Thomas: Legislative Information from the Library of Congress

H.R. 1255 Cosponsors - VOR

As of January 28, 2010, there are 74 H.R. 1255 cosponsors.

H.R.1255

H.R. 1255 is a federal disability rights bill aimed at advancing the rights of individuals with profound cognitive disabilities whose care needs are often best provided for in Medicaid-licensed homes where high quality, compassionate supports are provided. Introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), H.R. 1255 has now has 60 cosponsors, with nearly equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, have cosponsored H.R. 1255. This legislation addresses the injustice of federally-financed class action lawsuits filed with the ideological purpose of moving vulnerable individuals with profound developmental disabilities from their homes into community settings, despite the fact that most residents or their guardians oppose the move. Such displacement violates the civil and human rights of the affected residents to maximize their development potential in safe and specialized residential homes where they are very much integrated in the surrounding community.

Advocacy Materials in SUPPORT of H.R. 1255

• NEW: AUGUST DISTRICT VISIT ACTION ALERT
• Summary Position in Support of H.R. 1255
• VOR Letter to Congress in Support of H.R. 1255 (March 2009)
• What H.R. 1255 Will and Will NOT do: Support H.R. 1255, a bill to assure individual and guardian March 2009 decision-making in class action lawsuits
• Widespread support: 100+ local, state and national organizations sign letter in support of H.R. 1255
• For Advocates: Contact Congress! Action Alert with Templates in Support of H.R. 1255

Opposition to MiCASSA

VOR opposes S. 683, the Community Choice Act of 2009, introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), and H.R. 1670, introduced by Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL). In past years, this legislation was called MiCASSA. If passed, the unintended effect of this legislation will be the elimination of necessary services for citizens with severe and profound mental retardation.

The DD Act: The Need for Immediate Reform

For the first time in nearly a decade, Congress will be considering the reauthorization of programs receiving federal funding under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act). 

While the DD Act’s policy endorses residential choice and individual decisionmaking, some DD Act programs, through legislative lobbying, class action lawsuits and other tactics, act to eliminate one of those choices – Medicaid-certified and funded Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Mental Retardation (ICFs/MR).