General Assembly budget leaders and Gov. Wes Moore’s administration are planning to delay some cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration, creating temporary stability for services through the end of June.

The Democratic House and Senate budget chairs agreed to restore $32 million of the cuts proposed to take effect during fiscal 2025, and Moore’s administration will restore $44 million, according to a joint statement released Thursday.

The $32 million legislative funding restoration will offset the proposed cuts to reasonable and customary wage modifications and more individualized residential supports for people with higher-intensity needs, according to an administration official.

The Moore-Miller administration’s contribution will push back the elimination of the geographic differential rate, which allows higher rates for service providers in Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, an administration official said.

In addition, a $15 million fund swap from the Waiting List Equity Fund — money set aside to reduce waiting lists for DDA services — that was outlined as a cut in Moore’s budget proposal will go forward, according to the official. That will not cut current services.

The moves will restore about 94% of the planned fiscal 2025 cuts, which would have started to affect services in April. Under Moore’s proposed budget, nearly $97 million in general fund cuts were proposed for the current fiscal year.

“This is a crucial first step to ensure that Marylanders with [developmental disabilities] continue to have access to the vital services and supports they need to thrive,” Ande Kolp, executive director of The Arc Maryland, said in a statement.

The more than $200 million in proposed fiscal 2026 budget cuts, however, still looms over the disabilities community. What’s proposed for the next fiscal year may not be set in stone, either, according to administration officials.

Since the steep cuts were announced last month, disability advocates, care providers and those who receive services through the DDA have sought a seat at the table with the Moore administration. They’ve made their presence known in Annapolis though — a rally in early February drew hundreds, as did a developmental disabilities advocacy day last week.

On Thursday, the disabilities community again made clear their fight against the fiscal 2026 budget cuts. More than two dozen people spoke out in opposition to the funding slashes at a Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee budget hearing.

When Cecil County resident Jessica Gallatin’s parents died several years ago, she found herself suddenly having to care for her twin sister Jennifer, who suffered a brain injury as a child that left her unable to take care of herself. Gallatin struggled to find local resources to provide care for her sister, but the DDA’s self-directed services gave them hope.

“It was a massive relief for her, but a life-changing reality for me,” she said. “And I wasn’t anticipating how much I would be asked to give up.”

Finding a sustainable budget solution is not achieved by “rushed and careless, blanketed approaches,” Gallatin said at Thursday’s hearing, and “sweeping denials and reductions for things already determined to be needed is careless and a mistake.”

“Tough decisions will be made; we understand the budget, but they should be made with mature calculation, sophistication and empathy,” she said. “It is too much to be asked to give up your child, and it’s too much to ask me to give up my sister. We have no choice but to be here today.”

Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at najones@baltsun.com, 443-679-7818 and x.com/nataliemjones.