It has been a busy few weeks for The Arc’s Government Affairs team at the Massachusetts State House.
The last couple weeks have brought more committee hearings for The Arc’s priority bills and other activity at the State House. Our Government Affairs team, along with members of the Government Affairs committee and advocates, provided exceptional testimony for two hearings in front of Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
The bills covered PCA Cueing and Prompting, Updating the Definition of Developmental Disabilities, and Tommy’s Law. Thank you to our Senate and House sponsors – Senator Lovely, Senator O’Connor, and Representative O’Day, for providing strong testimony at the hearings.
The Arc also hosted LEND Boston (the Leadership, Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program) at the State House for a day of immersion in the legislative process. The LEND Fellows learned about the key ways to be an effective advocate, met with our champion Representatives and Senators, viewed a hearing, and more. These future disability leaders were inspired by the work being done to support people with disabilities through our lawmakers and advocacy organizations and through the individual relationships with constituents in our community.
