“We did it,” says Barbara Stamm (CSU). As the chairwoman of Lebenshilfe in Bavaria, the former president of the state parliament fights for the interests of people with disabilities. Finally it is opened, the Bavarian rescue umbrella for more than 200 non-profit special educational day care centers for the disabled, in which children and young people are cared for. It was preceded by a tough battle. “Since March last year,” emphasizes Stamm. Since then, therapy offers have been canceled due to the corona pandemic and so there have been high deficits among providers of disability assistance.
Talks took place, which did not show the desired success, as it was not clear between three ministries who was responsible for this matter. “That’s enough,” said Stamm, handing over a list of signatures and an open letter to Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) in the State Chancellery on May 17th. Clear words were spoken that apparently convinced the State Chancellor Florian Herrmann (CSU). At the beginning of this week it was said from the cabinet: The state government is making up 60 percent of the deficits. Up to 4.8 million euros should be available for this. The federal government was unable to put the day care centers in the Free State under its rescue umbrella. This is because there is a framework agreement for them – unique in Germany – through which specialists such as speech therapists can be employed directly in the facilities. What was advantageous in normal times was now a disadvantage.
“We did it,” believe social politicians from the Greens, the SPD and the FDP in the state parliament. In the cross-party motion, they called for the 4.8 million euros in the room. Kerstin Celina, social policy spokeswoman for the Greens, does not spare criticism: “Ultimately, what the CSU has failed to do at the federal level must now be saved with Bavarian tax money.” Celina believes that the federal government would have taken the Bavarian institutions under the rescue package if it had been informed about the framework agreement in good time.