Hearing DetailsJoint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

Event Details

Status:

Completed

Event Date:

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Start Time:

1:00 PM

Location:

B-2 and Virtual

Event Description

Department of Developmental Services

This hearing will be chaired by Senate Chair Robyn Kennedy. CART services and ASL interpretation will be available. All matters filed in the House that are listed above are required to be reported on by November 8, 2025, subject to extensions consistent with House Rule 27.

The public is invited to participate in this hearing. To sign up to provide oral testimony, please fill out this form. Sign-ups for oral testimony will close on Thursday, September 4^th at 2:00PM, but same-day, in-person testimony will be accepted, time permitting. Please note, you will not be able to sign up for virtual testimony on the day of the hearing.

The Chairs will limit testimony to 3 minutes per speaker and 6 minutes for a panel. There is no limit to the number of people permitted to be on a panel, although the Chairs do not recommend panels that are larger than 3 people. Please note, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to testify, each person is only permitted to testify once throughout the entirety of the hearing.

Written testimony may be submitted to the Joint Committee via email and will be accepted until the bill is acted upon. Written testimony on House bills should be sent to Audrey Herrman (Audrey.Herrmann@mahouse.gov) and written testimony on Senate bills should sent to Olivia Mathot (Olivia.mathot@masenate.gov).

Note: All written testimony received by the Committee will be made publicly available, provided however, the Chairs may limit and redact testimony that includes sensitive personal information or information that may jeopardize the health, wellness, or safety of the testifier or others.

If you have any questions regarding the hearing, legislation, format of the hearing, or reasonable accommodations required to ensure people with disabilities can participate fully in the committee process, please email: Olivia Mathot in Chair Kennedy’s Office, at (Olivia.mathot@masenate.gov) or Audrey Herrman in Chair Livingstone’s Office, at (Audrey.Herrmann@mahouse.gov).

The bills will be heard in the order displayed on the hearing notice with House and Senate companion bills heard together. Please be advised that the schedule and agenda are subject to change at the discretion of the Chairs.

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Item Name	Start Time	Duration	Webcast
Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities	9/9/2025 1:00 PM	03:55:08

Department of Developmental Services 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Bill	Bill Title	Sponsor
H.198	An Act relative to ensuring the safety of residents of facilities under the authority of the department of developmental services	James C. Arena-DeRosa
H.200	An Act establishing the deaf children's bill of rights	Brian M. Ashe
H.208	An Act providing for diaper changing stations in public buildings and accommodations	Simon Cataldo
H.213	An Act ensuring access to behavioral health services for children involved with state agencies	Marjorie C. Decker
H.219	An Act establishing a livable home modification grant program	Carol A. Doherty
H.242	An Act to enhance standards of care for those with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities	Sean Garballey
H.256	An Act requiring universal changing stations in public buildings	John J. Lawn, Jr.
H.257	An Act relative to public accommodations for individuals with verbal communication impairments	David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf
H.261	An Act relative to supported decision-making agreements for certain adults	Jay D. Livingstone
H.264	An Act relative to supported decision making	Christopher M. Markey
H.278	An Act relative to assisting elders and people with disabilities in the Commonwealth	James J. O'Day
H.282	An Act to increase the safety of individuals with disabilities relying on life-support equipment	David M. Rogers
H.284	An Act improving front-line service coordinators quality of care	Margaret R. Scarsdale
H.287	An Act relative to studying best practices for ensuring the safety of blind persons	Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida
H.292	Resolve establishing a special commission to review Department of Developmental Services regulations and practices	David T. Vieira
H.296	An Act protecting vulnerable adults from financial exploitation	Paul McMurtry
S.102	An Act requiring universal changing stations in public buildings	Michael J. Barrett
S.111	An Act ensuring access to behavioral health services for children involved with state agencies	Brendan P. Crighton
S.128	Resolve to establish a commission to review Department of Developmental Services regulations and practices	Paul R. Feeney
S.138	An Act relative to assisting elders and people with disabilities in the Commonwealth	Patricia D. Jehlen
S.149	An Act to enhance standards of care for those with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities	Jason M. Lewis
S.155	An Act relative to authorizing supported decision-making agreements for certain adults with disabilities	Joan B. Lovely
S.156	Resolve establishing a special commission on the treatment of intellectually and developmentally disabled offenders in the criminal justice system	Joan B. Lovely
S.168	An Act to increase the safety of individuals with disabilities relying on life-support equipment	Patrick M. O'Connor
S.170	An Act providing for diaper changing stations in public buildings and accommodations	Rebecca L. Rausch
S.172	An Act relative to mandated reporters of disabled persons abuse	Bruce E. Tarr
S.2585	An Act establishing compliance with federal education reporting requirements for out of home placement students	Michael O. Moore

Hearing DetailsJoint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

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