Photo by Dean Moses
New York lawmakers and non-profit leaders are advocating for a bill that is expected to go before the legislature before the end of June that would provide caregivers who look after people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) a pay raise.
Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright and state Senator John Mannion have introduced a bill in their respective chambers that would provide I/DD caregivers who work at agencies with an extra $4,000 per year in income. They plan to hold a rally in support of the bill in Albany on May 15, which is Disability Awareness Day.
The lawmakers also plan to announce the passage of a series of disability-related bills that are expected to pass in the Assembly on May 15, such as one bill that calls for the replacement of the term “mentally retarded” with “developmentally disabled.”
However, the legislators aim to draw particular attention to the “direct support wage enhancement” bill that is likely to go before the full floor for a vote in both the assembly and senate by the end of June, when the legislative session ends.
The bill would allocate the funds to provider agencies to boost the hourly pay of the caregivers, known as direct support professionals (DSP). Most earn about $16.50 per hour — not much more than the minimum wage of $15 per hour. The $4,000 would increase their wages by approximately $2.20 per hour.
Advocates argue that the workers are not being paid enough for a difficult job that involves tasks...
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