Advocates for special education are keeping a close eye on the 2012 Minnesota Legislature. That is in part because of actions during the 2011 session that threatened their programs. The Arc Minnesota will make protecting Minnesota’s special education laws and rules a top priority for 2012. That means being vigilant to guard programs and services against ...

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Nothing focuses your attention like a crisis that stares you in the face or looms on the horizon. We certainly know this from dealing with Minnesota’s state budget crises in recent years. The disability community has worked valiantly to preserve disability supports. But add changes in demographics and future health care spending on top of ...

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Governor’s cuts impact wide variety of health and human services programs Minnesotans and the state agencies and programs that serve them face difficult times in the months ahead. Over the past few weeks a number of steps have been taken to address the state's budget deficit. More changes are coming as Gov. Tim Pawlenty prepares to ...

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Remember in 2003 when services for persons with disabilities were cut severely? Well, welcome to 2008. In recent weeks there have been several significant announcements at the Capitol impacting the future of services and supports: • Minnesota faces a $935 million budget deficit for the budget years ending on June 30, 2009. • The governor wants health ...

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Tracking the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities’ legislative priorities Last fall the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), which includes over 100 organizations representing persons with disabilities, worked to develop their legislative agenda for the 2007 session. This article will highlight the status of those legislative priorities. Session Overview The Senate and House are about to wrap up ...

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In mid-January, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) changed the amount of money available to each county for its annual budget to operate the MR/RC (Mental Retardation/Related Conditions) waiver. This process is called rebasing. In many instances, this was less money than the county had already committed to spend. The November Forecast by the state ...

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