Comments on: Update – Stimulus Package, Special Education, and a Lot of Confusion

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:29:43 +0000

There's a national database on the National Conference of State Legislatures web site that lets you see what's going on in your state with autism-related legislation. Some of it is very legalese-y, but you can at least get a pretty good sense of what's going on.

By: JoyMama

JoyMama — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:53:45 +0000

@Tim – Heh… not enough warning for me either!! Coffee spray, LOL!

Stimulus effects… size of the package… the mind boggles.

Although, here in Wisconsin, we actually do have autism insurance legislation moving forward quickly, well worth lobbying for (blogged about it Saturday if anyone wants details). There were state senate hearings on it yesterday. So — everybody keep track of what’s going on in your own state too!

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:10:38 +0000

@JoyMama – I still haven’t figured out what the actual situation is, but as best I can tell, what you and I have been saying in here is apparently more or less in the ballpark of being what’s really happening. Of course, I wonder if the people voting on it even know what’s in it.

Assuming it passes in the morning, which by all accounts it will, what happens next in the conference committee is a lot like 52-card pickup. Who knows.

I gather from reading disability blogs that there’s a sense of ‘well, it could be worse, but it could be a lot better’ but with the same lack of clarity about what the end result will be.

And lobbying our state legislature or county commissioners for anything is pointless right now since everything on the planet is being held up until the stimulus is resolved. Blech.

On a lighter note, I heard a news commentator say, “I don’t think the size of the package is big enough.” They should warn me before they say stuff like that so what I’m drinking won’t come out of my nose.

By: JoyMama

JoyMama — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:30:46 +0000

The most helpful list I’ve seen so far is from McClatchy’s Planet Washington blog, supposedly out of Senator Leahy’s office. Biggest education-relation hits: school construction, Head Start/Early Start, NCLB. I don’t see any big disability-related items on the list…

Makin’ my head spin. Thanks for continuing to post on this.