[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 337--DESIGNATING THE WEEK BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 10, 
  2023, AS ``NATIONAL DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS RECOGNITION WEEK''

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Ms. Warren, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
Casey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, and Ms. Smith) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 337

       Whereas direct care workers, including direct support 
     professionals, personal assistants, personal attendants, in-
     home support workers, and paraprofessionals, are key to 
     providing publicly funded, long-term support and services for 
     millions of individuals with disabilities;
       Whereas direct support professionals provide essential 
     services that ensure that all individuals with disabilities 
     are--
       (1) included as a valued part of the communities in which 
     those individuals live;
       (2) supported at home, at work, and in the communities of 
     the United States; and
       (3) empowered to live with the dignity that all people of 
     the United States deserve;
       Whereas, by fostering connections between individuals with 
     disabilities and their families, friends, and communities, 
     direct support professionals ensure that individuals with 
     disabilities thrive, thereby avoiding more costly 
     institutional care;
       Whereas direct support professionals build close, 
     respectful, and trusting relationships with individuals with 
     disabilities and provide a broad range of personalized 
     support to those individuals, including--
       (1) helping individuals make person-centered choices;
       (2) assisting with personal care, meal preparation, 
     medication management, and other aspects of daily living;
       (3) assisting individuals in accessing the community and 
     securing competitive, integrated employment;
       (4) providing transportation to school, work, religious, 
     and recreational activities;
       (5) helping with general daily affairs, such as assisting 
     with financial matters, medical appointments, and personal 
     interests; and
       (6) assisting individuals in the transition from isolated 
     or congregate settings or services to living in the 
     communities of their choice;
       Whereas there is a critical and increasing shortage of 
     direct support professionals throughout the United States, a 
     crisis that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, 
     bringing uncertainty and risk to individuals with 
     disabilities;
       Whereas direct support professionals do not have their own 
     Standard Occupational Classification for the purposes of 
     Federal data collection, which includes data produced by the 
     Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor;
       Whereas the direct care workforce, including direct support 
     professionals, is expected to grow more than any other 
     occupation in the United States;
       Whereas many direct support professionals--
       (1) are the primary financial providers for their families;
       (2) are hardworking, taxpaying citizens who provide a 
     critical service in the United States; and
       (3) continue to earn low wages, receive inadequate 
     benefits, and have limited opportunities for advancement, 
     resulting in high turnover and vacancy rates that adversely 
     affect the quality of support, safety, and health of 
     individuals with disabilities; and
       Whereas the Supreme Court of the United States, in Olmstead 
     v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999)--
       (1) recognized the importance of the deinstitutionalization 
     of, and community-based services for, individuals with 
     disabilities; and
       (2) held that, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 
     1990 (42 U.S. 12101 et seq.), a State must provide person-
     centered, community-based service options to individuals with 
     intellectual and developmental disabilities: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week beginning September 10, 2023, as 
     ``National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week'';
       (2) recognizes the dedication and vital role of direct 
     support professionals in enhancing the lives of individuals 
     with disabilities;
       (3) appreciates the contribution of direct support 
     professionals in supporting individuals with disabilities in 
     the United States and the families of those individuals;
       (4) commends direct support professionals for being 
     integral to the provision of long-term support and services 
     for individuals with disabilities;
       (5) encourages the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 
     Department of Labor to collect data that is specific to 
     direct support professionals; and
       (6) finds that the successful implementation of public 
     policies affecting individuals with disabilities in the 
     United States can depend on the dedication of direct support 
     professionals.

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