February 12, 2012
Following the February 10th work session, the L.C.R.E.D. Committee wrote a strong letter of support to the Appropriations Committee ( stating that L.D. 765 is the L.C.R.E.D. Committee’s only funding priority on the Special Appropriations Table this year.
The following is an Analysis of the impact of language within L.D.765 as amended.
There is language in the amended version of L.D.765 that will change DBVI’s enabling Act in a manner that will have a severe impact on federally funded rehabilitation services for adults in Maine who are blind or visually impaired.
The specific language from the amended version of L.D.765 that is of concern states “Educational services that are required by federal law to be provided to blind or visually impaired children from birth to 20 years of age must take precedence over services provided to blind or visually impaired adults.”
This is a problem because the enabling Act will then mandate that the DBVI Director utilize existing General Fund resources to serve children before they serve adults. In order to meet this state mandate the DBVI Director will have to use the only other state money available to him, which is currently dedicated to draw down federal rehabilitation funds. For every dollar we take from these federal matching funds, we will lose four federal dollars.
The amount of funds required to fund LD 765 is $438,263.
Any such reduction of funds targeted to serving blind adults will not only decimate these programs, it would totally counteract the portion of the bill intended to address needs for blind persons needing rehabilitation services leading to employment and self-sufficiency.