On Thursday, September 10, the Senate voted on a relief package called the Delivering Relief to America’s Families, School and Small Businesses Act. This is considered their “skinny” package, because it is a scaled-back version of the HEALS Act introduced in July. The Senate voted and failed to advance the bill by a vote of 52-47. Like the HEALS Act, the package does not meet the needs of Americans with disabilities and undermines the Americans with Disabilities Act to give businesses immunity for harm they cause.
Senators urgently need to hear from you again!
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (TTY). Ask to be connected to your Senators. You can find your Senators’ contact forms at https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact You can find your Senators’ direct phone numbers, Twitter handles, Facebook pages, and more on https://contactingcongress.org/. Use the following template to contact Senators and feel free to personalize:
Hi, my name is (your name) from (City, State). I am calling/writing as your constituent to urge you to include home and community-based services (HCBS) in the Delivering Relief to America’s Families, School and Small Businesses Act.. The CDC reports 90% of people hospitalized for COVID-19 are people with underlying health conditions and further reports 8 out of 10 COVID-19 related deaths in America have been among adults aged 65 years and older. Funding for home and community-based services is clearly urgent to prevent people with disabilities and seniors already struggling to live in the community from relocating to nursing facilities and congregate locations at high risk for COVID-19. Funding for home and community-based services complies with the Olmstead Decision and will ensure people stay safe in their own homes. The House included funding for home and community-based services in the HEROES Act. It is critical that this funding be included in the Delivering Relief to America’s Families, School and Small Businesses Act final package. Don’t let your most vulnerable constituents down when we need you the most! We are counting on you to do the right thing. #WhatWeNeed is #HCBS funding!
