News

We are very excited to report that the Massachusetts Supported Decision-Making legislation continues to make progress in the State House! The bill has now moved to the House Committee on Bills in Third Reading. This is important progress for a bill that would improve the lives of people with disabilities and older adults in the Commonwealth.

The SDM bill’s progress was also covered by the State House News Bureau: “Disabled individuals looking for help making life decisions could find help under legislation (H 4349) that would allow them to choose one or more “trusted supporters” to provide assistance. Reps. Paul Tucker (D-Salem) and Aaron Vega’s (D-Holyoke) co-sponsored the bill that Center for Public Representation Senior Attorney Anna Krieger says increases independence for individuals with disabilities.”

Read more about the legislation here.

For an overview of the SDM bill (H.4349/S.2490), check out the Massachusetts SDM bill fact sheet.

Make sure the legislature hears from you about how important an SDM bill is in Massachusetts!

House leadership needs to hear your voice! Contact key legislators below today to tell them you support the Supported Decision-Making bill.

We are excited to report that the Massachusetts SDM legislation has passed favorably out of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

CPR is grateful for the leadership of our bill sponsors Senator Joan Lovely, Representative Aaron Vega, and Representative Paul Tucker; Chairwoman Khan; Chairwoman Chang-Diaz; and members of the committee who passed the bill unanimously. We will continue to advocate for the bill when it moves to the next phase of the legislative process and look forward to working with our coalition on this effort.

Thank you to the members of the Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-Making Coalition for their support and advocacy. 

Massachusetts Advocates for Supported Decision-Making Coalition members are:

• Advocates, Inc.
• The Arc of Massachusetts
• Boston Center for Independent Living
• Center for Public Representation
• Disability Law Center of Massachusetts
• Greater Boston Legal Services
• Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong
• Massachusetts Association for Mental Health
• Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council
• Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change
• Massachusetts Guardianship Policy Institute
• Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee
• North Shore Elder Services
• Northeast Justice Center

In December 2019, staff from CPR were invited to participate in and present at a two day policy and practice colloquium with partners from Colombia, Peru, and the United States which was hosted by the Human Rights Initiative of the Open Society Foundations in New York City.  In the last two years both Colombia (2019) and Peru (2018) have passed laws that abolish guardianship and guarantee the legal capacity of all people with disabilities.  These laws encourage the use of Supported Decision-Making and other supports as an alternative to guardianship. Conversation centered around the Colombian and Peruvian laws, challenges with implementation, and lessons learned internationally around Supported Decision-Making.

The new Columbian law is now being challenged in the Colombian Constitutional Court. In January 2020, CPR, together with other leading U.S. Supported Decision-Making allies, filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the law.  The brief argues that Supported Decision-Making can be an effective way of providing support to people with disabilities and discusses successful strategies used in the United States.

You can read the full brief here.

The Center for Public Representation was proud to host a symposium on October 21, 2019 to discuss Supported Decision-Making (SDM) in Massachusetts.  The symposium brought together more than 65 stakeholders from a range of backgrounds to strategize about how expand the practice of SDM in the state.

Attendees included self-advocates, SDM users from CPR’s pilots, family members, supporters, lawyers from state agencies, legal services attorneys, medical professionals, elder services providers and advocates, agencies serving people with I/DD, and more.

Conversations touched on how SDM can work most effectively in a health care setting, making the model work within the Vietnamese community and across other cultures, and ensuring SDM is practiced with integrity.

There was also discussion and interest in the Supported Decision-Making legislation CPR has been working hard to get passed in Massachusetts (S. 64, H. 172).

Attendees reported it was particularly informative to hear directly from SDM users Cory, Johnathan, and Amanda about how SDM has transformed their lives.  CPR looks forward to maintaining connections to the attendees who were identified because they are uniquely positioned to advance the use of SDM in the state.

This symposium was funded through generous support of the WITH Foundation, Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation, and The Becker Family Trust Grants for Innovation.

Videos

Coming Soon

On June 25, 2018 a coalition of diverse advocates testified in favor of Supported Decision-Making legislation in Massachusetts, S.64 / H.172. To learn more about the bill see the bill fact sheet and our page on the legislation.

CPR was honored to stand beside self advocates and SDM pilot project participants as they testified in the Massachusetts State House about the importance of supported decision-making and the need for passing legislation.

Thank you to Representative Aaron Vega, Representative Paul Tucker, and Senator Joan Lovely for sponsoring this vital bill and for their leadership. Thank you also to the many co-sponsors from the House and Senate and to Senator Patrick O’Connor and Representative Nika Elugardo for their testimony at the hearing in support of the SDM bill.

If you support the SDM bill in Massachusetts, see below how to make your voice heard!

I like Supportive Decision Making! I have my family and closest friend help me understand decisions and help me pursue my interests.
– Johnathan Jenkins, Pilot Project Participant (CPR/Nonotuck)

The Bill

S. 64/H. 172: Relating to authorizing supported decision-making agreements for certain adults with disabilities

Fact sheet for the bill provides a brief overview of SDM and what the legislation would do.

Speakers

• Anna Krieger, Attorney, Center for Public Representation
• Paul Lanzikos, Executive Director, North Shore Elder Services
• Amanda Benoit, CPR Supported Decision-Making Pilot Participant, Nonotuck Resource Associates
• Anne Fracht, Board Chair, Mass Advocates Standing Strong
• Sandra Kinney, Supporter in CPR SDM Pilot, Co-Chairperson, Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change
• Johnathan Jenkins, CPR Supported Decision-Making Pilot Participant, Nonotuck Resource Associates

Written Testimony

• Amanda Benoit SDM Testimony
• Anne Fracht SDM Testimony
• Anna Krieger SDM Testimony
• Sandy Heller SDM Testimony
• Johnathan Jenkins SDM Testimony
• Paul Lanzikos SDM Testimony
• Craig Kinney SDM Testimony

I have been in the SDM Pilot Project for five years. My SDM Team has helped me with many things. I now have my Green Belt in Taekwando, I have traveled to many places in the country with my friends and I am now a World Traveler, I went to London, Paris, and Rome with my friend Maggy last year. In ending, Our Voices Matter! Please vote for SDM!
– Amanda Benoit, Pilot Project Participant (CPR/Nonotuck)

Videos

More videos coming soon!

If you support passing an SDM law in Massachusetts, make your voice heard!

You can call the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities:

• Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Chair – (617) 722-1673
• Senator Diana DiZoglio, Vice Chair – (617) 722-1604
• Representative Josh S. Cutler, Vice Chair – (617) 722-2810
• You can also contact other Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities members — their contact information is here.

If you are a constituent of one of the committee members, be sure to tell them. You can find out who your legislators are here.

Here is what you can say on the call:

• Tell them your name and where you live. (If you are a constituent of the legislator you are calling, be sure to tell them that)
• I am calling to express my support for the Supported Decision-Making legislation: S. 64/H. 172. There was a hearing on this bill before the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities on June 25th.
• SDM is important to me because… (Here you can explain who you are and why decision-making for people with disabilities is important to you. Are you a person who uses SDM? Do you have a loved one who uses SDM or would like to? etc.)
• I urge the Joint Committee to favorably report this important bill.
• If they have questions, you can refer them to Anna Krieger at the Center for Public Representation: 617-965-0776

Send a letter by email to SDM@cpr-ma.org about why you support SDM legislation in Massachusetts and we will share it with the legislators!

Here is what you can write in your letter/email:

• Include your name and address.
• I am writing to express my support for the Supported Decision-Making legislation: S. 64/H. 172. There a hearing on this bill before the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities on June 25.
• SDM is important to me because… (Here you can explain who you are and why decision-making for people with disabilities is important to you. Are you a person who uses SDM? Do you have a loved one who uses SDM or would like to? etc.)
• I urge the Joint Committee to favorably report this important legislation.

If you have questions, please call Anna Krieger at 617-965-0776