504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for Congress Chris Owens' response)

Candidate Name: Chris Owens

Campaign Manager: Jessie Schaffer

Phone: 718-604-7500 extension 207

Fax: 718-228-5537

Campaign Name: Chris Owens for Congress

Campaign Address: 328 Flatbush Ave. #333, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238-4302

Campaign Headquarters: 761 Washington Ave. #333, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238

Email: Press@voteowens.com

Website: www.voteowens.com

Congressional District #: 11

Please describe any experience with disability you have had in your life or career.

Other than poor eyesight, I have only experienced temporary disability due to leg injuries, requiring the use of crutches. This injury continues to impair my walking somewhat.
Is your campaign headquarters accessible to persons with disabilities?

The entry into my campaign headquarters is accessible. The restroom is not.
1. If you are an incumbent, is your district office accessible to persons with disabilities?
  
  The 11th Congressional District seat is an open seat. My father, Congressman Major Owens, will be retiring this year after 24 years of service.
2. How will you incorporate people with disabilities into your campaign?
  
  A number of our volunteers are disabled. This includes a high school student with cerebal palsy, who is one of our most active volunteers working in the office in a variety of ways several days a week. Campaigns require people with a variety of skills and abilities and my staff always looks to match volunteers with the needs of the campaign.
3. Are you willing to hire and use flex-time and job-sharing if necessary?
  
  Yes! Absolutely. I wholeheartedly believe in hiring enthusiastic and qualified individuals. As a parent of two small boys, I know first hand the time demands of managing a family. And the importance of flexibility offered by an employer.
What do you think of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act? What will you do to find a solution to the problem of high rates of unemployment for people with disabilities and the removal of disincentives to joining the workforce?

The Ticket to Work Act is part of a trilogy, which also includes the Vocational Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Each piece of legislation was intended to empower individuals with disabilities to live lives with dignity and meaning. The Ticket to Work Act provides individuals with access to continued government sponsored health care, and preserves their right to benefits under SSI, which eliminates some of the risk involved in finding employment. Despite the benefits of these Acts, more funding is needed for training, as budgets for job training and education have been cut substantially. I will work to increase funding for these programs.
In 2002, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) passed in Congress. What would you do to resolve problem areas preventing smooth transitions to new voting systems by 2006-such as accessible voting machines, ensuring that states receive the needed funds, etc.? What is your position the HAVA's requirement that by 2006 each polling place have at least one accessible voting machine?

I support HAVA. I also support the right to vote, and every qualified American should be guaranteed the right to vote by Constitutional amendment, if necessary. I agree with HAVA's requirement that by 2006, all polling places must offer at least one accessible voting machine to voters.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act turned 29 this past year, yet funding remains below mandated levels in New York State, as in many other states. What will you do to correct this problem, and strengthen the services provided students with disabilities, so that in fact, "no child is left behind?"

I want to serve on the Education and Workforce Committee in the House of Representatives. I support national uniform standards and eqitable funding forumulas. The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act allows the states to cut funding in this area and also sends federal dollars to priver and charter schools. I will work to provide full funding for all our public education needs. I also will work with members of the New York Congressional delegation to pressure Albany to fulfill the educational mandates on the state level.
A bill called the ADA Notification Act has been kicking around both houses of the U.S. Congress for the past few years. It calls for amending Title III of the ADA requiring that prior to filing lawsuits, people with disabilities provide business owners with 90 days advance notice of ADA violations in writing--detailing the location of inaccessible facilities, dates when access was attempted, and facts relating to their attempt to gain access. What are your thoughts on this issue?

I do not support this legislation. It would create technical impediments to achieving legal remedies. This legislation is actually designed to limit the powers of our Court system and to achieve "tort reform." According to the Justice Department's own web site, litigation under the ADA has been very limited, so, in reality, this proposed Act is a solution to a problem that does not exist.
Recently, there is uneven availability of Medicaid-funded attendant services in the U.S. There are "good" states (such as New York) which offer decent programs, and "bad" states (such as Florida) which offer little service. The proposed Medicaid Community Attendant Services & Supports Act (MiCASSA) would establish a national program of attendant services and supports. This means that current recipients of services will not unjustly have their hours cut, thus permitting the freedom to move to another state to live, work, and/or study. A companion piece of legislation, Money Follows the Individual, would end the bias toward institutional care by ensuring that funding for services continues when an individual leaves the nursing home and is reintegrated into the community. Do you support the passage of MiCASSA?

Yes. The goal should be to integrate the individual in the community, and with their familieis; institutional care should be the last resort. For this reason, funding must follow the individual and should not be tied to institutions.

Do you support the concept of Money Follows the Individual?

Yes. The bias toward institutional care must be eliminated.
Most health insurance plans in America treat mental disorders in an unequal fashion when compared to physical disorders. The typical health insurance plan in America authorizes unlimited hospitalization for physical disorders while limiting hospitalization for mental disorders to 30 days per calendar year. The typical insurance plan in America authorizes a broad array of outpatient services for physical insurance, but limits outpatient mental health services to 20 visits each year. What would you do to remedy this problem?

The only equitable and sustainable method of distributing quality health care to all Americans is to have a government sponsored single-payer system providing universal coverage. This can be achieved through careful expansions of the Medicare and Medicaid models as well as additional innovations. The number of visits for outpatient mental health services should be eliminated.
Do you favor removing the Federal Government's restrictions and substantially increasing funding on stem cell research?

Yes, I support work with regenerative medicine; it is an essential part of health care for today and tomorrow, and must be supported at all levels. This includes a commitment to lifting Bush's ban on federal funding for all new embryonic stem cell lines and supporting more federal funding for what is commonly known as "embryonic stem cell research" and SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer), also referred to as "therapeutic cloning." This research promises hope for a cure to millions who suffer from neuro-degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injury, and Juvenile Disabetes. Delays in research hurt 100 million children and adults in need of cures.
Persons with disabilities have historically been under-represented within the Democratic Party leadership. According to the 2000 census, persons with disabilities comprised 20.6% of all residents in New York State and 23.1% of population 18 years and older. Previously, we were told that only those groups included in the Voting Rights Act were included in the goals and timetables for delegate selection. Yet the lesbian and gay communities were included for the first time at the 2000 convention and again at the 2004 convention. Would you support a campaign to set a goal that 10% of the total New York State Delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention be comprised of persons with disabilities?

Yes. Equality must be the standard for our public policy and our moral philosophy. Such a standard mandates us to consider the implications of our political decision in the most humanitarian manner possible. I would support a campaign to set a goal that 10% of the total New York State Delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention consists of persons with disabilities.

Every person in this nation is equal and is entitled to certain rights. We should be acting to protect human rights. With this in mind, we should pursue Constitutional amendments that provide equal access for persons with disabilities to quality and affordable health care, education, housing, and the right to vote - amongst other things. That would be the most progressive Democratic agenda, as well as a winning one.

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