Monthly Archives: June 2008
House Passes ADA Amendments Act of 2008 By Wide Margin
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 3195) with strong bipartisan backing by a vote of 402-15. Earlier in the week, BIAA formally endorsed this legislation, which is designed to strengthen protections for individuals with disabilities originally enacted through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Approves Caring for Wounded Warrior Act Provisions
On Thursday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee approved provisions contained in S. 2921, The Caring for Wounded Warriors Act, S. 2921. BIAA has strongly supported and endorsed this legislation, and several recommendations made by BIAA during the legislative drafting process were incorporated into the bill.
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill Advances in Senate; Stalls in House
Progress on appropriations occurred this week on the Senate side, as the full Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and approved its Fiscal 2009 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education funding bill.
Brain injuries cause half of seniors’ fall deaths
ATLANTA — The elderly fear breaking a hip when they fall, but a government study indicates that hitting their head can also have deadly consequences: Brain injuries account for half of all deaths from falls.
House Committees Approve ADA Amendments Act of 2008
Congress also made progress on a major disability rights bill, as both the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Judiciary Committee marked up and approved the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 3195). This measure is designed to counter the last decade of Supreme and lower court decisions which have excluded large groups of people with disabilities from receiving employment protections included in the original Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was enacted in 1990.
House Makes Progress on Appropriations Measures
Progress on appropriations occurred this week in the House of Representatives, as the House Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Subcommittee marked up, and approved by voice vote, its Fiscal 2009 spending bill on Thursday.
Specific details of the bill, including funding levels for several federal TBI-related programs, were not made public, but are expected to emerge next week when the full House Appropriations Committee considers the bill.
House VA Committee Approves Bill to Create VA Epilepsy Centers
Also on Wednesday, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs approved H.R. 2818, legislation endorsed by BIAA which would establish Epilepsy Centers of Excellence within the VA. Last week, the Senate passed its version of the legislation as part of a package of veterans’ mental health bills.
Fiscal 2009 Appropriations Process Moves Forward
Late this week, Fiscal 2009 302(b) Appropriations Subcommittee Allocations were announced, including an allocation of $153.1 billion for the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds multiple TBI-related programs, including programs authorized through the TBI Act.
Bill to Create VA Epilepsy Centers Progresses in Both Chambers
In other developments, the Senate passed by voice vote on Tuesday a package of veterans’ mental health bills. This package included legislation endorsed by BIAA which authorizes the establishment of six VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (Epilepsy CoEs) across the country to lead the way in epilepsy diagnosis, research, treatment and surgery. The House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee passed an amended version of the bill’s companion in the House, H.R. 2818, on Thursday.
BIAA Joins Coalition Efforts On Key Disability Policy Issues
Also this week, BIAA joined coalition efforts focused on several important policy issues impacting the disability community, including efforts to protect Medicaid, strengthen the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and formally comment on recently proposed rules concerning the Developmental Disabilities Act.
