Advocacy Team
Source of Income Bill, Chicago Booster Shots, Federal Budget Bills
Access Living friends and allies,
It’s Friday at last! We have a few key updates on important disability news, as follows.
Illinois Veto Session Ends:
Late last night, the Illinois legislature concluded its fall veto session. As a reminder, veto session is only two weeks long, so passing a ton of bills is hard to do. Several bills did get passed, but unfortunately HB 2775, the Source of Income bill that Access Living supports, will have to wait till spring. Nonetheless, more legislators than ever expressed support for the bill, so we are fired up to get it introduced again in January! To get more details about what’s been going on in Springfield, try visiting the Capitol Fax blog. Many thanks to the hundreds of advocates who helped us fight housing discrimination through our action alerts!
At Home Booster Shots in Chicago:
If you live in Chicago and have a disability that makes it difficult to get to a booster shot location outside the home, there is now a new opportunity for you. Individuals who have received their first and second doses of Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson will be eligible to schedule their booster through the City of Chicago’s At Home program. Please note that boosters are NOT eligible for vaccine incentives. The City is working on outreach to those who got vaccinated though the Homebound program or the early Protect Chicago At Home program with the Fire Department. Anyone can also call 312-746-4835, or sign up online at chicago.gov/covidvax. and book their own appointment, even if they were not originally vaccinated through those programs. Help spread the word please!
Congress Continues to Be Complicated:
As we monitor the work to pass major budget and infrastructure initiatives in Congress, we’re pleased to see a lot of important disability priorities in these packages. For example, in the current Build Back Better Act reconciliation package, there would be $150 billion for home and community based services, $150 billion for affordable housing, $35 billion for hearing aids under Medicare, $300 million for ending the sub minimum wage, as well as making both Money Follows the Person and Medicaid spousal impoverishment protections permanent. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (BIF) is the bill that includes funds for key pieces of the ASAP Act, which would update legacy rail stations to be accessible. However, we’re still waiting for movement on all of this while dealmaking continues. Stay tuned.
Feel free to share these dates with interested advocates. Have an excellent weekend.