SACRAMENTO – Assembly policy committees approved three bills by Assemblymember Jim Frazier this week. The bills seek to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities find and retain quality employment and assist new mothers struggling with maternal mental health issues.
AB 2171, approved by the Assembly Human Services Committee. This bill promotes the “One Person, One Goal” model of furthering the state’s commitment to “Employment First” for persons with developmental disabilities. AB 2171 advances ongoing efforts by the Department of Education, Department of Developmental Services and the Department of Rehabilitation by ensuring coordinated delivery of services to individuals with a program plan.
“Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities want to work, and be more self-sufficient,” Frazier said. “AB 2171 furthers this goal by creating a more unified system of support services to help these individuals maximize their employment opportunities.”
AB 3032, approved by the Assembly Health Committee. This bill would direct hospitals with prenatal units to develop a standard protocol of care for maternal mental health to ensure that mothers of all income levels receive adequate mental health care and services.
“Studies show that one in five new or expectant mothers experience some sort of mental health disorder, including depression, anxiety, and in more severe cases, postpartum psychosis,” Frazier said. “We have seen too many recent tragic examples of mothers of newborns being trapped by depression because they didn’t know where to get help or who to ask.”
AB 3074, approved by the Assembly Human Services Committee. This bill would remove bureaucratic barriers contained in previous legislation so that the Department of Developmental Services can authorize expansion of employment services to people with autism and other developmental disabilities and access federal funding to help pay for it.
“Creating more employment opportunities is one area where we can definitely improve our services for autism and other developmental disabilities,” Frazier said. “People with disabilities who work in paid, community-integrated settings have a higher quality of life, better health outcomes, more access to social relationships and greater community participation.”
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Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.
