IV 
107TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 477
Expressing the sense of the Congress that community inclusion and enhanced 
lives for individuals with mental retardation or other developmental dis-
abilities is at serious risk because of the crisis in recruiting and retaining 
direct support professionals, which impedes the availability of a stable, 
quality direct support workforce. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 24, 2002
Mr. SESSIONS (for himself and Mrs. CAPPS) submitted the following concur-
rent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that community inclu-
sion and enhanced lives for individuals with mental retar-
dation or other developmental disabilities is at serious 
risk because of the crisis in recruiting and retaining 
direct support professionals, which impedes the avail-
ability of a stable, quality direct support workforce.
Whereas there are more than 8,000,000 Americans who have 
mental retardation or other developmental disabilities; 
Whereas individuals with developmental disabilities include 
those with mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, 
Down syndrome, epilepsy, and other related conditions;
•HCON 477 IH 
Whereas individuals with mental retardation or other develop-
mental disabilities have substantial limitations on their 
functional capacities, including limitations in two or more 
of the areas of self-care, receptive and expressive lan-
guage, learning, mobility, self-direction, independent liv-
ing, and economic self-sufficiency, as well as the contin-
uous need for individually planned and coordinated serv-
ices; 
Whereas for the past two decades individuals with mental re-
tardation or other developmental disabilities and their 
families have increasingly expressed their desire to live 
and work in their communities, joining the mainstream 
of American life; 
Whereas the Supreme Court, in its Olmstead decision, af-
firmed the right of individuals with mental retardation or 
other developmental disabilities to receive community-
based services as an alternative to institutional care; 
Whereas the demand for community supports and services is 
rapidly growing, as States comply with the Olmstead de-
cision and continue to move more individuals from insti-
tutions into the community; 
Whereas the demand will also continue to grow as family 
caregivers age, individuals with mental retardation or 
other developmental disabilities live longer, waiting lists 
grow, and services expand; 
Whereas our Nation’s long-term care delivery system is de-
pendent upon a disparate array of public and private 
funding sources, and is not a conventional industry, but 
rather is financed primarily through third-party insurers; 
Whereas Medicaid financing of supports and services to indi-
viduals with mental retardation or other developmental
•HCON 477 IH 
disabilities varies considerably from State to State, caus-
ing significant disparities across geographic regions, 
among differing groups of consumers, and between com-
munity and institutional supports; 
Whereas outside of families, private providers that employ di-
rect support professionals deliver the majority of supports 
and services for individuals with mental retardation or 
other developmental disabilities in the community; 
Whereas direct support professionals provide a wide range of 
supportive services to individuals with mental retardation 
or other developmental disabilities on a day-to-day basis, 
including habilitation, health needs, personal care and hy-
giene, employment, transportation, recreation, and house-
keeping and other home management-related supports 
and services so that these individuals can live and work 
in their communities; 
Whereas direct support professionals generally assist individ-
uals with mental retardation or other developmental dis-
abilities to lead a self-directed family, community, and so-
cial life; 
Whereas private providers and the individuals for whom they 
provide supports and services are in jeopardy as a result 
of the growing crisis in recruiting and retaining a direct 
support workforce; 
Whereas providers of supports and services to individuals 
with mental retardation or other developmental disabil-
ities typically draw from a labor market that competes 
with other entry-level jobs that provide less physically 
and emotionally demanding work, and higher pay and 
other benefits, and therefore these direct support jobs are 
not currently competitive in today’s labor market;
•HCON 477 IH 
Whereas annual turnover rates of direct support workers 
range from 40 to 75 percent; 
Whereas high rates of employee vacancies and turnover 
threaten the ability of providers to achieve their core mis-
sion, which is the provision of safe and high-quality sup-
ports to individuals with mental retardation or other de-
velopmental disabilities; 
Whereas direct support staff turnover is emotionally difficult 
for the individuals being served; 
Whereas many parents are becoming increasingly afraid that 
there will be no one available to take care of their sons 
and daughters with mental retardation or other develop-
mental disabilities who are living in the community; and 
Whereas this workforce shortage is the most significant bar-
rier to implementing the Olmstead decision and under-
mines the expansion of community integration as called 
for by President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative, placing 
the community support infrastructure at risk: Now, 
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Direct Support 
Professional Recognition Resolution’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING SERVICES OF DI-
RECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS TO INDIVID-
UALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. 
It is the sense of the Congress that the Federal Gov-
ernment and the States should make it a priority to ensure
•HCON 477 IH 
a stable, quality direct support workforce for individuals 
with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities 
that advances our Nation’s commitment to community in-
tegration for such individuals and to personal security for 
them and their families.
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