Recently there was a hearing on the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act [H.R. 3195] and its impact on business and civil rights. While a more detailed view is available on the Justice For All website about the hearing.

The hearing included testimonials from many advocating that the “tortured interpretations” of the Americans with Disabilities Act prompted this new piece of legislation to be drafted and supported. The testimonials also included one member equating a disability to his male-pattern baldness and thus would cause undue hardship on employers to give him hair treatment. Lynn Woolsey, a California representative, stated that her experience in human resources dictated the undue hardship as the exception rather than the rule.

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The Able 2 Be Me website is now up and operational. After about a week or so, they’ve got about 45 members on the site. They’ve got a section for selling items online which looks to have quite a few items for sale.

Most important of all, they have their “About Us” section describing the mission statement and what the site aims to accomplish.

SACRAMENTO (CDCAN) - The sweeping health care reform legislation backed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (Democrat - Los Angeles) and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and co-authored by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (Democrat - Oakland) suffered a major defeat this afternoon, failing to pass out of the Senate Health Committee by a vote of 1 to 7, with only one Democrat supporting it. All four committee Republicans opposed the measure.

The legislation, ABx1 1x was backed strongly by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (Democrat - Los Angeles) and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill was co-authored by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (Democrat - Oakland), but he ended up announcing his opposition to the measure.

It is not certain what happens next, with time running out on placing the financial piece of the bill on the November ballot for voter approval.

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The high school exit exam in place throughout California has hindered people with disabilities from obtaining high school diplomas. Advocates argue that the test is requiring too much of kids living with conditions, such as learning disabilities. State Superintendent Jack O’Connell says the exit exam is to maintain a level of skill and ability and to create special conditions for students with disability would lower the graduation bar.

The California Department of Education has been in talks with the Disability Rights Advocates to reach a solution. Though at least one previous attempt to provide adequate educational equivalents has been proposed, the Board of Education has rejected the proposal. Though, they are showing optimism for reaching an agreement later this year.

Source: Exit exam disability guidelines up in air provided by the Sacramento Bee.

As we’ve recently posted, the California Disability Community Action Network will be hosting townhall tele-meetings via phone and over the Internet about the California State Budget and how it will realistically affect people with disabilities.

Here is a quick list of their upcoming meetings and how to gain access to them. They are open to the public and should be attended by those who wish to speak and have their voices heard:

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We need your help gathering information from Californians with disabilities who are on Medi-Cal AND any other type of private health insurance. As you probably know, the GAPS Task Force on the Medi-Cal Working Disabled Program is a statewide grassroots group of people with disabilities, advocates, social workers, rehabilitation counselors, etc. We are working to pass AB 851, a bill that will improve Medi-Cal rules so more people with disabilities can work without losing their Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services.

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As the local and federal elections near, it’s important for people to exercise their right to vote in elections. In order to register to vote and obtain the proper information for doing so, we’ve gathered some information to help:

• In order to vote in the February 5, 2008 Presidential Primary, your registration form must be postmarked on or before January 22, 2008.
• In order to vote in the June 3, 2008 Direct Primary, your registration information must be postmarked on or before May 19, 2008.
• In order to vote in the November 4, 2008 General Election, your registration information must be postmarked on or before October 20, 2008.

You may register to vote online in English or Spanish.

You can find more information about voter registration on the Secretary of State’s website: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm. You may also find a list of the County Election Officials

California Disability Community Action Network released a newsletter today concerning hearings being held about the Governor’s proposed budget cuts. These budget cuts will start as early as March 1, 2008 and continue through the 2008-2009 budget.

The Governor has recently declared a “fiscal state of emergency” because of California’s projected deficit of $14.5 billion by July 1, 2009. The Governor has called a special session of California’s legislature in order to help fix the current crisis. The provision (Proposition 58, 2004) allows the Governor to require the California legislature to meet and act on the fiscal crisis within 45 days of January 10, 2008. If no resolution is reached, the legislature can not adjourn nor act on any other legislation until a resolution is accepted.

Although the first hearings on the Governor’s proposed budget cuts started on January 17th, there are many more to follow and in quick succession. In order to see the meeting dates, please click “Read More.”

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California Disability Community Action Network is hosting a tele-meeting on January 23, 2008 regarding budget issues. The meeting will feature Department of Developmental Services‘ Terri Delgadillo other department officials, as well is open for questions and comments from the public.

This meeting will take place on Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 11:45 AM and is also available for toll-free dial-in. CDCAN has posted information on their website regarding how to participate in their town hall and tele-meetings.

• When: Sunday, February 3, 2008
• Time: 3:00pm - Approximately 7:00pm
• Where: Marino’s Pizza
  142 Talmage Rd.
  Ukiah, CA 95482

Bring $10.00 for pizza and drinks! Free refills on drinks will be provided!

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