The Arc, alongside the Massachusetts Supported Decision-Making (MASDM) coalition members, advocated throughout the informal session for the passage of Supported Decision-Making in the House.
The Senate passed the bill in early November. Advocacy strategies included hundreds of action alert letters sent by our community members and The Arc’s Call-In Day where 250 calls were made to House Ways and Means.
Members of the coalition continued to work with their Representatives to educate and encourage them to support and prioritize the bill with House leadership. The Arc and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) responded to last minute opposition and communicated with the bill sponsors and leadership.
The informal session went until after midnight on Tuesday and advocates waited and watched to see if the bill would come to vote, but unfortunately it did not. Informal sessions require unanimous approval, and if there is any concern about unanimous support, then the bill won’t go to a vote. We can’t say for certain why the bill didn’t pass in the House, but we do know that it was not a reflection on the importance of the bill or work done by this coalition.
We are already gearing up for refiling and have the strongest of legislative champions to help usher the bill in the new session. If you have any questions, please reach out to Senior Director of Government Affairs and Health Policy Maura Sullivan at sullivan@arcmass.org.
