Committee expands IDD Commission membership, moves to name bill for Jake Dedinsky

The Montgomery County Council Health and Human Services Committee on an afternoon session recommended Bill 28-26 to the full council after staff outlined changes to the county—ode governing the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Commission. Committee staff said the bill would expand the commission—rom 19 to 23 voting members and increase the number of seats reserved for people with IDD and family/guardian representatives.

Mr. Ogorzelek, who presented the staff report, said the revised structure would expand the subset of members required to be individuals with IDD or family/guardians from 11 to 15 and that "at least 3 of those 15 total members be individuals who participate in self directed services," a term defined in state law. He also noted a July 14 public hearing and that public testimony supported the measure.

Bill sponsor Councilmember Don Luedtke urged an amendment to name the bill after Jake Dedinsky, "one of the original members of the IDD commission" and an advocate whose testimony helped shape the proposal. Luedtke asked the committee to adopt an amendment to call the measure the "Jake Dedinsky Advocacy Act."

Chair Sales called for a motion to recommend the bill to the full council; Councilmember Luedtke moved the recommendation and the committee approved it by a hand/voice vote. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally. The committee recorded one amendment to the measure and staff stated the fiscal-impact statement shows no county fiscal impact.

The committee ction sends the measure, as amended, to the full council for further consideration.