President s FY 2012 Budget Request

Transcription

1 President s FY 2012 Budget Request AUCD Analysis of Proposed Funding for Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education February 18, 2011 (updated March 15, 2011) On February 14, President Obama transmitted his $3.7 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 budget request to Congress. Out of that total, $1.2 trillion is for discretionary programs and $2.1 trillion is for mandatory programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.). The budget would eliminate or trim more than 200 programs and reduce the deficit by $1.1 trillion over the next decade, taking the annual deficit from 10.9 percent of GDP to 3 percent of GDP in Two-thirds of the savings would come from cuts to domestic spending the largest portion being the Obama administration s proposed five-year spending freeze for non-security discretionary programs. Many disability programs have been level-funded, some received small increases, and some have been cut or consolidated. The request avoids cuts to entitlements and would allow the high-income Bush tax cuts to expire in HHS Administration on Children and Families and AUCD Network Programs For Developmental Disabilities programs, the President s Budget includes $163 million, a reduction of $23 million. The core DD Act programs (UCEDD, DD Councils, and Protection & Advocacy) are spared cuts. University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) would receive $39 million, the same as FY DD councils are funded at $75 million; and Protection & Advocacy at $41 million. However the Projects of National Significance (PNS) is cut almost in half, from $14 million to $8 million. There is no stated justification for the PNS cut. The Voter Access (HAVA) funding is eliminated with a justification for this cut that States have not expended available funds in a timely way. For the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs, the budget provides an increase of $2.6 million out of $55 million for the HRSA autism and developmental disabilities line item authorized by the Combating Autism Act (CAA). The President s budget states the following objectives: The FY 2012 Discretionary Request is $55,000,000, an increase of $7.1 million from the FY 2010 Actual Level. Of the $7.1 million increase, $2.6 million will support LEND interdisciplinary training programs; $2.1 million will support additional autism intervention research projects examining areas of particular interest to families as outlined in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee s 2010 Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research; and the remainder will support State demonstration grants, resource centers, a national evaluation, and a quality improvement initiative. All activities will continue to be coordinated with the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee and, in particular, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s Learn the Signs. Act Early. public awareness campaign. (The HRSA justification is also complimentary to the CAA activities and can be read in full on the HHS site.) NIH The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which funds the research centers (IDDRCs), would see an increase of $23.4 million to $1.35 billion. Total funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) would be increased by $744 million to $31.9 billion, showing the continued priority research holds in this 1

2 administration. The justification for the increase for NICHD is also complimentary and can be read on the NIH site. FY 2012 President s Budget for Depts. Of Labor, HHS, and ED (in millions) 2 FY 2010 FY 2011 (estimate) President s FY 2012 Difference over 2010 DEP. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families University Centers for Excellence in DD DD Councils Protection & Advocacy Systems Projects of National Significance Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal & Child Health Block Grant Combating Autism Act Autism and Other DD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Center on Birth Defects & DD, Disability and Health National Institutes of Health 31, , , Natl. Institute of Child Health and Hum. Dev. 1, , , Administration on Aging Lifespan Respite Care Act Nat l Family Caregiver Support Program *CLASS program administration Department of Education Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B State and Local Grants 11, , , Preschool Grants Part C Early Intervention Part D National Programs State Personnel Development Technical Assistance and Dissemination Personnel Preparation Parent Information Centers Technology and Media Special Olympics education program *PROMISE: Promoting Readiness of Minors Research in Special Education (IES) Special Education studies and evaluations (IES) DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research Voc. Rehabilitation State Grant 3, , , **Supported Employment State Grant Workforce Innovation NIDRR State Assistive Technology Programs Independent Living Formula Grants Higher Education Act ***Demonstration Projects-Disability (Higher Ed.) ***Postsecondary Program for Students with ID N/A

3 CDC AmeriCorp Disability Placement Funds *new program ** the supported employment program would be consolidated under Title I of the VR program ***the President s funding proposal would consolidate the program into a new First in the World program. The President s Budget includes $144 million for Birth Defects, Developmental Disabilities, Disability, and Health, the same as FY The Budget briefing document also states that it proposes consolidating disease-specific funding into three new competitive programs that are more comprehensive in their approaches to address critical public health issues more effectively. In addition, in FY 2012, CDC will continue research and surveillance of autism spectrum disorders. Of the $1 billion available through the Prevention and Public Health Fund in FY 2012, the Administration has allocated $753 million to CDC to build on prior investments in areas such as public health infrastructure; community and State prevention; and tobacco and obesity prevention. Dept. of HHS/Child Abuse and Neglect The president s budget freezes funding for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act programs reauthorized at the end of the last Congress. Department of Education Higher Education The Model Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities into Higher Education authorized at $11 million and the Demonstration projects to support postsecondary faculty, staff, and administrators in educating students with disabilities authorized at $7 million would be consolidated into a new "First in the World" competition program run out of FIPSE (Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education). Department of Education officials have assured advocates that these two postsecondary programs will continue to operate as authorized by the Higher Education Act. However advocates are concerned that the purposes of the program may get lost in a consolidated program. Institute for Education Sciences (IES) special education studies and evaluations would be level funded at $11.5 million. However, it appears that funding for special education research would be cut by $21 million in the President s Budget. Special Education The President s education budget continues funding for special education and also provides a number of new initiatives that would impact students with disabilities. The Budget provides $11.7 billion for IDEA Part B grants to states. For the first time in a long time, the Budget request additional dollars - $50 million for Part C Grants for Infants and Toddlers for a total of $498 million. The Budget states that these funds would increase the average State allocation by almost $1 million, help States serve an estimated 360,000 infants and toddlers, and encourage States to extend early intervention services to children through age 5. Additionally, this request would allow the Department to award up to $4.4 million for State Incentive Grants (since the request is above the $460 million trigger in the law) to facilitate a seamless 3

4 system of services for children with disabilities from birth until entry into kindergarten. Preschool Grants and Part D National activities are level funded. The President s Budget also includes $350 million for a new Early Learning Challenge Fund. This is a proposal to make competitive grants to challenge States to establish model systems of early learning for children, from birth to kindergarten entry, including children with disabilities, that promote high standards of quality and that focus on outcomes across all settings to ensure that more children enter school ready to succeed. Another new program proposal is to provide $185 million for the Presidential Teaching Fellows program. This program is intended to support scholarships for talented teaching candidates to attend top-tier teacher preparation programs and teach in high-need schools and high-need subjects or fields, including special education. Several new initiatives would demand interagency funding and coordination. These include: $30 million for PROMISE: Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a joint pilot demonstration program with the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Labor to improve health, education, and post-school outcomes of children who receive SSI and their families. This program would fund pilots in select States to improve the provision and coordination of services for these individuals. $10 million for Access through Cloud Computing, a new initiative that would seek to improve Internet and technology access for individuals with disabilities through research and development activities to provide on-demand accommodations that are stored remotely. This new initiative would be administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in consultation with the National Science Foundation, the Access Board, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and other White House offices. $30 million for a proposed interagency Workforce Innovation Fund that would, in combination with funds from other Department of Education and Labor programs, encourage innovation and support projects to identify and validate effective strategies for improving the delivery of services and outcomes for beneficiaries under the Rehabilitation Act and other programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act. (See DOL for more details below) AUCD will provide more information about these new initiatives as they become available. Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living Similar to last year s budget request, this year s plan includes proposals that would consolidate Title I vocational rehabilitation programs, including supported employment, projects with industry, and migrant, personnel training, and seasonal farmworkers programs. The $56.3 million additional funds under the Title I funding line are for the coordination of these consolidated programs. The budget sates that the purpose of the consolidation is to streamline and provide accountability for these programs. A supported employment for youth initiative that was included in last year s request is absent from this year s request. One hundred and three ($103.7) million is provided for a consolidated Grants for Independent Living program that would replace the Independent Living State Grants and Centers for Independent Living programs and would provide formula grants to States to support the provision of independent living services through centers for 4

5 independent living. The Budget states that under the proposed consolidation, each State would receive an amount that is equal to the combined amount received in fiscal year 2011 from the two programs. The Budget also states that $8 million is made available for a new National Activities to Improve Rehabilitation Services program that would consolidate technical assistance and program improvement resources and give the department greater flexibility to strategically direct these resources to improve employment and independent living outcomes for individuals with disabilities. In conjunction with this consolidation, responsibility for conducting studies and evaluations of programs authorized under the Rehabilitation Act would be transferred to NIDRR to provide for a more coordinated and rigorous approach to research, development, and knowledge translation investments in vocational rehabilitation and independent living. Dept. of Labor The President s Budget in Brief states that the FY 11 request of $39,138,000 for the Office on Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) will enable it to continue its collaborative efforts with ETA. ODEP and ETA are working to improve the capacity of the existing One-Stop system to provide accessible programs and services to individuals with disabilities. Specifically, ODEP requests $12 million to continue its FY 2010 collaboration work with ETA, to increase system capacity and meaningful access (e.g. Section 188 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended) to its WIA programs through the Disability Employment Initiative. This initiative will seek to build upon the promising practices of ETA s Disability Program Navigator initiative and ODEP s customized employment initiative to improve the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities served by One-Stop Career Centers. The President*s fiscal year 2012 budget includes almost $380 million between the Departments of Labor and Education for the Workforce Innovation Fund to test new ideas and replicate proven, cost-effective strategies for delivering better employment and training results. The competitive program will allow States, consortia of States, and regional workforce and education partnerships to compete for funds for projects that: * Engage employers more deeply in the workforce system to ensure that participants get relevant training and have strong employment outcomes; * Work across program silos to provide comprehensive services; * Improve and incentivize services to those with the greatest barriers to employment; * Promote more cost-effective service delivery, better measurement of cost per outcome, and cost/benefit analysis; * Support regional collaboration; and * Encourage use of data and rigorous evaluation to assess outcomes, inform continuous improvement, and provide meaningful information on workforce system and training provider performance. The budget justification specifically notes that, individuals with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities, will benefit substantially from activities supported by the Fund. The proposal does not appear to dedicate any set amount of funding within the $380 million Fund for projects that serve people with disabilities. 5

6 However, the Administration does propose the following legislative language to establish requirements to ensure individuals with disabilities are supported through the Fund: The Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall establish requirements for the Workforce Innovation Fund to ensure that individuals with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities, benefit substantially from activities supported under the Fund. The breakdown of the total $ million Innovation Funds is as follows: * 8% of DOL Dislocated Workers: $ million * 8% of DOL Adult: $ million * 8% of DOL Youth Programs: $ million * 8% of DOL Employment Services State Grants: $ million * 8% of ED Adult Education State Grants: $50.8 million * Flat contribution from ED Vocational Rehabilitation: $30 million AmeriCorps State and National The FY 2012 Budget requests $399.8 million for AmeriCorps State and National grants, a $27 million increase. This program supports the National Service Inclusion Project that promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in national service programs. The Budget request continues to provide $5 million to fund grants targeted at increasing the awareness of and access to national service programs among people with disabilities. A focus on disabilities is also woven throughout other programs within the National and Community Service programs authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve American Act. Next Steps The President s budget request is only the first step in an almost year-long process of completing annual appropriations for federal department programs. The next step is for the House and Senate Budget Committees to begin crafting the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Resolution (BR). The BR, once adopted by the Congress, will serve as the blueprint which the Appropriations Committees will use to make program by program spending decisions. AUCD expects this year to be extraordinarily challenging. Watch for weekly updates and action alerts from AUCD for ways in which network members can assist in educating Members of Congress about the impacts of various fiscal policy proposals on individuals with disabilities and families. 6