Coalition for the Legal Rights of People with Disabilities

Minutes of the March 25, 2008 Meeting:

MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Jen Honig, Co-Chair, Mental Health Legal Advisor’s Committee (MHLAC)

Helen Bryant, Co-Chair, Disability Law Center (DLC)

Bill Allan, Disability Policy Consortium

Bethany Brown, Attorney General’s Office

Sandra Carter, MHLAC

Polyxane Cobb

Matthew Engel, DLC

Rick Glassman, DLC

Ariel Linet, MHLAC

Deborah Thompson, PASS Group

Dina Traniello, Education Consultant

Introductions, Reports & Announcements:

On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, an emergency meeting regarding the anti-aversives legislation was held at Skadden, Arps.

Helen Bryant of the Disability Law Center was voted in unanimously as Co-Chair for CLRD as Stan Eichner has taken a new position with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The issue then turned to the anti-aversives legislation.  Deborah Thompson reported on action that had transpired in the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Executive Session last Thursday (March 20, 2008).  It was noted that there was some confusion on the day of the Executive Session. Aversive legislation was scheduled on the same day as the casino vote, which may have accounted for low turnout. The time of the Executive Session was also changed until slightly later in the day. Representative Scibak was on the Committee hearing the casino vote and so was unable to attend the Executive Session. The vote was 2-1 to send the compromise bill to study and 3-2 to send the total ban to study. (Senator Spilka and Representatives Lepper and Galvin were present the entire time. Representatives Atkins and L’Italien voted in support of the total ban.) The following day was the day all bills had to be voted on, so this may have accounted for sending the bill to study at that time.

We next discussed strategy and agreed to take certain steps.  We agreed to meet again as an aversives working group on April 8, 2008 at 10:00 a.m -- at Skadden if possible.

The meeting ended at noon.

[Please Note: Check out DLC’s website (www.dlc-ma.org) for meeting and minute info.