[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 141 (Monday, September 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF HAMMER RESIDENCES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 8, 2008

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize all the good 
people at Hammer Residences, who have come to Washington, DC, to take 
part in the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) 
2008 Governmental Activities Seminar and ``DSPs to DC'' events.
  Hammer Residences is working in my district to provide direct support 
and services to individuals with disabilities of all ages. Hammer 
employs 300 direct support professionals who provide a range of 
supports services 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, to help further the 
public policy goal of enabling people with mental and physical 
disabilities to live and work in their community. This outstanding, 
highly trained, highly skilled and highly committed workforce supports 
over 400 people with disabilities in our community.
  Hammer's services include residential and in-home services, case 
management and other support services for both children and adults with 
disabilities.
  For most of this week, people from Hammer Residences and all the 
attendees at ANCOR's events are meeting with their congressional 
offices. They are discussing the deepening workforce crisis threatening 
the quality of support services to people with disabilities throughout 
the Nation.
  Without an adequately paid, trained and dedicated workforce, 
Americans with disabilities and their families face a less secure 
future. Without the necessary workforce, providers cannot help our 
nation fulfill its commitment to people with disabilities embodied in 
the Americans with Disabilities Act and the U.S. Supreme Court's 
Olmstead decision.
  I applaud the people at Hammer Residences for taking a lead on this 
workforce issue. This is problem-solving at its best, and I encourage 
all of my colleagues to examine their commitment to providing the best 
support possible to people with disabilities in their districts.
  There is no better way to recognize this workforce's contribution to 
the Nation than to ensure that these dedicated direct support 
professionals are fairly compensated. I ask that my colleagues join me 
in cosponsoring the bipartisan Direct Support Professionals Fairness 
and Security Act (H.R. 1279) and urging hearings on this important 
issue in the coming weeks.

                          ____________________