So you're right-handed.
They can hear you did again.
Yeah, sure.
Once Mr.
Festus settles down we can get going.
What a good looking crowd.
But the suspicious event.
Good morning everyone.
Good morning.
I'm Pauline Gigos.
I have the privilege of being coordinator of Dating Lions
Massachusetts and one of the Co founders is that many of you in
the window.
Dating Alliance Massachusetts is a statewide voluntary advocacy
group with the purpose of the transformation of long term care
throughout the Commonwealth.
Especially with the facilities.
But we'd like to get as many people out of facilities as
possible or keep them out in the first place or, or if they but
they need to be living there.
We want to make those places as decent, dignified and safe as
possible.
That's what we're about.
We've been about that task since the beginning of the pandemic, 4
1/2 years ago.
I believe that.
I can't believe that that amount of time has passed.
And we are totally voluntary.
Right now.
Our annual budget is just about the top $15,000.
So everything we do is just volunteer to your efforts.
And we appreciate Zoom because otherwise we would not be in
existence.
We were able to organize and meet and have men on a regular
basis because of that capacity.
Now we're starting to meet in person.
It's good to see everybody in real life.
So this is the third time that we've done recognition of people
in public service.
So we did this two years ago for legislators.
Last year we did it for folks at the federal level and again this
year we're back at the state level and we this year we've
added in addition to legislation.
I hope you don't mind staff members because we think with
with no, I'll respect this place would not function without them.
So we're all gathered here to today to one of these
individuals, and we're going to do that in two ways.
We're going to be presenting certificates, appreciation, and
then for the legislators, we're also going to be presenting
original works of art that are done by older folks throughout
Massachusetts.
We have artists from Bridgewater Blaster, Wooster and William
stop the word represent throughout the Cromwell.
They're all various ways associated with their local
concerts in the evening.
We have one of the artists with us today and we'll have them
come up when we make that award.
And a couple of the artists are viewing through the the Internet
connection and we we thank them all that their, their their work
is beautiful and inspiring.
And I, I hope that the legislators receive it.
Appreciate that the the sentiment and most of the work
depicting are scenes in various spaces in Massachusetts.
Not all, but most of them are.
But before we go to the the recognition, we'd like to do a
little business about what it's going to be in the year ahead.
We'd like to highlight three priorities that Bing Alliance
Massachusetts will be focusing on in the year ahead.
Several are going to be legislative and others are going
to be public policy.
The the the first Senate priorities has to do with
resident rights.
And we that's in two laborers, one for folks who are living in
nursing homes and we want to see those updated.
They haven't been reviewed and updated for about 40 years.
And then we'd also like to be introducing a set of, of
resident rights for folks who live and assisted living
residences.
So to provide a brief a focus of what we're going to be doing in
each of those areas.
We have two members of the alliance who who will share
comments, but we'll sign up with Jenny Kathleen, who's a senior
attorney with the Master Law reform and Seclude.
And she's going to be talking about what we expect to be doing
with updating nursing home resident rights, Jenny.
And she's going to see her on this year.
Good morning, everyone.
I hope I'm heard.
OK excellent.
My name is Jenny Kaplan, and as Paul said, I'm a senior health
attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, which is a
nonprofit poverty law organization and support Center
for the state's legal aid community, civil legal aid
community.
I've been part of Dignity Alliance since 2020, working
with fellow stakeholders, advocates, and community leaders
on many initiatives aimed at bringing about systemic change
to improve the lives of older adults and people with
disabilities across the Commonwealth.
One of those initiatives is the Nursing Facility Residents
Rights Equalization Project.
Regulatory action is urgently needed to improve protections
for residents of nursing facilities so that they are
equal to the protections afforded to residents of the
Commonwealth's other institutions.
Currently, residents of facilities overseen by DMH, the
Department of Mental Health, and DDS, the Department of
Developmental Services, are afforded rights and protections
that are unavailable to nursing facility residents.
Legislators and the Healey administration, including the
Attorney General's Office, must act to ensure that regardless of
the type of facility where individuals with disabilities
live, whether they are older or younger, they are entitled to
the same rights and protections.
While federal and state laws regulate nursing facilities and
provide residents with an extensive list of rights, they
are not well enforced by state agencies.
And while certain of those rights can be enforced by an
individual lawsuit under section 1983 through federal law or a
Chapter 93, a complaint under state law, these are complicated
and time consuming processes that do not provide timely
relief.
The Commonwealth must adopt an expanded list of rights and
enforcement mechanisms to be provided to nursing facility
residents that are equal to the protections and procedures
available to DMH and DDS clients.
In particular, new internal enforcement mechanisms such as a
complaint and investigations procedure, along with the
creation of a human rights officer and committee for each
nursing facility, providing avenues of redress that do not
require resort to the courts or the help of an attorney.
These new mechanisms to provide for more rapid responsiveness to
nursing facility residents needs will improve people's experience
and enhance their dignity.
Thank you for this opportunity to talk about this Dignity
Alliance Priority Project.
Thank you Jenny for those comments and for your your
leadership in this important area.
Now to talk about our introduction of president writes
for folks living in assisted living residency with John Ford,
who is a long time legal aid attorney with the Northeast
justice.
And I'm not gonna go into all of John's credentials other than
he's been here a long time.
And he's also a member of the the American Bar Association's
Elder Justice subcommittee.
Thank you, Paul.
I know I have very limited time, so I'm going to start off by
saying we're here to celebrate.
Yeah, we're here to celebrate chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024.
I invite you all to Google it and read it.
There's a wonderful provisions up there and I see some
champions in the legislature who were here this morning.
I'm here to talk about assisted living, which is now a very
serious component of the long term care system.
They've been around for 30 years and it's the Wild West.
I I was at a meeting recently where somebody said if you've
been to an assisted living residence, you've been to one
assisted living residence.
They were it's like the Wild West out there.
According to the assisted living Residence Ombudsman, cost can be
as high as $17,000 a month.
So it's it's a serious issue at the after 197.
In fact, that is 2 to 11 really you're going to bring order to
the assisted living residence Cisco network.
Our our industry really.
So take a look.
You can see that they that the statue of obliges EOEADPH and I
think the attorney General to develop regulations that are
sort of on the on the medical side and also on the residents
right side.
It's a wonderful statute.
I love talking about it.
And I will just say in closing, we got CCRC.
We didn't get SPM, we didn't get supported decision making, but
we did get CCRCS, which is another aspect of the long term
system that has gone unregulated.
And we're going to be part of that process of implementing the
legislation that you folks did for us.
Thank you, John.
And unless anyone being concerned, supportive decision
making is definitely on our agenda for next year.
If we hear all the things that are on agenda, we'd be here for
two hours.
But that's that's why we're doing just the three highlights
priority.
And you're going to be hearing the references to Chapter 197 of
the Acts of 2024 several times today.
And that this even though we're going to be recognizing it a
bit.
I like the grandparent, the grand, the godparents of chapter
197 to see Senator Jalen represent the state link.
If it's a truly milestone legislation that we'll we'll be
referring to for decades to come.
It's it's it's like it's preparing the soil early spring
for for the planting because we're going to be able to
harvest many good things from this over there.
Just so thank you both as well as all your the remaining
legislators supported it, but without the the leadership of
these two, I don't know where they got through, especially in
a in off session vote.
So moving on, this is something that has not happened in well
over five years.
In fact, since I've been secretary of Velvet Peers, which
was a long time ago.
Back when, does anybody remember the guy named Mike Dukakis?
When?
So when he was jobbing, I, I was the secretary of Velvet peers
for the, the last, the last time in office.
And that was the last time the personal needs allowance for
nursing home residence was increased.
That's, that's, that's an abomination.
We all should be ashamed in this this Cromwell and to talk about
this is someone who's been around that entire time
advocating and that very active member of duty lives at the work
group chair of behavioral health work group, a long time member
of NASW.
He has been working around the issues of of concerning all the
people living especially in this, you know, Spring basket
and Nancy Franklin screens.
Thank you, Paul.
So the personal needs allowance pays for items that Medicaid or
Mass Health does not pay for.
Mass Health pays for medications and medical care, nursing care
and board and room.
It does not pay for clothing or shoes.
It does not pay for cable TV, et cetera.
Back around 1979, it was around $60.00 a month.
It went up to 7280 and then with the recession around that time,
it was brought down back to $60.00, where it remains for
several decades until it was brought back up to 7280 again.
And it's been at that point for a very long time.
I don't know how anyone pays for their shoes, just sneakers,
ordinary clothing on 7280 a month.
I have had residents tell me they cannot afford to buy any
clothing whatsoever unless they go to a thrift shop or the
Salvation Army.
And it's one thing to go because you choose to, but if you have
to because you can't afford to pay for your clothing and shoes
unless you get to go to a thrift shop, that's really unfortunate.
And that's where we're leaving nursing and rest home residents
at 70 to 80 a month.
We want to raise it to well over $100, maybe $150.00 a month with
the cost of living allowance.
That's why it's 7280.
It was the cost of living allowance put in around 1979 or
80.
That 7280 is not, does not have the value that it had back then.
It's much, it's not worth 7280 anymore.
It's much, it's worth much less than that.
We don't want to have to see nursing home residents and
resting home residents get their clothing from a thrift shop.
They should be able to buy ordinary clothing for
themselves.
They should be able to have cable and TV and so they can
connect with family members.
They cannot afford to do that on 7280 a month and we want to
raise it again with the cost of living allowance.
Thank you, Paul, Thank you, Frank.
And I don't know about you, but I'm embarrassed when I hear that
states like Florida have a much more generous violence than we
do.
We can do better than Florida, can't we?
So this is something that legislators are going to be
hearing a lot about this year.
This is going to be the year we get the PNA pass.
The last priority that we'd like to talk about today is a matter
of implementation of a class action suit.
And I think many of you have heard about the settlement of
the the Mass Marshes, the Keely class action suit that was
settled early in the spring.
That was a legal action that was started about two years ago.
And specifically to try to enforce the provisions of the,
the Olmsted provision, which is a landmark Supreme Court
decision of more than 20 years ago now that essentially said
that if you were a nursing home resident and you wanted to go
back to live in the community, that the the state was obligated
to provide resources and services and support to make
that happen.
And there was a the lawsuit here in Massachusetts said she
contended that was not happening uniformly and, and as rigorously
as the decision required.
So now we're very grateful that the the government has been
reached and it was through the legal leadership of the Center
for Public Representation, Greater Boston Legal Services,
Justice, an agent all the all the vote.
And one of the parties to the lawsuit was folks who were
members of the Mass interaction, as well as about six or seven
individuals who live in nursing facilities.
So Dignity Alliance is collaborating closely with the
plaintiffs legal team on what is now being called the Green
People Home Initiative.
That's the way we're going to implement the Masters settlement
resulting from the The Masters V Healy settlement.
The case was filed by 7 individuals with disabilities
living in nursing facilities as well as the Mass Senior Action
Council against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
These litigants brought this case on behalf of the thousands
of people in nursing homes who want to return to the community
but need support from the state to do so.
The settlement requires the state to provide community
residential services and supports for individuals with
medical conditions, physical disabilities, and and or mental
illness who want to leave nursing facilities to live in
the community.
The settlement is the first class.
Cross disability nursing facility agreement of its kind,
probably one of the first in the country, which means it will
benefit everyone in nursing facilities regardless,
regardless of the type of the disabilities they have.
Previous settlements has been focused on very narrow
categories of qualifying individuals.
The settlement also specifically addresses the disproportionate
impact of unnecessary.
It's a participation of when people of color and seek
specific remedies to address this disparity.
So the Dating Alliance's priorities for this year in
support of the implementation are one we will make sure that
the settlement pharmacy of an informed choice process through
the Community Transition Liaison Problem program or for those of
you who love the an acronym CTLP, which is administered by a
a new new effort that was started the spring in response
to the settlement by executive officer of the Fears and the
CLTP teams will be with an emphasis will focus on the
emphasis of culture and linguistically competent teams
that will help people explore options and facilitate
transition to the community.
These teams for the most part, are supposed to be visiting
every single nursing facility in the Commonwealth at least once a
week building on the comprehensive.
So there's no no outreach on the part of the individuals.
It's in reach trying to ferret out the individuals who who are
very interested in wanting to go home #2 building on the
comprehensive and successful implementation of the passage
process, which is means you're not the health issues and
specialized services for people who with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
Under the role in the settlement agreement previously agreement,
we will work to ensure that the effective and equitable
implementation of PASA and specialized services of people
with serious mental illness is enforced.
And 3rd, we will monitor and ensure a timely and accurate
eligibility determinations for the moving forward plan waivers
and over the course of the AE agreement.
So this agreement covers 8 years with the goal of getting at
least 2400 people back in the community.
Expand the number of waiver slots for people who need waiver
services to leave nursing facilities.
So we're, we're looking at essentially 3 different ways for
people to live with the, with the weight of, with subsidized
slots for housing.
They secure new housing or if they live in in existing housing
with themselves or families they need modifications the physical
environment that can happen and or if they need services that
can happen.
Changing Alliance looks forward to the collaborative
participation with plaintiff's legal team through the
implementation work groups and routine communication updates to
the community and much more information about this is
available on our website to work Who's out web group is
maintaining a very involved set of information about narcissism.
We will want to keep this very visible.
We, we've seen too many initiatives in the past, whether
because of once it happens, it doesn't get the necessary
continuing public attention.
That's what we intend to do not only this year, but for the
entire eight years that the settlement agreement is in
effect.
So those are, that's our work plan as well.
As they said, there's a whole list of others that we're going
to be working on.
So you're going to be hearing from us this year whether you
would like it or not.
And I hope you do like it because I think this crowd is
very supportive of our overall agenda.
So with no further ado, what I want to do is bring up someone
who's very familiar to many of you and definitely familiar to
the the the corridors of this building.
Our esteemed chair of the leading Alliance legislative
work group, but many of you know him better is Senator ****
Moore.
Thanks very much, Paul.
And it's pleasure to join together with our number of our
Dignity Alliance folks who are both here and and on the screen
virtually.
So we're in that mode.
You know, we can do both, which hopefully the legislature
sometime will amend the Open Meeting Law so that everybody
else besides the legislature can do both at the local level too.
And that's one of the bills sitting in there.
So it's one more commercial this now the print on this.
I need glasses.
Most of you here don't.
And so it's a little small, but I think you'll get the message.
But these are about, I don't know, maybe about a dozen bills
that are still pending and still alive and could be enacted.
Some of them I think will be anyway, because I think they're
going to be in the when there is a formal session later on,
probably just after the election after Tom and Pat are reelected
by large margins.
Well, as I know a few others, I saw Sally Kearns come in who was
a a staunch ally of Anand.
I know Paul calls her usually says yes, that's a very
discerning in in that.
But these are the some of the bills.
It's the with the title of the pamphlet which is over on the
table.
There's more that could still be done and we hope you will take a
look at that because they'll be refiled for next year anyway if
if they're not done.
So let's get down to the the other main business we have at
hand and that is to honor legislators currently sitting
legislators who are still going to be sitting, we hope in
January and doing and probably doing more than just sitting and
active and continue to be in their leadership roles.
As well as four who have been friends of ours over the number
of the issues that we support over these that unfortunately
are not coming back.
And you know, the fact that three have a nursing background,
that means there's going to be a health crisis in the House and
based unless somebody else gets elected and has those kind of
credentials.
So the first and we have the legislator champions and taking
care.
We'll do that in a minute.
Legislative career champions who've over the years have been
supportive of a lot of our issues.
And then legislative staff champions.
And all the time I was here, 17 in the House and 19 in the
Senate, I don't remember ever seeing staff at least
collectively recognized, even though all of us who are the
elected members of the legislature know that we not be
as successful as we are that weren't for the staff and go
with the commonwealthy of successful getting bills.
That means something fast because it's very important to
do all of the network being staff level as well as at
legislative level.
And by staff, I know we we particularly recognized this
year legislative staff, but there are other staff, clerk's
office, counsel's office, they're reading Sergeant and I
have the whole crew of people who helped to make the
legislature run much better than the Globe would tell you.
But it it does work quite well.
So first I'm going to ask our honoree from two years ago who
looks even younger today.
They had a good friend and call if I'm a colleague of mine,
Senator Pat Jalen, who's going to join me in recognizing my my
mentor re when she came into the Senate now she probably didn't
need a lot of any of you who've been around for a little while
know the name Mike Ruane.
She was on Mike Ruane's staff.
So she passed the the test with Mike and that was not easy.
And she came into the Senate and kept happy to have welcomed her.
Now she's but just what 2 heartbeats away from Senate
President.
I think of something like that.
Mary don't tell Karen anyway.
So if Pat is up here and then don't want you to come up as
well.
And we're gonna.
But there's also different people.
Yeah.
I want to pick which is reminiscent of you could do.
Well, I did.
There's a story.
Yes, yes, yes, there's a story early on.
So you still have options of no, no, there's there's a meaningful
story behind it.
Now I will tell.
Why don't we stand out in front of the, you know, science?
And do you want to make any remarks first or can I say
something about dignity and then something?
Yeah, sure.
Yeah.
But let's do the picture and then, And then you can.
So first bat and then if you want it.
Well, this, yeah, this goes.
Are you going to tell the story?
You want me to tell the story?
Well, go ahead.
I'll tell the story.
But I want to say I am this group of people, Dignity
Alliance has brought together people that are not always on
the same team and don't always advocate for each other's
issues.
And I think it's been a tremendous job of, of
organizing.
And I just want to, I'm going to recognize my colleague really
happily.
But I want to say that none of us would be here today if we
weren't all here together.
I particularly want to say notice that you have somebody
that really knows the legislature and you have
somebody that really knows the administration and your
leadership.
And that shows that it's not just about passing a bill, it's
about getting it done.
And all of that is important.
And they keep their eyes on the prize and they when they they
don't just celebrate it when they move on.
So I'm just so grateful to you all.
But and I also wanted to say that when we celebrate the long
term care bill and how much it has in it, you have to think
about it got started.
Is the speaker making it a priority and the wrong.
I say he got the ball rolling And then I haven't got my
metaphor right yet, but it has picked up a lot of Moss and a
lot of Moss it picked up within the Senate.
Thanks it Senator lovely.
So while we seem not to be doing anything and the Globe, as has
been mentioned, feels that we don't do anything, a lot
happened during the time it appeared nothing was going on
because I think at least three of Senator Lovely's bills are
incorporated in some way in the final version and we're making
progress on all of them.
So I just want to recognize that as well as the project and that
the center of the witness caucus for two terms, really glutton
for punishment, but getting things done also as a chair of
women's caucus.
And then I want to notice.
So I there's in the bill, I think we make progress on
guardianship on CCR, CS and on personal care homes.
Is there more that are yours?
No, I think that's it.
So she's been working on these things for a long time with you
and Dignity Alliance.
So partnership.
I just there's so many things that affect people with
disabilities, particularly in in her case, but also older people
that when you look around, that's who's in charge and
making it happen.
And I'm, I'm just really grateful for her leadership.
So I think I already gave you this and thank you got your
other thing.
And you're going to tell us why you why this is so right.
And we're just from Gloucester.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you, thank you.
It's an honor to receive this award from you and thank you to
the Guilty Alliance.
Paul and I go back a few years when I was a new, newly minted
attorney.
I did some pro bono work, guardianship and conservatorship
for North Shore, all the services at the time, and really
got my feet wet on what this is all about.
Well, well before I was entering the Senate or even the thoughts
Councillor Aging the Senior Center, yes, that's right.
We worked on a on a building committee to find a new Salem
Senior Center a location.
Paul and I had a different location in mind, but we are
pleased where where it did get built.
It's very busy and supportive of of the Salem community and I'm
just very so pleased to be able to receive these awards with
this August body of outgoing legislators.
Senator Pacheco, Senator Balzer, Senator Garlic, and I'm sorry,
Representative Balls or Representative Garlic and
Representative Kahn.
I've all worked closely with you in my 12 years here in the
Senate and I'm just so blessed and honored to have worked with
you on so many different issues.
And, and SDM we're gonna get, we're still working on SDM and
as a supportive decision making, we will continue to work on
that.
And just quickly, why?
Why the Gloucester waterfront?
My mother was a Gloucester native.
God bless.
She's been gone for a number of years now.
And I'm wondering if the artist Lois Stillman knew her because
my mother would be in her early 90s now, and Lois is in her late
80s.
And they, Lois was, say, a participant in the art program
at the Rose Baker Senior Center, where my mother was as the head
of school food services.
She also helped with the school food services for the Senior
Center as well.
She was very involved with the Rose Baker Senior Center.
So and my great grandfather was a shipbuilder back in the late
1800s where they actually hand honed the boards to be able to
make those shifts.
So I was on the Gloucester waterfront.
So when I saw this, I said this reminds me of Gloucester where I
spent a lot of time as a child and of my mother and my great
grandfather.
So thank you for the honor.
I am absolutely.
And as you're coming up here, two things.
First of all, John, there are folks watching from the Rose
Vaca Senior Center today.
So we're going to do a little research and find out about your
the connection with your mother, maybe with Lois and and you
heard Joan, she shrunk the garden to the next session.
You want she wants a winning streak to continue supportive
decision making in 2025.
Thank you and now for we we was being a bicameral legislature.
We would now call upon the House St.
Balls.
We received our award two years ago and our awardee this year
scamming from Sandy who to give you an idea hear you to give you
an idea of of of my age.
I came into the house with the comms father Bill the the great
mayor of the city of Waltham as well as a great representative
as his his son.
Thank you.
I just wanted to recognize some of the my colleagues who aren't
being on.
I know Representative Karen's was already acknowledged.
I think Representative Vanna Howard is here great new world
champions for these important issues.
And I want to thank Secretary Lanzicus and Senator Moore for
giving me the opportunity to say some nice things about my very,
very good friend, Top Standard.
I just think Representative Stanley is one of the finest
legislators that I've had the honor of serving with these many
years.
He came in one term after me, so it means he's a long termer as
well.
I just want to mention that there we're sort of a handful of
House chairs of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs over
the last decade, including myself who served the term
before.
And each of us who served had a a, a goal and a vision of doing
comprehensive elder care legislation and to reform the
long term care industry.
But none of us got it done until Tom Stanley got the job and he
just dug in and hit the ball out of the form.
He just made it happen.
He drew on the wisdom of his predecessors.
He was always great about checking in with all of us and
asking for input and incorporating our legislation
into the bigger bill.
But he was the one, along with our partner in crime, Senator
Jalen, who really made it happen.
And of course, with the support of the Speaker, who, as the
senator mentioned, made it a top priority.
I'm so grateful to both dignity and to Representative Stanley.
I had felt that if we moved beyond this pandemic without
honoring those who we lost, and we best honor people by changing
things for the future.
And Representative Stanley in his leadership in making sure
that this terrific legislation happened, honors those that we
lost and moves us forward into the future with a much better
situation for aging adults.
So it's my pleasure to thank you because I understand it for all
you do.
Forward to a quick picture because I don't want to.
Oh, good.
It's not on Facebook.
It didn't happen.
Oh, we're closer here.
We good.
Yeah.
You want me to?
One of the 10 talents of staff is also to be able to take
pictures of the boss.
I'm going to take a few minutes.
We'll come back up soon.
Thank you very much, Ruth.
You know Ruth and I stuck up a very good relationship, very
strong relationship.
I'm the wild and with this Newt and Ruth had said right in back
of me the letters during this whole 24 years, 25 or 6 for you.
And in the beginning the relationship got off to our
start with we had speaking Finner and was the speaker at
the time and Ruth was a rebel rouser and we all go through
those stages and if something what wasn't happening that the
way Ruth wanted it to be, they would jump up on a seat and back
at me and scream, Mr.
Scream and I would go.
Then we would talk about as years go bad and how we don't do
that much anyone.
Yeah, we we, we would learn how to get things done.
And I appreciate Ruth asking me like I wanted to do this, but I
would say, well, I did that.
That didn't work.
So we learned together.
But what are an organization with two leaders that have been
in the game for so long and and still still in it.
And you know, it was a great pleasure for me as as **** said,
he served with my father in the 240 seat House, the last one and
secretary at the time.
Just a thrill for a student of government.
The politics should be everyday now play a role to to work with
them.
And you know, someone mentioned earlier about somehow sometimes
how we're portrayed electively and not getting anything done.
And, you know, the public only knew the amount of work that
goes into a bill like this by many people who mentioned 5 PC
chairs before me and for the others before before them, all
the advocates, which I relied on very heavily to learn as much as
I could and to ask questions and to put together, you know, the
best piece of legislation that we could at this time.
It's never we're never going to get everything the way we
wanted.
If we waited for that, nothing would get done.
There is another session upon us.
My constituents is one of the advocates.
I wonder there, Lisa.
And so my, my staff has been tremendous for a year, along
with Mark Phillips.
Mark's been with him a long time in 12 years, and I'm so grateful
that he is.
I don't have to worry about a thing, but we'll always make
sure everything gets done and then, you know, make sure that I
do my job.
It's been exceptional.
And so I'm pleased that he's been on it today.
I'd say Pat.
Pat, it's been great working with you from the beginning with
Chair and during a time when it hasn't always been the best
relationship between the branches.
I think we've had an effort to work closely together and we
often had meetings with advocates together, the house
and center with our Staffs and it was really a tremendous
experience.
And so I, you know, I wanna close by just also talking about
the the staff and by branches by branch, the house.
And we've had several people during the short, short years.
Sara Sopshaw belong to work for the government's office.
She she's a subject expert.
And then Stephanie Bioni and Joe pronounced last name Mark
Newton.
For me, these individuals were really exceptional and they
really helped us long and that first major bill getting over
the hurdle and it was Whitney is being on it today isn't awful to
everyone.
And if we want to get anything done with their leadership, we
go quickly.
So I want to thank them.
I post the Speaker of the House who gave me this opportunity,
and I have to say because I sometimes would believe things
that I would read in the paper too.
And when I became chair, I kept waiting for when is he gonna
tell me what to do and that that thing never happened and was
there to offer some guidance and advice if I asked.
But up until the very last meeting that we had in his
office, there was a conversation with myself and other people.
Conference committee about various aspects of bills and I
have to tell you that he listened to the very end and I'm
proud to say that what one of the parts of the bill that
they've been to the final because of his and willingness
to listen to other by the Soviet staff.
So the amount of hours that go into just Senator Lovely's three
bills, the meetings, the hearings.
There's so many bills that are incorporated into this and that
never gets talked about in a difficult short period of time
by within the chamber.
So with that, I want to close by once again thanking the Alliance
with their great work and advocacy and I look forward to
working with everyone.
The the work of art that that represents Stanley is receiving
is done by a very accomplished artist named Geta First who is
active with the Williamstown Council in Aging and her work
has appeared in galleries all around the world.
Now we're going to now this is the sad part because these next
4 are leaving the building, at least for the moment.
Who knows what what could happen, But Denise Garlic has
been a friend of mine, foe of mine.
She was when she was one of those union leaders as president
of MNA Mass Nurses Association.
You probably you probably have the only concern I have is this
could be a repeat of what happened in the Academy Awards
where someone from the audience came and and tried to slug
better.
But I have actually brought something for her, at least with
nursing homes and with staff.
And we we we digging the alliance fought hard along with
other groups for the Congress to push and the Biden
administration to push staffing ratio of minimum staffing and
and it still needs to the number of hours easier to decrease.
So any significance to him?
Thanks.
If you get pushed there.
OK, one second.
Yeah, I would.
I would love to say if you would, I want to give you a
little background on why we couldn't be foes And it was on
the safe staff mission, but the senator and I never stopped
talking to each other.
I was a strong advocate for safe staffing within our UK at Last
Foes when things were very difficult and they were very
difficult at the time.
The senator and I never stopped talking to each other and I had
this sweet, sweet moment a couple of months ago when he
called me and he said we want that safe staff thing and we
certainly wanted them to be honest.
And I'm worried support of of the Biden administration and the
wisdom and seeing what how we have to move forward and
ensuring that we have sufficient staffing our folks.
But I just wanted to give you background on it.
There was only one only one.
I just wanted to take a moment for two things.
Number one, I want you to know the leaders of digging your
lines.
How meaningful this award is to be ought to be recognized.
Everything that I have tried to do as a woman, as a mother, with
an adult daughter, now with developmental disabilities in my
community and the motivation for my running for office was
centered around the issue of dignity, which we know is the
respect for an individual and honoring all individuals with
that kind of respect, honoring their worth.
So I wanted to tell you that when I got the e-mail from the
good Cinema that I would be recognized.
I actually got tears in my eyes because this arc of my service
here begins with dignity, and to have it recognized means a great
deal.
I wanted to talk about Dignity Alliance though, and I wanted to
commend the principles and the sense of the mission of Dignity
Alliance.
And it seems to me that although our work is focused on English
with disabilities or older adults who have differing
abilities, that those principles of dignity are what we need in
the country today.
So while Dignity Alliance is focused on the most vulnerable
people in our society, I believe if we can rise to the principles
of digging the alliance, we will lift all people in our society
to have respect, to recognize what and to demonstrate that in
the way we interact and where we put our resources and what our
own sense of mission is.
Well, I'm deeply grateful to digging the arguments we know in
Newton.
You have good you need to give me one of those wealthy bedroom
community and outside of Boston and I know and he says she would
have wild space for this.
This is going to be maybe take up out of the house, but I mean
so so so this man is doing bad commercials OK, living in
Needham 3 bedroom Cape 4 kids.
He will do all the pictures after all the pictures, we can
move it along and send it a lovely.
This is the one I was wishing for.
They'll bring you back up until the OK.
Great, thank you.
Just in just in transition here since this.
We have a new artist to introduce this work and the one
that you'll see in shortly is by a artist from the Worcester
area, Elio Sansini, who's about 80 years old, originally from
Italy.
He's award winner.
He's he's, he's shown internationally and, and like so
many artists, uses his act to express the suffering he sees
throughout the world.
Instead of using the anxiety he feels surrounding the injustices
he witnesses happening around the world for fuel to engage in
negative activities, he focuses on energy, positive energy and
his paintings.
And we want to thank all the councils on aging who
recommended these artists.
And this happens to be from the Worcester Council on Aging.
Thanks, Paul.
I I met the the artist yesterday to pick up the paintings and
he's about 80, a professional artist, volunteers at the
Worcester Senior Center to teach painting.
He's also caring for 102 year old man in their home.
So he's a caregiver, which we support.
He's a an an older adult and supporting an even older adult.
I think we support as well.
And the older adult does have some disabilities.
So it really touches all the bases of that.
But he's a fabric artist.
And as we have seen at the various senior centers that have
have donated previously and and this year, their work of art,
they really appreciate it.
Great, great work and great creation out there.
Next we will do Senator Mark Pacheco, my former colleague.
Thank you, Sir.
We don't know what country he's been visiting, but he's, he's a
frequent flyer.
You must have a lot of mileage built up, at least between here
and the Azores and here and, and Portugal and, and a variety of
other countries as well.
If Hillary had won, you'd have been an ambassador.
A lot of things would have been different if Hillary had won.
I had to ask the former president, Pope Kemp, to speak,
said yes, Recognize a brief remark.
Let me just begin by thanking you, Richard, for your
leadership and calls and everyone associated with the
Dignity Alliance on unbelievable work that you can continue to do
with caring at the park of everything you do.
When I leave the State House today, I go back home to the
District and the city of Taunton to see my shown to be this month
94 year old Aunt Agnes who's at Regal Care.
Hopefully, maybe Regal Care's got this one in the community
room and letting her know that her sister Mary, my Aunt Mary,
who came over from Moreton Hospital last evening for some
care, some rehab, will be down the hall from her for the rest
of this week.
So everything that the Signaling Alliance has done and is doing,
it's home with all of us at one point in time or another, with
our individual families and the need to make sure that we're
keeping them popping our mind and that we care about.
Take a look at dignity.
I want to thank my colleagues that have been recognized,
outstanding leaders in the Legislature, Senator Lovely,
Representative Stanley, my colleague and the leader in
environmental issues as well.
Ruth Balzer, one of the people I also dealt with many years ago
with the MNA, the center of college, and you were
representative and representative and all of the
staff that are recognized here today.
We thank you for your leadership and the willingness to be able
to continue to keep having all of us that are elected in the
right direction.
So again, thank you all.
And I also want to recognize my colleagues and in the Senate,
Pat Jalen, a work in work that both you and Representative did
in getting us a comprehensive bill this year.
It will be 1 of the highlights of what the legislature has has
accomplished.
Thank you very much.
I should point out, because Ruth Balser got after me last time,
that we are getting some little plaque I afforded them.
Only two of them showed up, but made in China.
Anyway, they'll be coming along.
We'll get it to you.
Well, after 36 years, this is like 36 year in the legislature.
I think there's anything depicts exactly what I'm going to be
doing, just finding myself a path and trying to trying to
open up a couple of new paths as we go forward.
But thank you all very much.
Thank you.
Our next recipient is Representative K Khan, one of
our another one of our people from healthcare.
He's naming us.
So you know, they they say they're all leaving the
hospital, but they'll leave in the legislature.
Thank, thank you so much.
It's.
I don't know if does this work OK?
It's, it's hard to summarize almost 30 years in the
Massachusetts Legislature, but it's been this incredible
opportunity in so many ways.
And I have really been enriched by so many in this room whom
I've had the opportunity to work with.
And just want to say thank you to the Dignity Alliance.
I think that I also work very closely, **** Moore when he was
the senator, also on health.
So I'm a psychiatric nurse clinical specialist, and it was
a good fit for me to come into the legislature because all the
things I really care about, it gave me an opportunity to really
move forward on many things having to do with psychiatric
issues, mental health nursing and all the need of the homeless
population, of the disability population.
And I had the great honor under Robert Deleo to be the chair of
the Committee on Children, Families, the Persons with
Disabilities for 12 years.
And so that was an incredible experience and had a chance to
really work in all of those areas for families and folks
with disabilities.
And I'm not done.
We have a few more months before I leave and I do have a list of
bills that I would love to hand out or talk to someone about,
but having to do with autism, having to do with disabilities.
Just go getting to the vote and make sure that the the, the
places where you leave your vote is, is accessible.
Like having trouble getting that done.
And it's not just every year, it's every four years to check
and make sure that people are able to drop their ballot in the
box that is accessible.
Anyway, it's just been this incredible opportunity.
I want to thank everyone here and all of you who are receiving
the awards today.
I've worked with all of you and it's just been a great a great
opportunity.
So thank you so much.
OK, and Will, and this is your picture down below.
Oh my goodness, wow.
So you can pick it up on I don't know if I can pick it up.
It's not that heavy.
Wow.
She just had these like we we can have it carried for you.
Well, we should do a picture, right?
Well, we do right after Oh, OK, after we OK take care of
everybody.
If I can just and I if I can just interject it's
representative ancestor.
Her work is not done.
So for any folks who are leaving the legislature and are
interested in becoming actively involved with Digging Alliance,
we won't hold your experience here against you.
And one of one of all of our former colleagues, he was very
active with Digging Alliance.
Barbara Battalion Legal, who served in both the House and the
Senate, should have been in Congress.
But some voters aren't that smart, I guess, or whatever.
But anyway, they missed the vote.
I'm having a great member of Congress as well.
But so we we I want to call up once again for a repeat
performance.
Ruth Paul is again a a major award two years ago.
He has it and has it.
Is it still up in the office?
Absolutely headed.
Headed in a prominent location with her plaque right under the
well.
You know who checked on it recently?
One of our active members, Lachlan Forow.
He he checked in your office next year or was still there.
Didn't believe me.
It's beautiful.
Thank you.
I wish you come back up there.
OK.
Thank you.
So I want to thank dignity for all you do and for recognizing
the I just want to tell you at the beginning of every two year
term, the Speaker of the House and has a meeting usually at
Lister someplace with all the chair people.
And one of the things I remember recently he said was when you
get an appointment, you don't always really know what it's
going to be.
And it made me think of when Speaker Dileo appointed me to be
the House chair of the Joint committee of the Affairs.
I thought, well, that'll be a nice committee.
You know, aging adults, That's interesting.
And then, you know, I'm getting to know the committee, getting
to know jail.
And and suddenly there's a global pandemic.
It's targeting older adults, especially those that live in
nursing home.
Well, not just and what was happening at the Holyoke
Soldiers Home and what was happening to our older adults
all over this nation, but all over this state.
And when people asked me what it was like to be the chair of
Elder Affairs, I said it was literally awesome.
Not the way the young people say awesome.
It was literally kind of overwhelming because of what was
happening to older adults and feeling so helpless.
Senator Jill and I talked a lot about that at the time.
And but you know, it's important not to feel helpless.
It's important to act.
The speaker's office reached out to me because one of the things
that was happening, in addition to so many people dying, getting
sick, was that people didn't even know what was going on in
the nursing homes.
The nursing homes weren't telling they families couldn't
get in.
People didn't know what was happening to their loved ones.
The media was going wild trying to get information.
And actually, it was the speaker's office that reached
out to me and I'm looking at Whitney members and I'm such a
champion, such a support and partner and said let's do a bill
that makes them tell at least let's know what's going on.
And we worked on a bill together, the speaker's office
and myself and the committee on requiring that nursing homes
report the deaths and report the infections and requiring the
administration to post it daily.
And so that was an important way to respond to what was
happening.
I also, in this role, got appointed to the Holyoke Nurses
Commission.
So there was a lot going on.
It was an awesome responsibility, but we tried to
do the best we could to respond to what was happening.
And I was so grateful to all the people in this room, all the
colleagues in the Legislature to Dignity Alliance, all the
advocates that we've got got through it together.
And may all the memories of those of the lost be a blessing.
And I want to shout out to my wonderful staff director who's
being recognized later, Ameka Gridneff, who's just so
wonderful.
I want to also thank my counselor, Brendan Morris who
worked with the committee and my Gibbson.
And it's been very meaningful and wonderful to serve in the
institutions House of Representatives for the last 26
years.
And a lot of what it makes it wonderful is all the partners
that I have to do the work.
So thank you.
I was hoping that with this, we had this custom made for you and
we're fortunate to have the artist with us to make the
presentation himself.
Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill from Bridgewater, my hometown.
And he, he's a mere 83 years old and he's a regular participant
at the Beverly the Bridge Runner Senior Center.
And asked what motivates him to create art, He replied, when I
was very young, my grandfather drew a picture of Santa and said
to me, you draw him now.
So ever since then and then he has been doing that.
And in junior high, he won the prize of the Guardian Key for
the best picture, and he's been drawing ever since.
Thank you so much.
That's my love.
And that's me.
That's wonderful.
Yeah.
Honestly, when I was looking at the pictures before, I was
thinking I would have wanted that one.
Yeah.
They'll come up to the microphone.
All right.
And.
And And And what?
Bill is Emily Williamson from the director of the Bridgewater
Council.
Nancy OK, can you hear me now?
I made this picture for my wife.
She just passed away 2 1/2 years ago.
We were married for 58 years and four years engaged after that
put 62 years all together.
Well, I I was really down and out.
I went to the Senior Center one day probably two or three months
after my wife passed away, and I've been there ever since, five
days a week.
And let me tell you, the people that helped me and the people
that I helped that went through the same thing I did, It was
unbelievable.
Thank God we got a Senior Center where we can get together like
that and do things.
And everybody that I helped, they're all here.
Yeah, it's hard right there.
I don't know.
I know where you live.
I want to, oh, and I'm going to apologize in advance because one
of the one of the corners came loose and we'll, and if Vicky
can't fix it, I have another frame at home I can swap with.
But we wanted to recognize Pat Jalen again for this year
because she played a little bit of a role in the comprehensive
care of Chapter 197.
And I know Tom Stanley was guided by her many years as
chair of Elder Affairs and chair of other things too.
But can you just come up and we'd like to give you a award
for your leadership, along with Tom in getting Chapter 197
enacted into law.
Thank you.
You're going to say something else.
I am.
I don't know.
The lady from Somerville is recognized for a brief remark.
I just want what I forgot to say before.
But first of all, what I forgot to say before is you can tell
that these people leading into committee know what they're
doing because they know who does the work here.
Yeah, most of are recognizing staff members and I'm not going
to be able to talk about Vicki A Loud who's been working for
older people in my office for 17 years.
And it's I always tell people legislation is about
relationships, but it's not just relationships among legislators,
but it's staff knowing everybody in the room.
So thank you all.
And I also want to thank Ruth Falls are for bringing us back
to that time, which was really probably the most traumatic time
for all of us in our period here.
And Ruth was just an incredible leader and she was on top of
everything and she was and she right.
So we got some things better.
And it was this, I think the beginning of really something in
devotion, not only dignity, but this still.
So I wanted strictly single Hefner and of course, Denise
Garlic, who is also a previous chair and oh, I'm going to start
saying nice things about everybody.
So thank you.
Be careful with business.
Thank you.
But we'll fix there.
Ricky, tell me if it if you could, if you're I know you get
a lot of skills, so you might be able to fix that.
If not, we'll get charge of my office.
OK, right.
Oh yes.
One of the staff that we're honoring to that is I think
retired.
Is that the quotes on September 13th?
I think it was.
And, and now he's gonna go out and win the election for Pamela
Harris and whatever, whatever else campaign you're work gonna
work on at Arizona and then he's gonna stay there for the winter.
You can tell he's smart.
Thank you very much.
The only status I want to say is, and this event shows it so
clearly, that the way change happens is a collaboration of
the members of the Legislature, House and Senate, the staff of
the Legislature, and the advocacy expertise community.
And it's only when all three of those communities come together
that we get real change.
And that happened again and again and again.
And the new bill shows that so clearly.
So anyway, I want to thank you so much.
What's next?
Gabe Adams Key Gabe working too hard.
It's all good.
Well, some lobbyists get the vote, probably.
Congratulations.
You don't want to say anything or welcome to it.
Just thank you to dig in the alliance.
Terry Senator.
It's special work with so many great advocates, and I think
Brian put it really well.
Just getting to so many people in the building.
It's an incredible experience, Becky.
And then to me.
Thanks, Marianne.
Be what?
Marianne?
So Vicky Halal, who probably is going to get in trouble because
I think we're going to be a little over at time.
Yeah, but her name's on the.
But Vicky Halal has been a pleasure to work with.
I know if I'm talking to her, I'm talking to Pat because the
two communicate so closely together and both have the great
experience and A and a great record of helping over Nelson.
All involved here, here, like my colleagues have said, like my
dear friend and Senator Jalen has said, this is all about the
the work we do with each other getting here together.
I'm humbled and honored and I look forward to doing more of
this.
I'm not retiring.
So, yeah, we don't want either Pat or Tom to retire anytime
soon or or the key staffers as well so that we can continue to
make progress for folks that we care about.
And now Mary Ann Jay Padion, who I've known for a long time
because we we have districts had districts that I think about,
you know, mostly a pass of the district who has been I I I
she's held a number of titles with with Senator Karen Spilka.
Now she's the chief of staff.
I get maybe we're chief of staff once before she was famous, but
yes, I was Congratulations.
Thank you for your I just want to thank you for honoring me.
This is very, very.
Of course, I want to thank the Senate President because I have
worked with her for about 20 years and she gave me the
opportunity to work on these issues.
And I also want to acknowledge in her office, Monique Chin and
Colby Dillon worked tirelessly to get the words on paper to
make sure that it just comes out to the way you all waited
members wanted it to.
Thank you very much.
No, no, whatever.
OK.
As we're making this segue here in the process of preparing for
today's event, I discovered that Mary and I are both the Eagles,
BC Eagles and and we're just a few years upon in fact, her
husband is one year behind me at the BC.
Mary's much younger, though much younger, much younger and our
next staff are going to be recognized.
Dmitry Gredna I'd I'd like to make brief remarks.
What's the staff are always separate, so I have to approve
my boss.
Last week when she was asked about her past career as a
psychologist and how they informed her as their
representative, she said that the through line between the
two, between the two careers was that both are about recognizing
the integrity of the individual.
That's the level of wisdom I got to work for.
So I cannot, I cannot reconcile that dignity and integrity come
very close together.
This Sunday, I am going to be going to New York to witness my
grandfather's gravestone unveil.
He died last year.
When I first started working for Representative Bolzer, my
grandmother died of dementia.
And while my grandmother was in the nursing home with dementia,
my grandfather would come every day to put lipstick on her lips
and makeup on her eyes.
If we don't recognize that level of integrity, that level of
dignity, then we should.
And that is why I'm so grateful to the Dignity Alliance.
Next part of the key part of the Chapter 197 Team Marcos, I'm
sick.
I do play basketball instead of going to the NBA draft, I
decided to have my career in the State House well, every every
day and every minute of it.
Thank you to to Tom for hiring me and keeping me on for this
long.
It's been a privilege to work for you.
I want to thank my staff members Juliana and Jennifer.
They they worked really hard to get this film going.
So thanks for any lines for for work, one of us so well, thank
you.
Thank you, Mark.
It probably should be upholding signs somewhere, Wall fam.
But anyway, we have one new final one, but certainly last
but not least, someone who went Paul and I dropped by almost by
the last year, I think.
And the folks from housing at Augustus and the long time
friend was going in with his staff to meet with the speaker.
And just before they had gone in, we went in and met with met
Whitney actually at the time and the speaker gave us some some
time.
He was he and I worked on different sides on conference
committees, at least two of them on healthcare over time.
And the House didn't do as well as the Senate did on lunches,
but we had more more restaurant restaurant tours in the Senate
experienced there.
They had to call in and from the Elkfield, a representative
Republican representative owns a restaurant his family doesn't
want to provide to kind of be comparable in lunches that were
provided for working lunches that we had to in the conference
committee.
And so Whitney Ferguson Speakers Act Thanks so much to Dignity
Alliance.
I love, I love working with you guys and I love the team you've
made.
Mr.
Chairman, it's been a pleasure working with you.
Like I think you said, the speaker identified this as our
priority and then got the ball rolling and you guys took it
from there.
And the staff was awesome.
Joey and our office.
Misanjali.
I think it's a pronunciation is, I mean, incredible attorney and
he really wrote all this.
So he gets a lot of credit.
And then all some of my favorite chairs are here members and I
was thinking elders, children and families.
If you've been we always say chairs by themselves.
And if you've been in one of those committees, I can see why
you succeed so well and are so easy to work with because you
get like the real human stuff and you get making legislation
possible.
So Congrats to all the members here.
Thank you and now you're going to hear from another formal
legislator wrap up speaker and then after Senator Latalia and
officers closing remarks and she's also very much involved
with Rev up with some buckets over there.
Rev up is to help people appreciate nursing on the
disabilities make sure they're registered in vote in the
upcoming election so that we can continue democracy as we've
known at the best.
And finally, I would just remind people of those of you who need
would we'd like to have all of you received awards to come back
up here to do a photo in front of the screen here so we can do
that.
Mark you're going to have to crunch down next or you can be
as high as tall as Paul, but you know you get sensitive to these
things when I anyway I'll tell you thank you.
Hi everybody.
I realize on what's standing between photos and lunch so I'll
be really brief.
I've just been asked to speak a little bit about the work that
dignity as part of dignity Alliance why Disability Law
Center decided to join Dignity Alliance.
As you look at these circles, I think it really is the
confluence of aging and disability and trying to bring
all those groups together to be sure that we do offer through
large pieces of legislation and policy like the long term care
bill that just happened and through the small things as
well.
What was just talked about by Dimitri about, you know, the
love of going in and putting lipstick on someone to make sure
that they understood that they were still going to be cared for
and they were still going to be recognized.
And so we do all of that work and two things I guess, that
that Discipline Law Center has done that has helped influence
some of the Dignity Alliance work.
We actually are given federal protection, federal powers to go
in and pursue.
We do protection and advocacy.
So we investigate abuse and neglect in anywhere with where
anyone with any type of disability lives.
So that takes us into Bridgewater State Hospital on a
weekly basis and trying to uncover the indignities and, and
the need for better protections for folks that struggle with
mental illness that that find themselves at Bridgewater State.
And I will say Ruth has been an incredible leader on trying to
transfer Bridgewater from being run by the Department of
Corrections into the Department of Mental Health to allow for
additional protections that folks with mental health
challenges would have in any other facility.
So the work goes on and we're going to keep going till
December 31st, right?
We're going to get it done.
Exactly.
And then the other thing that they wanted me to talk about was
some of the nursing homework that we did when during the
pandemic we did a two year deep dive into a particular nursing
facility in Worcester.
We're receiving add on monies for supposedly providing
specialized care for folks with traumatic and acquired brain
injury.
And we went in and over two years came to realize that that
really wasn't happening and that in fact, an activities director
was in charge of deciding what kinds of services and supports
people at TBI were getting.
And that report came out and Dignity Alliance was very
interested in looking at it.
The chairs of Elder Affairs were very interested in looking at it
and it helped inform some of the conversations that we had around
ensuring that there was regulations were being adhered
to and being enforced by the Department of Public Health.
And so I would just like to say it's an incredible organization.
It really does represent a whole number of disability
organizations, the the legal aid folks, as well as all of the
aging organizations as well.
And lastly, I just wanted to say in terms of what Whitney had
said, it is true that when you have spent time as a legislator
sitting down and listening to hours and hours of testimony on
the needs of people who are struggling, it really does make
you realize that at its core, good legislative work is built
on great staff, good listening, being open to good ideas and
listening from those who either as individuals or as workers in
the field, what are they experiencing?
What are they seeing?
How can we make things better?
And so I think it's really with that in mind that Dignity
Alliance came together during COVID and, you know, Disability
Law Center has been proud to be a partner in that over the last
three years.
I just again, want to thank all the staff.
I'm struck by Marianne in particular, but everyone's
humility and just kind of being comfortable wanting to do the
work behind the scenes and doing incredible work.
And we just want to thank all of you as staff members.
Brian, we're still hoping that the foster care bill for SSI
recipients that that goes through in the next couple of
months.
For those who don't know, there's actually a practice that
has been reversed recently.
But we want to codify in law the fact that the state or DCF had
been taking signing up young people whose parents were
disabled or who had been deceased, signing them up for
SSI benefits and that money was going into the general fund.
It was not going into a pot to be saved for them when they age
out.
And we've already got everything all lined up.
DCF agrees, The advocacy community agrees.
We just need that bill to get done.
So we're still hopeful and that Brian was a key mover and shaker
on that.
We're hoping that happens before the end of the year.
But thanks to all the staff.
Thank you to all of the honorees.
Tom, thank you for being willing to make those phone calls and
listen and, and seek advice.
Thank you for your years.
I can remember when I started here, you chaired the Elder
caucus before you, long before you chaired the Elder Affairs
Committee, right?
And then you've done so, so much work.
Ruth, thank you for all your dedication with, you know,
disability issues, with mental health issues and others.
You know it.
You will be tough to replace and we need some new members to step
up and fill your very big shoes.
Same with Denise, who I came to know through Mass Nurses as a
safe staffing person and came on to the legislature and has
served so well both in ways and needs and is now the chair of
the Permanent Commission on Disability and hopefully that
work will continue.
Joan, all your work on disability issues, aging issues
and so many other things, justice for people who have
been, you know, not really well taken care of by the criminal
justice system.
So thank you.
And Kay, long time chair of children and families,
incredible stalwart on behalf of people with disabilities.
Kay does have a bill that she mentioned around voting, because
we do a lot of voting work, and a bill to try to set up a, a
situation where we can begin to really think about and the
Secretary of State's office can really look at accessibility,
physical accessibility into polling places as well as once
you get in, do the Automark machines work.
I'll leave you with one last thought.
And there's information on the table, which is this.
We are one of the few states in the nation that have passed a
law to ensure that those who are not able to physically go into a
polling place or lack the the dexterity or the ability to see
a a ballot can apply to vote remotely at home.
Many people don't know about this.
We just won a national award for being one of the few states in
the nation that provides it.
You won't see it in the red book that the Secretary of State has
put out, but there is information people can register.
They still can if it would be easier for them to vote from
home using their adaptive equipment to be able to cast a
private ballot.
And so I want to be sure that you all know about that because
it's a very underutilized resource that could easily be
done and used by folks that are in nursing homes, assisted
livings, people who are homebound, as well as folks
living in our our day, our GL ES, our group living
environment.
So if you're wondering about that, it is over there and I
want you to avail yourself of that.
So really digging the Alliance.
At its core is, is a bunch of different groups with a lot of
experience, collective experience, coming together to
try to work together.
And as Whitney was saying earlier, that's the essence of
good, good lawmaking, right?
Is everyone kind of working in this collaborative spirit to see
what we can do to make improvements?
So thank you very much.
Really appreciate it.
That's it.
Yeah.
Can I, before you wrap it, first of the the audience at home,
We're we're going to bring this to the clause, but I'm going to
let everybody know that this has been taped.
So anybody would like to freeze it, we'll have the link for you.
And when we do photos, we'll be doing photos of two groups with
the legislators and the staff.
Any Dignity Alliance members who would like to be part of the
photo?
Come on up Oakland, like a secretary of our affairs.
OK, Thanks very much and thank.
Congratulations to all the recipients and thank you all for
attending.