Tom Harkin: “I am proposing this amendment, which would enact into law the ``Money Follows the Person'' rebalancing demonstration…”

“I am proposing this amendment, which would enact into law the ``Money Follows the Person'' rebalancing demonstration project. This project was part of President Bush's 2004 budget request. It is a critical component of President Bush's new freedom initiative. This really is about freedom. It is about the freedom of people with disabilities to enjoy the same opportunities for employment and community living that are available to all Americans. A number of years ago after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a number of us began working on what we considered to be the next step in trying to provide for a more open environment for people with disabilities. And that was to get more people out of confined living--nursing homes and institutions--and put them into community-based living arrangements. The bill we have been working on to do that is called MiCASSA, which is the shorthand for the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Support Act. I have been working on the bill for 10 years. In fact, I note for the record that the first introduction of this bill took place in the House in 1997 and was introduced by none other than the Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. It was first introduced in the Senate in 1999, and I was the chief sponsor of it at that time. My amendment basically would take what the President suggested in his budget and make it operable.”