Karen Montgomery takes on our toughest issues.
Services To Those with Autism
Services to those with autism is the focus of the Maryland Commission on Autism, a group where I’m proud to be a member. The workgroup on which I serve is concerned with services to adults with autism, and I just returned from a meeting on Monday morning. I represent the General Assembly on this panel; other members include parents, professionals and service providers and a self advocate. The Commission is chaired by Renata Henry, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH).
We’re tackling issues of employment, housing, transportation, continuing lifetime skills and health, including mental health, for adults on the autism spectrum.
The number of individuals diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum is growing rapidly. The Commission is committed to identifying services currently available to them. Its goal is to ensure that similar services for children, adults and their families are available through the state.
I have a longtime, strong personal interest in these issues, as I am the parent of a son with autism. If you are also interested in these concerns or if you have suggestions for model programs or ideas that could effectively help adults with autism and their families, please let me know. As always, I’m eager to hear your views!
Reforming How Maryland Cares for Those Who Are Aging, Those with Disabilities
The Maryland General Assembly may not be in session, but we continue to work on issues critical to the state’s residents. I am a member of three commissions, which have been working regularly since May. One of these is the Long-term Care Reform Commission, which addresses issues of the state’s aging and disabled populations. I’m proud to serve on a panel that focuses on these concerns, and it was a pleasure to meet with my fellow members in June and July at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in Baltimore.
Members of the Long-term Care Reform Commission include service providers, businesses, non-profit organizations and a few legislators from the Health Committee. Its objective is to determine how people can live their lives to the fullest, despite the challenges of aging and disabilities, in the least restrictive setting, while at the same time being conscious of costs.
We hear from groups, such as the Health Facilities Association of Maryland, Life Span Network, Maryland Disability Law Center, and the Maryland Association of Area Agencies on Aging, among others. These are agencies and groups which provide care for your aging parents, people with dementia, individuals with disabilities who need personal care and individuals recovering from serious accidents, injuries or illnesses.
Currently, multiple systems, multiple payers and multiple programs address the needs of these populations. It is difficult to navigate the confusing maze of the different systems, difficult to understand who pays for what, and difficult for individuals and their families to identify the best setting and services for themselves or their loved ones.
As the Long-term Care Reform Commission explores the many options, it has become apparent that placement in a nursing home is the most expensive and restrictive setting, although that intensive level of care is needed by a certain percentage of individuals.
But we have found most individuals choose to age in place in their own homes, and they can do this successfully with adequate supports. We have also learned that people with disabilities often prefer a less restrictive placement than a nursing home, but require caregivers and transportation to remain in their own homes.
What are your opinions and experiences with these issues? I am eager to hear from individuals and their families with suggestions and ideas on helpful ways to allow those who are aging and those with severe disabilities affordably live life to the fullest measure.
As the Long-term Care Reform Commission and I explore these issues, I will report back to you from time to time.
Creating & Saving Jobs
Job creation is my top priority. To put Marylanders back to work and speed recovery, we took the following actions:
- Funded Capital Budgets focused on shovel-ready projects that have put 44,913 Marylanders to work over the last two years.
- Passed emergency legislation to offer a $5,000 tax credit for businesses that hire recently unemployed Maryland workers.
- Allowed small businesses to have flexibility to pay their unemployment insurance and property taxes in multiple payments over a year.
- Worked with the Administration to create a FAST TRACK permitting process that slashes red tape to quickly move important job-creating projects forward.
Keeping Our Schools #1.
Check the Facts: 1. Maryland’s education system was ranked number one in America by Education Week, the nation’s leading education newspaper.
Even in this tough economy, I refuse to sacrifice education standards. I have fought to protect our schools from drastic budget cuts, to increase education funding without raising taxes, and to freeze tuition rates at public colleges and universities. And it’s working: our education system is now ranked first in the nation. We still have work to do here in Montgomery County, and I will keep fighting to make sure our schools, our teachers, our parents and our students have the resources they need to succeed and prepare our children to compete in the 21st-century economy.
Protecting The Environment.
As a member of the Governor’s Commission to Protect the Chesapeake Bay, I have worked hard on common-sense environmental solutions to maintain our critical natural resources. We passed legislation to require cars sold in Maryland to be more fuel efficient to continue to clean up the air we breathe. Through the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, we will spend $149 million on nutrient removal to reduce the amount of nitrogen pollution entering the Bay. We passed regulations to crack down on polluters and clean up storm water discharges into the Bay. We provided funding to Marylanders in environmentally sensitive areas to put in environmentally friendly septic systems. We continue to work with the Federal Government to catch and punish polluters who put at risk our access to clean air and water.
Women’s Issues
Karen S. Montgomery, running for Senate in District 14, has been a staunch supporter of Women’s Rights, was president of the Maryland Assembly’s Women’s Caucus 2 years ago. She has fought to help break the "Glass Ceiling" in the workplace, promoted pro-choice legislation, worked for health care affordability and accessibility for families, and for public access to public meetings.
2010 Session Wrapup
Thank you for your letters, questions, information, constructive criticism and support. Our interactions are always productive.
This session was driven by a lack of funding. When bills were heard, the first question was “Is there a fiscal note and how much?” Changes were made to lower the fiscal note, which often weakened the desired result of the bill.
Since I am on the Health and Government Operations Committee (HGO), the majority of my bills were focused there. HGO deals with small business and government procurement, electronic access to public records, prison workforce training, free speech issues, minority business programs and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.
One of my most important bills was House Bill (HB) 933-Hospitals-Financial Assistance and Debt Collection. In January, 2010, Maryland had the 13th highest rate of medical foreclosures in the country, with one foreclosure per every 446 households. HB 933 protects families from losing their homes due to their hospital bills. When an individual enter the hospital, that person, or the one in the position of responsibility, is given information about possible sources of financial help and potential costs. Individuals or families with income below 500% percent of the family Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) may receive reduced-cost care in most places in the State. The hospital is also protected, as it may place a lien on the home against a future sale.
This session I again proposed the Maryland Health Security Act which would have set up a system to provide health care to all residents of Maryland. Although this bill did not pass, legislation did pass that will incorporate the Federal Health Bill into current Maryland practices.
I was happy to bring a serious problem to the attention of the legislature by sponsoring a bill that provides concussion awareness and training to coaches, school personnel, student-athletes and parents (HB1391-Education-Student-Athletes-Concussions). This awareness would highlight the problem of second-impact syndrome, which is a result of another concussion closely following the first. This can cause brain damage or can even be fatal.
Lyme disease continues to be a serious problem in our State. I sponsored a bill that would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to collect and record reported Lyme disease cases in Maryland. DHMH has proposed the establishment of a clinical Lyme disease research center that would be affiliated with an academic institution. This proposal will establish a Lyme disease and treatment center may serve as a public resource.
To protect the environment, I sponsored a bill which requires that homeowner associations allow outdoor clothes drying devices, used in accordance with each homeowner associations’ regulations. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that the average Maryland household pays approximately $112 in annual utility costs to operate a clothes dryer. This bill is not only environmentally friendly, but would also reduce utility expenses saving money for Marylanders.
My small bond bill for the Sandy Spring Museum passed and will allow them to plan, repair, and purchase needed equipment. The museum has been involved with the community for thirty years and is dedicated to preserving local history. Sandy Spring Museum partners with academic institutions, local schools, other non-profits and county heritage tourism to create lifelong learning and community strengthening activities.
I am happy to report that my HB 900-Developmental Disabilities Administration-Recipient Appeals passed. This makes Maryland law consistent with the Federal requirements that the State must meet the needs of an individual as outlined in their plan of habilitation. This bill gives individuals the right to receive notice and to appeal if their needs are not met by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Thank you for all of your support and for allowing me to represent you in the Maryland Legislature.
