2023 -- S 0795
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LC002329
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO WRITE AN OLMSTEAD PLAN
FOR RHODE ISLAND
Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, DiMario, Lauria, and Murray
Date Introduced: March 23, 2023
Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services
RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created 1
consisting of twenty-eight (28) members: two (2) of whom shall be members of the Senate, to be 2
appointed by the President of the Senate; two (2) of whom shall be members of the House of 3
Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the Director 4
of the Department of Healthy Aging, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the 5
Department of Children, Youth and Families, or designee; one of whom shall be the Executive 6
Secretary of the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities, or designee; one of whom shall be the 7
Executive Director of the Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or designee; one of 8
whom shall be the Director of the Department of Health, or designee; one of whom shall be the 9
Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, or 10
designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Department of Corrections, or designee; one 11
of whom shall be the Mental Health Advocate, or designee; one of whom shall be the Child 12
Advocate, or designee; one of whom shall be the Secretary of Housing, or designee; one of whom 13
shall be the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, or designee; one of 14
whom shall be the Executive Director of Senior Agenda, or designee; one of whom shall be the 15
Executive Director of the RI Coalition for Children & Families, or designee; one of whom shall 16
be the Executive Director of the RI Parent Information Network, or designee; one of whom shall 17
be the President of the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island, or designee; one of 18
whom shall be the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of RI, or designee; one of 19
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whom shall be the Executive Director of the RI Developmental Disabilities Council, or designee; 1
one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the RI Coalition to End Homelessness, or 2
designee; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Housing Network of RI, or 3
designee; one of whom shall be the Program Manager of Rhode Island Continuum of Care, or 4
designee; and four (4) of whom shall be persons who have lived with disabilities, two (2) of 5
whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House and two (2) of whom shall be appointed by 6
the President of the Senate. 7
In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a legislative study 8
commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly resolution, the appointing 9
authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu of a legislator; provided 10
that, the majority leader or the minority leader of the political party which is entitled to the 11
appointment consent to the member of the general public. 12
The purpose of said commission shall be to draft a proposed Olmstead Plan for Rhode 13
Island. 14
The proposed Olmstead Plan will establish a permanent, renewable, and working 5-year 15
“Integration for All” Olmstead Plan (“the Plan”) for people with disabilities in Rhode Island. The 16
Plan should be based on: 17
1. A statewide assessment to identify the State’s current resources, strengths, and unmet 18
needs of persons with disabilities; and 19
2. Substantial community input. 20
Data should drive the development of the Plan, and it should include goals to develop 21
specific permanent and temporary funding streams to support a wide array of housing options, 22
community services, and resources for persons living with disabilities. 23
To ensure that the Plan is a “living” plan, there should be annual updates on regulatory, 24
budgetary and legislative solutions or modifications, along with proposed recommendations for 25
change. Every fifth year, the State should evaluate outcomes and conduct a new assessment in 26
order that the Plan can be updated with new goals for the next five (5) years. 27
The Plan should include proposed staffing needed to implement, monitor and evaluate the 28
Plan, as well as a projected funding need in each of the five (5) years to meet the Plan’s goals and 29
identify potential funding sources. 30
By July 15, 2023, upon passage of the joint resolution, the members of the commission 31
shall be appointed and shall meet at the call of the Speaker of the House and the President of the 32
Senate and organize and shall select, from among the legislators, two (2) co-chairpersons. 33
Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. 34
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The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. 1
All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, 2
documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or 3
desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. 4
The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide 5
suitable quarters for said commission; and be it further 6
RESOLVED, That the commission shall deliver its draft of the proposed Olmstead Plan 7
for Rhode Island to the General Assembly no later than January 3, 2024, for review and adoption, 8
and said commission shall expire on July 1, 2024. 9
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LC002329
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO WRITE AN OLMSTEAD PLAN
FOR RHODE ISLAND
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This resolution would create a twenty-eight (28) member special legislative commission 1
whose purpose it would be to write an Olmstead Plan for RI, and who would report back to the 2
General Assembly no later than January 3, 2024, and whose life would expire on July 1, 2024. 3
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LC002329
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