III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 767 

Designating the week beginning September 11, 2022, as ‘‘National Direct 

Support Professionals Recognition Week’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BROWN, Mr. 

CASEY, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. 

SMITH, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Ms. WARREN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the week beginning September 11, 2022, as 

‘‘National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week’’. 

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 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 


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•SRES 767 ATS 

(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; 

(6) assisting individuals in the transition from isolated or congregate settings or services to living in the 

communities of their choice; and 

(7) helping to keep individuals with disabilities safe 

and healthy during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas there is a critical and increasing shortage of direct 

support professionals throughout the United States, a 

crisis which has been exacerbated by the COVID–19 panVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:52 Sep 15, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR767.ATS SR767

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demic, 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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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1 (1) designates the week beginning September 

2 11, 2022, as ‘‘National Direct Support Professionals 

3 Recognition Week’’; 

4 (2) recognizes the dedication and vital role of 

5 direct support professionals in enhancing the lives of 

6 individuals with disabilities; 

7 (3) appreciates the contribution of direct sup8 port professionals in supporting individuals with dis9 abilities and their families in the United States; 

10 (4) commends direct support professionals for 

11 being integral to the provision of long-term support 

12 and services for individuals with disabilities; 

13 (5) encourages the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

14 of the Department of Labor to collect data specific 

15 to direct support professionals; and 

16 (6) finds that the successful implementation of 

17 public policies affecting individuals with disabilities 

18 in the United States can depend on the dedication 

19 of direct support professionals. 

Æ 


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