State officials said Thursday that they have been able to juggle the budget to delay Developmental Disabilities Administration cuts that had been scheduled to take effect in April — but cuts still loom on July 1.
The news left advocates grateful for the breathing space, but “concerned” about what the future holds for the state services that help their loved ones.
“It is a huge relief to us that the leaders … came together and restored that [cut for fiscal 2025],” said Laura Howell, CEO with Maryland Association of Community Services. “Now we have to tackle FY ’26.”
The joint statement Thursday by the Moore administration and legislative budget leaders said they had agreed to “reprioritize” about $76 million in proposed DDA cuts that would have taken effect on April 1. Once federal matching dollars are included, the funding will “restore” about 94% of cuts that had been scheduled to hit this spring.
The announcement follows weeks in which members of the developmental disability community came out in droves to rally opposition to the cuts.
“I think the grassroots advocacy had a big impact,” Howell said.
DDA Deputy Secretary Marlana Hutchinson told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Social Services that the “disability community has stepped up and made their voices heard.”
