title
A Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, urging the General Assembly to consider and pass House Bill 1479 to establish an Office for People with Disabilities within the Office of the Governor to advise and assist the Governor and General Assembly in developing policies addressing the concerns of adults and children with disabilities and their families and guardians and to assure that those individuals have access to adequate and coordinated quality services and programs.
body
WHEREAS, on April 6, 2004, Allegheny County Council unanimously passed Motion No. 1503-04 that supported the passage of House Bill 1859 (Session of 2003) and urged the General Assembly to move forward to create an office to enable access to services, establish coordinating of those services, and to improve and develop programs for adults and children with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, on September 7, 2004, Allegheny County Council unanimously passed, and the Chief Executive signed, Resolution No. 22-04-RE that called on the Senate's State Government Committee to consider and report House Bill 1859 from committee; the legislation, however, died at the end of session; and
WHEREAS, the legislation has been reintroduced as House Bill 1479, proposing a state-level office that would ensure that persons with disabilities and their families have access to adequate and coordinated, quality, consumer-controlled disability services by utilizing interagency agreements and public-private partnerships and can identify gaps in disability services and funding shortages, advocate for changes to existing programs, plan for improvements in services, and coordinate such services and programs for greater efficiencies; and
WHEREAS, organizations such as the Coalition to Establish an Office for People with Disabilities are staunch advocates of the legislation and continue to educate agencies, organizations, boards, consumers, elected officials, and other interested parties about the importance of such an office in the Commonwealth because its creation would ensure that persons with disabilities and their families could more fully exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby resolves as follows:
SECTION 1.
The General Assembly is urged to consider and pass House Bill 1479 to establish an Office for People with Disabilities within the Office of the Governor to advise and assist the Governor and General Assembly in developing policies addressing the concerns of adults and children with disabilities and their families and guardians and to assure that those individuals have access to adequate and coordinated quality services and programs.
SECTION 2.
Copies of this Resolution shall be transmitted to the Members of the General Assembly from Allegheny County, the Governor of the Commonwealth, and the Members of the House of Representative's Committee on Health & Human Services to evidence Allegheny County's support of House Bill 1479.
SECTION 3.
If any provision of this Resolution shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Resolution which shall be in full force and effect.
SECTION 4.
Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Resolution is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Resolution.