National Issues

The DAWN does not closely monitor or provide updates on federal issues. Many national organizations closely monitor federal issues and post updates on their web sites.

In addition, some national organizations such as Family Voices, NACCD, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and Congress.org, offer you the opportunity to send a message to your federal elected officials from their web sites.

Lastly, several organizations have e-mail action networks focused on a single or broad spectrum of issues. Many national organizations also maintain archives of past alerts on the web.

DAWN readers interested in federal issues are strongly encouraged to subscribe to a national e-mail network. Links to national organizations and other resources follow:

• Links to National Organizations
  Organizations listed that have an advocacy component.
• Links to National E-Mail Networks
  Either single- or multi-issue action networks.

Federal Budget Issues:

• Budget Background Paper
• OMB Watch

Health Care Reform:

• House and Senate Bills: Side by Side Comparison by WCCF 
• Comparison of House and Senate Bills
• House Bill Flow Chart
• Fact Sheet
• Talking Points
• Fact Check: Annenberg Public Policy Center Project
• Families USA
• Kaiser Family Foundation
• House version of Health Care Reform Bill
• Senate Health Committee Reform Bill

U.S. Congress Votes Database

• Every vote in the U.S. Congress since 1991

Key Federal Issues:

Links to national organizations and resources sorted by issue:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Civil rights law
• Long Term Care Reform- Ideas to create equal access to community services
• Fact Sheets on Major Federal Disability Issues
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Law requires free and appropriate education for students with disabilities
• Mental Health Parity - Bill would require health insurance plans to cover mental illness to same extent as other illnesses
• Rehabilitation Act - Law provides funding for vocational rehabilitation system, needs reauthorization
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) - Law which replaced the AFDC or "welfare" program, needs reauthorization
• Voting Rights - The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was signed into law in 2002. This law requires accessible voting for people with all types of disabilities, as well as provisional balloting, poll worker training, funding to make poll sites accessible and much more.