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To: NRA's Legislative Network For those who read on the run, this Washington Wire deals exclusively with the National Rehabilitation Association's announcement of a TELESEMINAR to be held on July 15, 2008, ON THE LEGISLATIVE LANDSCAPE for 2008 and 2009, featuring as our KEYNOTE, DR. CONNIE GARNER, POLICY DIRECTOR FOR DISABILITY AND SPECIAL POPULATIONS TO MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY. This 90-minute TeleSeminar will begin at 12 Noon EASTERN time. Senator Kennedy chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, one of the most powerful Committees in the U.S. Senate, and continues to be a champion in the U.S. Senate and elsewhere for children and adults with disabilities. As anyone who follows the legislative process knows, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee holds primary jurisdiction over almost all legislative issues affecting the economic and personal independence of individuals with disabilities. Dr. Connie Garner, a Hill veteran, has been instrumental to the passage/drafting of legislation important to all individuals with disabilities, including, but not limited to: The Mental Health Parity Act; the Higher Education Act; The Workforce Investment Act, with an emphasis on the Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the reauthorization of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA); the Ticket to Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999; the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act of 2006; the Family Opportunity Act of 2005, a bill that allows States to offer a Medicaid buy-in to middle income families for their child with significant disabilities; the ADA Restoration Act; the new Class Act which offers long term services and supports to persons with functional challenges to live more self-directed lives in their communities, among many others. Prior to joining Senator Kennedy in 1995, Dr. Garner was the Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education. While working at the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Garner was Director of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council for Children with Disabilities and also served as the liaison to the Secretary of Education for all interagency matters related to health and children, including representing the Secretary of Education's interests in the health care reform debate. For those of you who have attended NRA's Legislative Summits over the past several years, appreciate firsthand the scope of Dr. Garner's knowledge of issues affecting children and adults with disabilities in the many informative and thoughtful presentations she had made at the Summits. We will be providing additional information on this important TeleSeminar, including CEUs, in the next few weeks. Until then, SAVE THE DATE OF JULY 15, 2008 for this important TeleSeminar on the Legislative Landscape from Dr. Connie's Corner of the Capitol. Thank you. Patricia Leahy Interim Executive Director Director of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy National Rehabilitation Association 633 South Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314 1-888-258-4295 NRA Office - 703-836-0850 NRA Fax - 703-836-0848 TDD - 703-836-0849 E-mail - patricia@nationalrehab.org NRA Website - www.nationalrehab.org | ||