The disAbility Law Center of Virginia advances the rights of people with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth, through individual and systemic advocacy, and by promoting policies that strengthen those rights. At the General Assembly, disability rights can be implicated by both substantive legislation and the state’s budget.
On Sunday, the budget committees of the House and the Senate announced their proposed amendments to the budget offered by the Governor back in December. The two houses will debate those potential amendments this week and will vote on their budget bills on Thursday, February 22nd.
The two-year budget bills, for the biennium that begins on July 1, 2024, are known as HB 30 and SB 30. Possible changes to the existing budget can be found in HB 29 and SB 29.
Several important amendments could advance the rights of people with disabilities. Among these are:
In the House Bill (HB 30):
- Gradual phasing in of additional DD waiver slots
- 6 million dollars each year to assist with discharge planning for people in the state mental health facilities who are on the “extraordinary barriers to discharge” list.
- 5 million dollars to expand permanent supportive housing options for individuals with serious mental illness
- Language requiring a comprehensive review of performance contracts with Community Service Boards
- $775,000 for workforce retention efforts for state-contracted brain injury service providers
- 5 million dollars to expand state-contracted brain injury service providers
In the Senate Bill (SB 30)
- Gradual phasing in of additional DD waiver slots
- No funding for the proposed disability ombudsman or “helpline.”
- $775,000 for workforce retention efforts for state-contracted brain injury service providers
- Language concerning the review of performance contracts with Community Service Boards
- Funding for guardianship training
After each bill is adopted on Thursday, it then goes to the other side. Typically, the House will reject the Senate proposal; the Senate will reject the House proposal. The two chambers then form what is called a committee of conference. The conference committee will negotiate the differences between the two proposals. If that proceeds on schedule (which has not been true in recent years), the conference report should be completed by about March 7th, to allow for review and vote before the end of the session on March 9, 2024.
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia seeks to advance the rights of people with disabilities in Virginia. We are available to educate policymakers about the potential impact of legislative proposals and budgetary considerations. Please let us know of any legislative proposals or budget issues that you think we should be following. Contact us at ga@dlcv.org, or info@dlcv.org, or by calling 1-800-552-3962 or 1-804-225-2042.