During the year 2000 and future  legislative session, gay rights and disability rights advocates will join forces to introduce legislation aimed at improving the quality of life for Idaho citizens. During the 1999 legislative session, disability rights advocates worked on these bills:

HB76A Appointment of Guardians for Minors
Clarifies criteria surrounding the apointment of guardians for minors. The wording of the original bill was extremely poor and included language which implied that parents with disabilities are incapable of providing a stable home environment for their children. As initially written HB76 had the potential to damage the rights of parents with disabilities in Idaho with regard to child custody matters. The SILC and disability advocates recommended that the legislation be amended to eliminate the disability language on lines 16 and 17, which resulted in HB76a, HB76a passed

SB1122aa Vehicle Fueling Assistance
Provides people with disabilities with assistance, at no additional cost, to pump gas at self-serve only stations, provided the driver's vehicle display the appropriate disability plate or placard, no able-bodied adult is accompanying the driver, and there is more than one employee on duty. Full service stations had been required to provide this service and the decline of full-service stations made the addition of assistance at self-serve stations very beneficial. SB1122aa passed

SB1258 Vocational Rehabilitation Appropriation
Outlines the FY2000 appropriation for the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, with a total appropriation of $15,643,400. Of that, $285,300 was designated for the State Independent Living Council, which includes $50,000 to fund a satellite center for independent living. SB1258 passed

SCR117 ISSH Future Use
Creates a legislative interim committee to study, plan for, and recommend actions regarding the future use of the Idaho State School and Hospital (ISSH), the state's role in developing resources and strategies to expand home and community based services (HCBS), and the determination of options for eliminating the waiting list for HCBS. SCR1177 was adopted

SB1265 Health and Welfare Medical Assistance Appropriation
An appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Welfare's Medical Assistance program (Medicaid). The bill included intent language directing H&W to provide services to those people with developmental disabilities who are on a waiting list for HCBS and to utilize HCBS services before considering an Intermediate Care Facility/Mentally Retarded setting. SB1265 passed

SCR110 HCBS/Elderly and Physically Disable Waiver
Authorizes the Department of Health and Welfare to move forward with the Governor's Medicaid Reform Initiative to field test an expanded HCBS waiver for the elderly and physically disabled and to adopt temporary rules to carry out this resolution. This expanded waiver provides 15 serves including attendant care, personal care services, assistive devices, chore services, etc. SCR110 was adopted