HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 30
(By Delegate Michael)
[Introduced February 19, 2002; referred to the
Committee on Rules.]
Requesting the United States Congress to amend the basic support
allotment formula for the Department of Education,
Rehabilitation Services Administration, to hold harmless
states whose populations are decreasing or remaining the same.
Whereas, West Virginia has the largest per capita population of
persons with disabilities as compared to other states in our
nation; and
Whereas, Seventy-five percent of individuals with disabilities
in the nation and in the state are unemployed; and
Whereas, The per capita income in West Virginia is forty-ninth
in the nation; and
Whereas, The Vocational Rehabilitation program enables
individuals with disabilities to gain the skills they need in order
to obtain and retain jobs in the competitive job market; and
Whereas, The current Vocational Rehabilitation basic support
allotment formula is based primarily on per capita income and
population in the 50 states; and
Whereas, West Virginia is ranked close to last, if not last, in
both of these categories; and
Whereas, West Virginia received only a l.6 percent
cost-of-living adjustment for this fiscal year, rather than the standard cost-of-living adjustment equaling 4 percent, representing
a $1.11 million reduction; and
Whereas, If this trend continues there will be no choice but to
reduce services to West Virginia citizens with disabilities;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby urges the Congress of the United
States to amend the basic support allotment formula of the United
States Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services
Administration to hold harmless West Virginia and the twenty-two
other states whose general population are decreasing or remaining
the same but whose disabled population continues to rise in order
that they receive at least a standard cost-of-living adjustment
equal to that received by other states; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is directed to send a copy of
this resolution to the state congressional delegation.