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Sponsor seeks quarterly Olmstead‑plan reporting from DPHHS; disability advocates call for a unified state plan
Summary
Representative Gillette introduced House Bill 9 18, which requires periodic reporting on the department’s work to implement an Olmstead‑compliant plan. Disability advocates told the committee the state needs a unified, cross‑agency Olmstead plan that goes beyond DPHHS actions alone.
Representative Gillette opened the hearing on House Bill 9 18, describing it as one of two companion policy bills intended to advance implementation of Olmstead‑related work. The bill, as presented, directs the Department of Public Health and Human Services to provide quarterly reports to the policy committee during the interim outlining the department’s efforts to develop a plan to implement the Olmstead decision.
June Hermanson, who identified herself as a member of disability‑community leadership that worked with the governor beginning in August 2022, testified in support. Hermanson said Medicaid and DPHHS‑level work has been important but stressed the limits of a single‑agency approach. “A unified Olmstead plan goes across all departments of state government,” she told the committee, explaining that transportation, employment and other state services must be aligned if people who leave institutional settings are to be able to live in the community in an integrated way.
Hermanson described anecdotal examples to illustrate gaps: a young woman in her 20s with severe cerebral palsy who remains in a nursing home because she fears lack of community support, personal care, transportation and other services that would be necessary for community living. Hermanson said advocates support the reporting requirement as “a first baby step” toward a truly unified plan.
Lindsey Carter, administrator for the Senior Long Term Care Division at DPHHS, appeared as an informational witness to address technical questions. Committee members asked for clarifying information about the bill’s reporting expectations. Representative Gillette closed the hearing after questions; no formal vote on the bill is recorded in this transcript.
Ending: Supporters urged the committee to view this reporting requirement as an early step toward a cross‑government, unified Olmstead plan that addresses transportation, employment and other non‑health‑care services that determine the success of community integration.
