ethical Special Education Advocate Certificate Program
February 19th
House:

EMC, 1:00 PM, Room 231
HB0296 : Environment - Single-Use Plastic Straws - Use in a Food Service Business

E&T, 1:00 PM, Room 251
HB0457 : Environment - Drinking Water Outlets in School Buildings - Testing for Elevated Level of Lead

HGO, 1:00 PM, Room 241
HB0617 : Public and Nonpublic Schools – Medical Cannabis – Policy for Administration During School Hours and Events

JUD, 1:00 PM, Room 101
HB0721 : Vehicle Laws - Injury or Death of Vulnerable Individual - Penalties

W&M, 1:00 PM, Room 131
HB0396 : Child Care Centers - Early Childhood Screening for Developmental Disabilities

HB0516 : Public School Students - Daily Physical Activity (Student Health and Fitness Act)

HB0522 : Education – Home and Hospital Teaching Program for Students – Report

HB0711 : Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center – Inclusion of Out–of–Home Placement Data

HB0718 : State Department of Education - Early Literacy and Dyslexia Practices - Guidance and Assistance

HB0769 : Education – High School Students – Graduation and Attendance Credit for Vocational Training

Senate:

B&T, 2:00 PM Room 3 West, Miller
SB0567 : Sales and Use Tax – Exemption – Out–of–State Nonprofit Organizations

SB0637 : Children - Therapeutic Nursery Program - Funding
February 20th
House:

E&T, 1:00 PM, Room 251
HB0620 : Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport - Security Screening Checkpoint - Charitable Donations

W&M, 1:00 PM, Room 131
HB0730 : Sales and Use Tax – Exemption – Out–of–State Nonprofit Organizations

Senate:

JPR, 12:00 PM, Room 2 East, Miller
SB0702 : Criminal Law - Exploitation of Vulnerable Adult or Elderly Individual - Undue Influence

SB0993 : County Boards and Public and Nonpublic Prekindergarten Programs and Schools – Discrimination – Prohibition

FIN, 1:00 PM, Room 3 East, Miller
SB0313 : Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act
February 21st
House:

E&T, 1:00 PM, Room 251
HB0203 : Community Parks and Playgrounds Program – Baltimore County and Howard County – Expansion

W&M, 1:00 PM, Room 131
HB0675 : Education – Public Schools – Seizure Action Plans (Brynleigh Act)

HB0699 : Office of the Attorney General - Special Education Ombudsman

HB0806 : Income Tax - Personal Exemption - Disabled Individuals

JUD, 1:00 PM, Room 101
HB1302 : Criminal Law - Felony Second-Degree Assault - Emergency Medical Care Workers

Senate:

JPR, 12:00 PM Room 2 East, Miller
SB0512 : Vehicle Laws - Injury or Death of Vulnerable Individual - Penalties
Save the Date: DDA Budget Hearings
At this time, DDA Budget hearings are scheduled with the OLA-MDH/DDA Audits on the following schedule:

February 26 , 1:00 PM, House Room 150, Health and Social Services Subcommittee

February 27 , 1:00 PM, Senate Amos Room (4th Floor), Health and Human Services Subcommittee

Please note: the following abbreviations identify the legislative committees in the Assembly:

House of Delegates:
  • APP - Appropriations Committee
  • EMC - Economic Matters Committee
  • E&T - Environment and Transportation Committee
  • HGO - Health and Government Operations Committee
  • JUD - Judicial Committee
  • W&M - Ways and Means Committee

Senate:
  • B&T - Budget and Taxation Committee
  • EHEA - Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee
  • FIN - Finance Committee
  • JPR - Judicial Proceedings Committee
News, Events, and Action Alerts
Partners Class Spotlight: Jeneva and Robert Stone
"My son Rob and I have been partners in advocacy from the moment his condition manifested itself. It was the year he turned one—he went from “60 to zero” over the course of a weekend; suddenly unable to move, speak, or eat. In 2012, when we had access to genome sequencing, Rob was diagnosed with Dystonia 16. Initially, I saw myself as his advocate. I stuck up for him as a kid who loved Buzz Lightyear, baseball, and causing whatever mischief he could. The professionals in his life often saw his disability first, his “person” second, and attitudes and treatments needed tweaking to accommodate Rob’s personhood within medical, school, and home settings.

When Rob transitioned from high school in 2019, his ideal life plan included arts activities, Montgomery College classes, and advocacy. In 2017, he’d attended a small protest on Wisconsin Avenue against the Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacist rally. Rob held a sign that read, “Honk 4 Love.” Looking back on it, I’d been careless not to realize how much self-advocacy mattered to him.

So that’s how Rob and I came to be involved in Little Lobbyists, the Rare Action Network, and advocacy with the Maryland Assembly on home nursing. Rob has made statements in Annapolis and on Capitol Hill, putting front and center the inclusion needs of medically-complex children and young adults. I’m super-proud of him, and, well, he’s super-proud of himself!

We were thrilled to receive scholarships to the Partners in Policymaking program this year. Rob’s been able to use some new communication strategies in his classes, and he’s excited by what he’s learned—as am I. Partners has already helped us make connections with other advocates, legislators, and government officials. We plan to use our Partners training to help educate the Maryland Assembly on the transition and other needs of medically complex young adults. We’re already making in-roads with legislators!"

Jeneva and Robert are one of two multi-generational combos in our 2019-20 Partners in Policymaking class. We are so excited to see them grow and refine their advocacy skills in each session and know there are great things ahead for Maryland and these future Partners grads!
DD Day at the Legislature Event Live Stream
February 12th at 8:45 AM
Registration is full for Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature, but you can still join us online for the day through our event Live Stream!

The Live Stream will immerse viewers into the presentations from advocate leaders and legislators at the Annapolis Graduate Hotel from the comfort of home! If you did not get a ticket to the event, or if you preferred not to attend, you can tune in to the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Coalition Facebook page from 8:45 AM to 11:00 AM on Wednesday, February 12th to learn about 2020 legislative priorities for the Coalition.

To participate in the Live Stream, be sure to like the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Coalition Facebook Page for the video to show up on your news feed.