For Immediate Release
July 31, 2020
Contact: David Card
202.408.9514 x122
[email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC – The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) commends the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a “minibus” bill today containing Fiscal Year 2021 spending for several critical federal agencies including Health and Human Services, Education, and Housing and Urban Development.
The bill provides critical increases for the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (PADD), Protection and Advocacy for Voting Accessibility (PAVA), and Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR) programs. The bill also includes increases for other important priorities such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 811 Housing for People with Disabilities, and Home and Community-based Supportive Services.
“We thank the House for recognizing and investing in critical programs that serve people with disabilities,” said NDRN Executive Director Curt Decker. “The Senate must now build on the House’s work and Congress must include these increases in any final package to ensure the needs of people with disabilities are met.”
The bill also includes important policy provisions which would protect unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and block a new regulation that would allow discrimination in health and health education programs against individuals based on LGBTQ status.
NDRN will continue to advocate for funding increases and policy provisions that benefit people with disabilities. Any final package must include dedicated increases for Protection and Advocacy programs that protect the rights of all people with disabilities along with increases for disability programs that provide crucial services and supports.
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The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the P&A/CAP Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
