Sponsors say they couldn’t muster support

Federal report last year found widespread abuse, neglect, civil rights violations in ‘state schools’

From the Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman:

Texas legislators Rep. Patrick Rose and Sen. Rodney Ellis have withdrawn a proposal to require consolidation or closure of the state’s troubled institutions for people with intellectual disabilities.

“This body is one that requires compromise,” said Rose, who is chairman of the House Committee on Human Services. “Getting a bill out of committee and to the floor with consolidation required is a very difficult thing, and, I think, impossible this session, here in the House.”

The future of Texas’ state schools has been hotly debated in the state legislature this session following a December report from the federal Department of Justice that said the institutions do not protect residents from harm. The families of residents of the institutions have lobbied hard to keep them open, with the support of editorial writers around the state.

Earlier posts here.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 at 5:51 pm and is filed under abuse, civil rights, institutionalization, law, neglect, NOT2BEMISSED, Texas institutions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.