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Partisan Vote Sinks Needed Funding
Wisconsin State Journal :: OPINION :: A10
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
REP. JOE PARISI
The achievements of people with developmental disabilities in Dane
County are impressive, to say the least. People who spent decades in
state institutions are now living, learning and working throughout our
community. It has been said that to be healthy means that you can
function, do what you want to do, and become what you want to become.That belief is at the core of Wisconsin's 30-year commitment to ensure that people with developmental disabilities are able to live and work in the community rather than being confined to an institution. In order to realize that commitment, we have in place a system of community-based providers whose dedicated and hardworking staff work day to day, providing the necessary support to make community integration a reality.
It is not an exaggeration to say there is no larger component of a good quality of life for people with developmental disabilities than the consistent, caring and professional direct support they receive from these agencies.
That's why it is so important to adequately invest in these agencies and the amazing employees who provide direct care to people with developmental disabilities. Unfortunately, our current investment is not keeping up with the need.
A major state funding source called the Community Integration Program (known as CIP-1B) sustains our state's commitment to home-based living for thousands of citizens with a developmental disability. Over the last 10 years, the rate at which we reimburse counties for housing, programs, food, salaries and minimal health insurance for the people who work as personal caregivers -- in short, all the elements that enable a person with a developmental disability to live in the community -- has been virtually frozen.
This has not only put an unsustainable burden on the people who work as direct caregivers, it has caused tremendous upward pressure on property taxes, as counties have struggled to find funding sources to make up for shrinking state dollars.
That's why I authored an amendment to the state budget to increase CIP-1B funding. If our programs and policies are founded on the belief that the lives of all citizens are enriched when citizens with disabilities have the opportunity to live and work in their own neighborhoods, then we need to make an adequate investment to realize our vision.
Unfortunately, my initial amendment was rejected and subsequent efforts to include a CIP-1B increase in the state budget failed along party lines.
Caring for vulnerable citizens should not be a partisan issue. At the end of the day, we must focus our energies on making progress on the issues that affect the quality of life of the people we have been elected to serve. That's why I remain committed to doing all I can to work with my colleagues to find the political will to increase our investment in this vital program so that more people with developmental disabilities are able to reach their full potential.
\ Parisi represents the East Side of Madison, Monona, McFarland and nearby towns in the state Legislature.