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Welcome to the USC UCEDD Parent/Consumer Webinar Series

funded by grant #90DD0695 from

the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD)Administration on Community Living

March 18, 2016

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Your Moderator

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Susan KanegawaUSC UCEDD Family Support Coordinatorskanegawa@chla.usc.eduwww.uscucedd.org

The USC University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (USC UCEDD) is one of 68 UCEDDs funded to promote systemic change, advocacy, and capacity building in states on behalf of individuals with, or at risk for, developmental, behavioral and/or special health care needs and their families.

The USC UCEDD Webinar series is designed to educate the community about current policy issues which impact the lives of people we serve and their families. Our primary audience is individuals with special needs and their families. At this time, our webinars are in English only. We are exploring methods to make this series available in other languages in the future.

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Evelyn Abouhassan, Esq.Senior Legislative Advocate for Disability Rights California

March 18, 2016

How Ideas Are Made into Law

and How to Get Involved

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About Evelyn Abouhassan

Evelyn is the Senior Legislative Advocate for Disability Rights California (DRC). She manages the legislative and public policy work at DRC.

The primary focus of her work includes budget issues and policy areas that impact individuals with developmental disabilities, employment, and discrimination issues.

Disability Rights California is the agency established under federal law to protect and advocate for individuals with disabilities. Their staff directly represents thousands of Californians each year and helps tens of thousands more by working for systemic change.

Legislative Advocacy

Tips

Overview: How Ideas are Made into Law and How to Get Involved

Presented By: Evelyn Abouhassan

Senior Legislative Advocate

Disability Rights California

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Transforming Ideas into Law

What are the key pieces to the puzzle?

- Discovering a Problem and Seeking a Solution

- Developing the Bill Idea

- “Shopping” for the Author

- Dealing with the Opposition or Potential Opposition

- Getting Involved: The Committee Process

- Getting the Bill Signed into Law

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Discovering a Problem and

Seeking a Legislative Solution

SB 555 (Correa, 2013)

What was the problem?

- Some people who receive services from the regional centers (RCs) do not speak English or are limited in speaking or understanding English.

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Discovering a Problem and

Seeking a Legislative Solution

SB 555 (Correa, 2013) makes sure non-English or limited English speaking consumers and their families have equal information about RC services.

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Discovering a Problem and

Seeking a Legislative Solution

Solved the problem by changing the law:

- Made sure consumers and family members got information about RC services in a language they understood

- Initial intake and assessment for RC services: required in language normally or preferred by consumer or parent, legal guardian, conservator, or authorized representative

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Discovering a Problem and

Seeking a Legislative Solution

Individual Program Plan (IPP):

- RC must communicate with consumer, or family where appropriate, in native language during the planning and development of the IPP and at the IPP meeting itself

- RC may avoid doing so only if the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) determines it is a hardship

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Discovering a Problem and

Seeking a Legislative Solution

If you normally speak or prefer Vietnamese, the RC must communicate with you in Vietnamese in planning and developing your IPP and during your IPP meeting.

The RC center can do this using a RC employee who speaks your language or an interpreter and providing you materials in your native language.

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Discovering a Problem and

Seeking a Legislative Solution

RCs have to provide a copy of IPP in your native language, or where appropriate, your family, legal guardian, conservator, or authorized representative, or both, unless DDS has determined it would be a hardship for the RC to do it.

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Discovering a Problem and

Seeking a Legislative Solution

RCs must put down what your native language is in the IPP. For example, if you speak or prefer Korean, the RC has to write down that Korean is your native language in the IPP.

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“Shopping” for the Author

What does it mean to “shop for an author”?

- Meet with legislators to find one who will take the idea and help to change the law

- Explain the importance of the issue and the bill to legislators that have an interest in the topic

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“Shopping” for the Author

SB 555 (Correa, 2013)

- Met individually with staffers of legislators that had an interest in developmental disabilities issues

- Explained the problem and proposed solution

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“Shopping” for the Author

SB 555 (Correa)

- Lou Correa, a Spanish speaking legislator from Southern California, agreed to author the bill.

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The Committee Process

SB 555 (Correa, 2013)

Bills get referred to committees based on several factors.

Topic: Involved RC issues so it was referred to the human services committees in the Senate and Assembly

Cost: Tagged with cost to the state so it was referred to the appropriations committees in the Senate and the Assembly

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Dealing with the Opposition or

Potential Opposition

- The key is to try to reach areas of common ground with the opposition before a committee hearing.

- There are always compromising and non-compromising points.

- Meet with legislative committee staff and the governor’s office to discuss the bill and address issues that may be raised by potential opposition.

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The Committee Process

SB 555 (Correa, 2013)

Getting the bill out of committees: How you get involved in this process

- Testimony about the need by consumers, family members, lobbyists

- Letters by people like you and lobbyists as to why the bill, if passed, would be good or bad policy

- Meeting with legislators and their staff on bills (most times you will meet with staff)

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The Committee Process

SB 555 (Correa, 2013)

Testify before a committee: You usually can testify in each committee the bill is heard.

- State your name and the organization that you represent or indicate that you are a citizen and state where you live.

- Legislators will be interested to hear what you have to say and usually do not ask too many questions of individual citizens.

- Keep your testimony short and to the point.

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The Committee Process

SB 555 (Correa, 2013)

- Even if you can’t testify, you can send letters to the committee. (Links to sample letters at the end of the presentation.)

- Send letters to members of EACH committee the bill will be heard in 1 week BEFORE the hearing the bill is heard.

- Keep your letters to committee members short and to the point.

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The Committee Process

SB 555 (Correa, 2013)

Meet with legislators if you can!

- Schedule a meeting with legislators on a committee (or your legislator).

- Communicate your support or concerns about the bill. Keep your message short and to the point.

- Work with other groups, like Disability Rights California, to talk to the committee members BEFORE the bill is heard.

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Getting the Bill Signed into Law

Communicating with the Governor

- The governor has 12 days to sign, approve without signing, or veto (reject) a bill.

- A letter or phone call to the governor's office is appropriate to state your position on the bill.

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Getting the Bill Signed into Law

Urge other grassroots organizations to support the bill and write letters or call the governor’s office urging he sign it.

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Useful Links

Finding your legislator:

http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

Writing your legislator:

http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/F04001.htm

http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/F04002.htm

Letters on bills Disability Rights California cares about:

http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/legislature/Legislation/2016/index.htm

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Transformation Complete

You have now transformed your idea into law.

You got involved in the process!

Let’s do it again and again!

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Poll: Do you now have a better understanding of how

to advocate and how bills become law?

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