Proposed Minnesotans with Disabilities Act of 2005

See this article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which begins:

A coalition of disability activists, flanked by a bipartisan group of legislators, on Monday announced an ambitious plan to move thousands of working-age, disabled Minnesotans out of nursing homes and into more independent living settings.

The relocation plan is a major component of the large-scale Minnesotans with Disabilities Act of 2005, which would address some of the health care, housing, transportation and employment needs of disabled Minnesotans. The Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, a coalition of more than 40 organizations that provides and advocates for people with disabilities, developed the legislation being sponsored by Sen. Becky Lourey, DFLKerrick, and Rep. Tim Wilkin, R-Eagan.

And see these details from an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

The bill's scope is expansive, including these proposals:

• Lower medical service fees paid by parents of severely disabled children.

• Increase eligibility for Medical Assistance to 100 percent of the federal poverty guideline, which would allow individual income of $775 per month instead of the current $582.

• Raise the assets limit for those eligible for Medical Assistance to $10,000 for singles, up from $3,000.

• Allow those in adult foster care $150 a month for personal needs, up from $75.

• Eliminate the $500 annual cap on dental services for patients in Medical Assistance, General Assistance Medical Care and MinnesotaCare.

• Increase wages for direct care workers by approving rate increases for home- and community-based service providers.

• Increase by 5 percent a year the funding for Metro Mobility and expand transit service for the disabled in outstate Minnesota.

• Offer a $2,500 one-time grant to help pay transition costs for non-elderly disabled Minnesotans attempting to move out of nursing homes.

Funny, I know someone who was just calling proposals like this "the future of disability law."