The two “money” committees released their proposed amendments to the Governor’s budget on Sunday, February 8th. We expect to see the details of those proposals over the next few days, as legislative services releases what are known as the “half sheets.” Both the Senate and the House must debate and vote on the proposed amendments by the end of the day on Thursday.
Each package of amendments then goes to the other house, where typically it is rejected. The differences are resolved in a conference committee, composed of members of both the House and the Senate.
A preliminary review of the two budget proposals shows that there is no additional money added to the budget, on either side, to keep additional Training Centers open, but the HHR Finance Subcommittee did call for the Joint Committee overseeing the closures to begin meeting again.
It also appears that there is no money on either side for additional waiver slots beyond what was contained in the Governor’s budget.
Both proposals contain additional funding for mental health services, for both children and adults. Details of what those increases mean are yet to come.
The mission of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia is, through zealous and effective advocacy and legal representation, to protect and advance the legal, human and civil rights of people with disabilities, to combat and prevent abuse, neglect and discrimination, and to promote independence, choice and self-determination by persons with disabilities. We are available to assist policy makers as they consider issues that affect persons with disabilities.