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 |
 Guide
to Legislative and Public Policy Websites
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| for Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs/Disabilities |
| Getting Involved | Current Issues | Laws | Tracking Action Alerts | Links |
There are many organizations that track legislative actions and monitor public policy. Some are focused on laws that affect individuals with a specific disability; others are concerned with a wide range of policy issues. Some concentrate on federal issues; some on state; some on both. The websites of these organizations are set up to assist individuals interested in participating in the process.
The site is divided into major categories, and the internet resources within each category are listed alphabetically. You may find that some sites are listed in two places, as they may apply to both categories. The major categories are listed below. Clicking on any of the links will take you to the appropriate section.
All
Disabilities
/ Developmental
Disabilities
/ Special
Education
/ Health
Mental
Health
/ California
Legislation
/ San
Francisco
It is worth the time to check out the Take Action links on this website.
This site is an excellent starting place for involving yourself in disability legislation action. The Current Legislation page lists important federal legislation under consideration in the Senate and the House of Representatives. AUCD indicates whether or not they support or oppose the legislation. It is nicely organized by subject area (Budget & Appropriations, Child Abuse, Education, etc.) By clicking on any of the Bill Name links, you will be brought to a site where you can send a pre-written letter (or compose on of your own) on important legislative issues.
This site tracks legislation, federal and state, that addresses assistive technology.
AUCD produces a weekly legislative summary and update called Legislative News In Brief, as well as an archive of past issues. It nicely summarizes current legislative action in plain language and directs the reader toward possible action to take.
Congress.org is a service of Capitol Advantage, a private, non-partisan company that specializes in facilitating civic participation. As such, it features a wide range of views. It is an excellent place to track federal legislation, write to your elected representatives and keep updated on legislation that affects families of children with disabilites. From the home page, you can select an Issue Area, including one on disabilities, that will feature information about all current legislation in that area. (The alerts included here are sponsored by various organizations, not Congress.org.) This is a good resource for familiarizing yourself with a broad range of issues and well worth a visit.
Another good site of links to advocacy information websites.
Family Voices is a national, grassroots clearinghouse for information and education concerning the health care of children with special health needs. Its Public Policy page provides links to information about federal laws and related legislation and court cases.
Justice for All (JAF) was formed to defend and advance disability rights. Their Action Alerts provide timely information about action on all kinds of legislation that affect individuals with disabilities. You can click on Past Alerts Archive or join their mailing list to view the Alerts. This site can keep you up-to-date. Adult issues are also included.
The National Coalition of Parent Centers is comprised of Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI's) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRC's) from throughout the country. Their website features updates on IDEA legislation, particularly the reauthorization going on right now, as well as on other issues affecting children with disabilities and their families. Please Note: The National Coaltion of Parent Centers website is funded with private funds.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides a site for the public to read about Social Security issues. There are links that lead you to rules, legislation and public comment areas.
This site is an excellent place to begin looking at legislative issues affecting families of children with disabilities. The site will allow you to view current legislation; The Arc will indicate if it supports or opposes the legislation; there are links to locate your elected officials and write to them about current issues. The Arc is an organization which focuses on individuals with developmental disabilities.
The ArcLink California provides legislative and public policy updates on the state level.
CDCAN provides extensive analysis of legislative and budget issues affecting Californians with developmental disabilities. You can sign up to receive updates by email, or you can view them on the website.
The NDSS advocacy section of its website targets legislation that affects individuals with Down syndrome. There are prepared letters that parents/families can send to their representatives letting them know how the legislation affects their children with Down syndrome.
Protection and Advocacy Inc. (PAI) is a non-profit agency working in partnership with individuals with disabilities, to protect, advocate and advance their Human, legal and service rights. Their website can connect you to information and advocacy resources. They also have many helpful publications.
UCP's Advocacy and Public Policy page is an excellent resource for monitoring federal legislation that affects individuals with developmental disabilities. It is a good place to start to familiarize yourself with the issues, and from this site you can find out about your legislators (federal,state and local). You may also have the opportunity to send a letter or an email directly to those who are making decisions on this laws. There are hints on writing or contacting your elected representatives, too.
CAFEC, the California Association of Family Empowerment Centers, provides information and applications for families interested in voicing their opinons about education policy. You can learn about the fund and download application forms on this page.
This site provides links to sites that provide information about both state and federal special education laws and the regulations that put the intent of the law into action.
This CDE page provides news about recently introduced legislation, links to sites that provide information about federal and state disability law, and updates of bills that have been introduced in the California Legislature and in Congress.
NCLD's Action Center site is a good place to check on current and ongoing legislation that affects children with learning disabilities and special education services. You can communicate directly with your representatives through their Action Alert links. NCLD also produces an excellent on-line LD Advocates Guide which provides background information on special education law and helpful strategies for advocacy success. The Guide includes a glossary.
NICHCY is well known for its fine publications. It provides an excellent, informative site on the reauthorization of IDEA, which is very well worth visiting.
Families USA is a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health and long-term care for all Americans. They have a lot of good information about Medicaid. You can subscribe to their Action Center and receive updates on public policy issues by email.
This site features links to sites that are focused on health-related issues. They have just release a guide on Medicaid, Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005: A Resource Guide for People with Disabilities, Their Families, and Their Advocates.
The National Health Law Program is a national public interest law firm that seeks to improve health care for America's working and unemployed poor, minorities, the elderly and people with disabilities. Their site is full of information about health-related legislation, with links to their publications, other organization's publication, websites, advocacy information and more. You can subscribe to receive updates to their sites and to receive their Washington update newsletter, The Capital Communique.
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has been providing legal advocacy for individuals with mental disabilities since 1972. To remain current on issues that Bazelon feels need actions, visit this part of their website. If you scroll to the bottom, you will find instructions on how to subscribe to their Action Alerts on a regular basis.
MHAC provides advocacy, education, information and other services to ensure that all people who require mental health services receive the services that they need. MHAC's website for information about and updates on issues affecting mental health in California. They have a special Legislative Advocacy Resource area.
This site is a good resource for keeping up to date on California legislative issues that affect individuals with mental illness.
UACC is a nonprofit advocacy organization which works on behalf of children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. UACC is a family organization; the majority of our board and staff are parents of youth who have received services for mental health. The site provides fact sheets and talking points for a variety of mental health issues.
The ArcLink California provides legislative and public policy updates on the state level.
The California Budget Project (CBP) provides policy makers with testimony, written reports and briefing materials which focus on how the California budget affects low and middle-income Californians. Their online reports can make for interesting reading, and their Publications page is very comprehensive.
The State of California Department of Finance website provides information and reports on the Governor's budgets, proposed and enacted, past and future.
This guide is available on the Official California Legislative Information site and was prepared by the Legislative Counsel of California. It includes a very helpful glossary of terms.
This important site features commentary of state legislation by the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO). The LAO provides "fiscal and policy advice" to the state Legislature, and is overseen by the bi-partisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee. It's good to see what they are proposing to the Legislature. It may take some patience to sift through the sometimes lengthy analyses.
This site is a good resource for keeping up to date on California legislative issues that affect individuals with mental illness.
If you are interested in following particular California bills, this site provides the opportunity to look up information about a particular piece of California Legislature using Bill Information. You can even subscribe to updates about a particular bill. From the home page, click on Bill Information, fill in the bill number (or search for it by author or keyword). Once you've located the particular bill's page, you can click on Subscribe and emails about action on this bill will be sent to you.
You can also learn about California law, gain access to information about state legislators, and view legislative publications on this site.
Coleman Advocates for Children monitors issues that affect children. It is San-Francisco based and a good place to check on what's happening on a city/county level.
The resources on these pages are for your information. These listings are not necessarily comprehensive, nor are they an endorsement. If you find that any information is incorrect, if you would like to offer feedback or if you know of additional resources that may be helpful to include, please contact us.
This page was last updated: October 29, 2009
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