June 19, 2001 --President George W. Bush yesterday signed an executive order to intended to help states comply with the terms of the June, 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C.

Under the order, the U.S. secretary of education is directed to work cooperatively with the attorney general; the secretaries of health and human services, labor, and housing and urban development; and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration in providing assistance to states and communities in expanding community-based alternatives for persons with disabilities.

Under the terms of the Order, the Education Department will review its policies, programs, statues and regulations to determine whether any need to be revised or modified to help with the development of community-based alternatives to support people with disabilities.

The White House announced the following initiatives to help comply with the Order:

• A $400,000 award to the Independent Living Research and UtilizationProject ( http://www.ilru.org ) at the Texas Institute on Rehabilitation Research to provide technical assistance to states and communities. Through regional training sessions, a web site and a telephone hotline, ILRU will educate community and state leaders about ways to help people with disabilities make the transition from institutions to community living.
• Grants this year in the amount of $6.2 million to support Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers which will also coordinate work with the ILRU.
• The $100 million Independent Living Programs and the $2.3 billion Vocational Rehabilitation Program.