Indiana Family to Family

from Ntl FV: As reported in the  May 29 Update , bipartisan bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate to extend F2F funding for five more years at the current level of $6 million per year. Without such legislation, funding for the program will expire at the end of the current federal fiscal year (FY 2019). The House bill, the Family-to-Family Reauthorization Act of 2019 ( H.R. 2822 ), was introduced by Representatives  Mikie (Michelle) Sherrill  (D-NJ) and  Fred Upton  (R-MI), and was referred to the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce (E&C). On June 4, 2019, the Health Subcommittee held a  hearing  on a number of health bills, including the F2F bill. Diana Autin, Executive Co-Director of the New Jersey F2F (the SPAN Parent Advocacy Center) testified on behalf of Family Voices. You can read Diana's  oral testimony , as prepared for presentation to the subcommittee, and the  written testimony  of Family Voices and SPAN

from CQL: What?  We are doing research with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) about where people with IDD live and their experiences there. This research includes an  online survey  which will take approximately 10-15 minutes. People are welcome to have someone support them to complete the survey! Who?  People with IDD 18 years and older in the United States. People with guardians will need to obtain the guardian’s permission before deciding to participate by filling out the survey. How much?  People with IDD will be paid a $15 gift card for participating. Where?  https://c-q-l.org/news-and- events/new-survey-tell-us- about-where-you-live-and-why Questions?  Contact Carli at  cfriedman@thecouncil.org  or 407-733-6676.

from Coalition on Human Needs: Right now, the Trump Administration is trying to quietly change the way we define poverty.  Each year the poverty line—the income amount that defines who is and isn’t in poverty—is adjusted for inflation. The poverty line is extremely important since it’s used to determine eligibility for assistance that those living in or near poverty need to survive. Think help for groceries, health care, and home heating to prevent threats to health and safety for low-income families or seniors. And remember that millions of moderate-income people qualify for health insurance premium subsidies if their incomes are between 100 percent and 400 percent of the poverty line. The Trump Administration is trying to use a different way to calculate inflation that would be lower than the one we use now.  And while that change wouldn’t be obvious right away, over the years hundreds of thousands of Americans would be defined out of poverty without any meaningful change to t

from DREF: May 2019 What options are available when you can't resolve a problem or disagreement with your local district or charter school?   As a general rule, it is best to try to resolve disagreements/complaints directly with the district/school when you can.  This protects relationships with staff who may serve a student over many years, and gives schools and parents the opportunity to develop ways to work collaboratively in the best interest of the student. But when you think your child's educational future is at risk, and the issue is not getting resolved, you have procedural safeguards you can use as tools. These are important rights designed to protect the rights of children with disabilities and their parents. If you reach an impasse with the school/district, you might consider filing for due process. Due process is available to both the parent or the school/district when there is a disagreement on how to best provide a student with a Free Appropr