UDW Brothers and Sisters,

The UDW advocates with the California State Legislature and Administration on issues of importance to providers and consumers of California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. This report for the first year of the 2009-2010 legislative session focuses on California legislators’ votes on UDW’s priority bills.

The IHSS program provides personal care and domestic services to approximately 450,000 aged, blind or disabled individuals in their own homes. The purpose of the program is to allow these individuals to live safely at home rather than in costly and less desirable out-ofhome placement facilities. IHSS is the largest publicly funded non-medical program in the nation designed to help people with disabilities, the elderly, and blind—and with limited resources—live comfortably at home.

A review of the votes cast provides essential information to hold legislators accountable for their actions on IHSS issues that affect wages and benefits as well as the availability and quality of homecare services. The vote record can tell the entire story of a legislator’s attitude and actions on issues that are important to IHSS providers and consumers. Each year, legislators cast thousands of votes on thousands of proposed laws. There were 3,206 bills introduced in 2009. The Legislature sent the Governor a total of 1,431 bills and the Governor signed 1,087 of those measures. To gauge the accountability and performance of Assembly and Senate members, the UDW has produced this legislative report of votes cast on our sponsored and priority bills in 2009.

In Unity,
Jovan Agee, UDW Political & Legislative Director

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