UPDATE: SJR 7 has been pulled from the agenda for tomorrow. Will provide more updates as we get them.

This bill is in the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee tomorrow at 2pm! Please reach out to committee members and tell them to vote no on SJR 7 and protect the Disability Law Center!

SJR 7 seeks to remove our designation as the Protection and Advocacy Agency for Utah. Here is how you can help support the DLC: disabilitylawcenter.org/general/urge...

Supported decision-making: a new option for families in Utah

Earn ethics CLE on Jan. 16 at 12 p.m.! Professor Leslie Francis and alumna Katie Cox (JD '19) of @dlcofut.bsky.social will discuss supported decision-making (SDM), a tool for people with disabilities to designate trusted individuals to help them make decisions.

Register: bit.ly/4jHGLsD

The post on the right is from the founder of the Cicero Institute, which is making some concerning recommendations in Utah regarding homelessness/behavioral health and criminal justice. Wonder what Utah policymakers think of this.

Not knowing how you will feed your kids next week is very scary! Join Crossroads Urban Center and Utahns Against Hunger outside the federal building today at 4:30 PM as we challenge Utah's representatives in Congress to do more to make sure SNAP benefits are issued next month!

Critics say taxpayer dollars for nursing homes should be spent on care, not new buildings In central Utah, construction crews are hard at work on a brand-new Beaver Valley Hospital Wellness Center, with plans for a multi-purpose gym, exercise studios, a recreation pool and a lazy river.

Great reporting continues in part 2.
www.fox13now.com/news/fox-13-...

Great reporting here from @tstevensmedia.bsky.social, as is the usual from their investigative team.

Great reporting here from @tstevensmedia.bsky.social, as is the usual from their investigative team.

States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit Multiple states are cutting their Medicaid programs even before the brunt of a new federal law takes effect, raising fears that access to care will become more limited for people with disabilities.

Multiple states are cutting their #Medicaid programs even before the brunt of a new federal law takes effect, raising fears that access to care will become more limited for people with #disabilities.

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Inside a ‘Hell on Earth’ in Oklahoma

This article highlights the importance of P&As, like the DLC, who regularly monitor facilities like this for abuse & neglect. Also highlights why we've pushed for better oversight of places where Utahns w/ disabilities live & more community-based services.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/u...

Herriman parent raises concern over behavioral level system for students with disabilities A behavioral level system at the Jordan School District is causing concern for a Herriman parent, as she feels it is unfair and possibly discriminates against c

Read the full story on the @kutv2news.bsky.social website:
kutv.com/news/2news-i...

Nate Crippes from the Disability Law Center, @dlcofut.bsky.social, weighed in on the conversation, give it a read!

Utah governor tells policymakers ‘fulfill president’s executive order’ on homelessness Gov. Cox asked the Utah Homeless Services Board to "accelerate" the state’s central homeless campus.

This Executive Order threatens decades of civil rights progress by promoting forced institutionalization of people with disabilities. It's deeply concerning that State leaders are aligning w/ a policy that seeks to remove rights of Utahns w/ disabilities. www.deseret.com/politics/202...

Trump Administration Squashes Plan To End Subminimum Wage Employment Of People With Disabilities Federal officials are giving employers the green light to continue paying many workers with disabilities less than minimum wage.

ICYMI: The Trump administration will allow employers to keep paying people with developmental #disabilities less than minimum wage, in some cases less than $1 per hour

Reminder: The Medicaid cuts in the reconciliation bill, particularly the work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks that will lead to coverage loss, are going to make all of this harder.

Policy Corner Bite 7 YouTube video by Disability Law Center of Utah

Andrew and Nate discuss the Big Bad Medicaid Bill and what changes to expect.
youtu.be/58SzTW40nQ0?...

Disabled kids like mine rely on Medicaid to survive; this bill cuts Medicaid.

I don't know how else to say that medically complex disabled children will die as a result of this bill.

‘Sinners’ on Max Will Include a Black American Sign Language Version Max will debut Sinners in the U.S. on Friday July 4, when viewers will be able to watch it two ways: by 1) streaming the exact theatrically-released version, and 2) choosing Sinners in Black American Sign Language (BASL). It’s the first time a streaming service has interpreted a film into BASL, Warner Bros. says.

‘Sinners’ on Max Will Include a Black American Sign Language Version

On this week’s @lastweektonight.com, John Oliver cited KFF analyses in his examination of how the “One Big Beautiful Bill” could impact health care.

🔗 The House-passed bill’s potential impact on the uninsured: on.kff.org/4jIcF6E

The image shows a black and white picture of an hourglass with sand pouring from one side to another. The text reads: "time is running out to save Medicaid.

The Senate is rushing to vote on a bill that would deeply cut Medicaid — putting health care at risk for millions.

📞 Call your Senators NOW:
➡️ 866-426-2631
➡️ 202-224-3121 (Capitol switchboard)

Need a call script? @communitycatalyst.org has you covered: communitycatalyst.canto.com/v/MedicaidDe...

The image shows a black and white photo of the U.S Capitol. The text reads: "The House has already passed 800 billion in Medicaid cuts. Tell the Senate: we say no."

The "big, beautiful bill" hit a major hurdle yesterday - but they're not stopping.

The House already passed $800 BILLION in Medicaid cuts. Now, the Senate is trying to get them over the finish line.

Use our action alert to email AND call:
ow.ly/JLWo50WhIoy

KFF infographic showing that 1 in 6 Marketplace enrollees had a mental health diagnosis in 2022. The chart illustrates that 18.2% of enrollees claimed coverage for at least one mental health diagnosis, while 81.8% did not. Source: KFF based on Medicaid and Medicare Services' EDGE data.

More than 1 million people with mental health diagnoses could lose ACA Marketplace coverage under proposed regulatory and legislative changes.

Our data note shows how Marketplace coverage helps people with mental health need access care: on.kff.org/4kiz6Qb

Thousands of doctors urge Congress to exclude Medicaid cuts from ‘big, beautiful bill’ • Utah News Dispatch About 4,000 doctors, including from Utah, signed a letter urging Congress to exclude Medicaid cuts from "big, beautiful bill."

About 4,000 doctors signed a letter urging the U.S. Congress to exclude Medicaid cuts from "big, beautiful bill."

"We're talking about real people, coworkers, neighbors, loved ones, who will face the consequences of legislation that treats health care as optional," a Utah physician said.

We used monthly survey data to take a closer look at the potential implications of #Medicaid work requirements for adults without dependent children. Adults ages 50-64 are at greater risk of losing Medicaid coverage for not meeting the new requirements. www.kff.org/medicaid/iss...

Perspective: Medicaid, work and the problem of the 'benefits cliff' Republicans want work requirements for Medicaid, but the devil is in the details.

Perspective: Medicaid, work and the problem of the ‘benefits cliff’ www.deseret.com/opinion/2025...

Policy Corner Bite 6 YouTube video by Disability Law Center of Utah

Andrew and Nate are back to update you on June Interim and potential Medicaid cuts.
youtu.be/OTzI3aBzj9U
#ProtectMedicaid

Senate unveils trickiest text of Trump's "big, beautiful bill" Senate GOP leaders will work furiously to get the bill passed by July 4.

NEW: Senate Finance Committee Republicans published their text of Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" which includes major tax reforms and even steeper Medicaid cuts than the House called for.

Opinion | This senator’s comment on Medicaid cuts was brutal but accurate It is hard to articulate a justification for ballooning the federal debt in service of saving fewer lives.

"I’m not here to pile on. Instead, I applaud the senator for her honesty. She is right. Both in the meta sense (humans are, to date, mortal) but also in the specific sense: If enacted, the House-passed reconciliation bill will mean more Americans will die." www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Georgia Touts Its Medicaid Experiment as a Success. The Numbers Tell a Different Story. Only 6,500 participants have enrolled in a program that has cost taxpayers more than $86 million — a warning for other states looking to impose restrictions on Medicaid in a second Trump presidency.

Georgia’s governor promotes his Medicaid work requirement as a national model for reform.

Yet the program has cost taxpayers more than $86M, three-quarters of which has gone to consultants, and enrolled only 3% of the quarter-million Georgians eligible.

(Published Feb. 2025)