Testimony: ‘Can’t believe we are treating him like that here in the U.S.’

Sue Gann wiped away tears as she told lawmakers the story of her brother, who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was 16 years old. “Next month, he is going to be 57,” she said. “My parents have always taken care of him, his whole life. … My father has passed away, and my mom’s 80. … We as taxpayers, we never once asked for help until two years ago.” But now, she said, the age 45 cutoff for developmental services would take away the help her brother receives. “How many of you are over 45?” she tearfully asked lawmakers. “I feel that this is totally discrimination against our elderly and disabled. I can’t believe that we are treating him like that here in the United States.”

Angie Martinez, who identified herself as a taxpayer from Canyon County, said, “I really don’t believe that we should cut the budget on the souls of our developmentally delayed individuals.” Fighting tears, she told the story of her aunt, who has had mental disabilities since birth and is 63 years old.

John Chambers said his son is developmentally delayed. “He has a job, he pays taxes,” he said. But they live in a rural area, and he said the bill threatens to remove the only services he can access; he said his son has done well in a certified family home. Rep. Janice McGeachin responded, “I would just note that there is nothing in the bill that proposes that we would change the amount of money that we pay to certified family homes.”

Connie Bunch said her son David, 51, receives developmental services through the Arc. “Each year new goals are set, and he works to achieve those goals. And he’s doing very well,” she said. David volunteers at a school, and an attendant accompanies him; he has a job vacuuming at a motel, and a job-skills coach goes with him. He’s an enthusiastic fan of Boise State athletics, she said. All his developmental training skills services would be removed under the bill she said, “simply because he is 51,” and he’d no longer be able to work. She urged lawmakers, “Please consider the drastic consequences.”