Rep. Case’s I/DD Family Day is huge success

HARTFORD – State Rep. Jay Case (R-63) and his Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Caucus heard testimony Thursday from individuals, families and organization directors advocating for state government to make Connecticut a healthier place to live.

Last year, Case, along with West Hartford Democrat Sen. Beth Bye and state Rep. John Hampton, a Simsbury Democrat, launched the I/DD Caucus to address shortfalls in the safety net. The bipartisan group of some 50 lawmakers are hoping to find ways to streamline government while still providing services for the I/DD community.

“The number of advocates that showed up for Family Day 2015 proves our state has to do a more efficient job with the I/DD community,” Case said. “I wasn’t surprised at the turnout from the community or the support from my colleagues at the Capitol. I am, however, surprised to see how poorly of a job Connecticut has done in protecting some of our most vulnerable residents. It was a wakeup call.”

Advocates are calling for maintained program spending and a reflection of more supportive legal language – whether that means a change in law or new proposals. The difficulty, Case said, will be balancing a hefty budget with all the groups asking for state money.

“We have to strike a balance between wise spending yet still providing quality services. I think we can find plenty of line items in the state budget to reflect these concerns,” Case said.

Group housing and residential services remain the top two concerns for I/DD advocates. Case believes that instead of simply throwing more money at the state developmental services department and increasing the burden on taxpayers, lawmakers can find new, innovative ways to address current programming.