By Jim Frazier, Director of Public Policy, The Arc & UCP California Collaboration
Last week, the SB 882 Advisory Council on Improving Interactions between People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Law Enforcement were sworn in and conducted their first meeting. I am proud to be one of the council members appointed by Anthony Rendon, Speaker Emeritus of the California State Assembly
The Advisory Council is composed of nine members appointed by the Governor, Senate Committee on Rules, and Speaker of the Assembly, all with very impressive credentials. After being sworn in, we got straight to work. We made suggestions on the type of data, information and presentations from community stakeholders and subject matter experts that would be needed for the council to make recommendations to the legislature on possible policy changes or updates to existing legislation to address to improve the outcomes between the disability community and law enforcement.
KCRA News 3 included the public meeting in its newscast highlighting the importance of the landmark legislation that was sponsored by The Arc & UCP California Collaboration, United Domestic Workers/AFSME Local 3930, and the Association of Regional Center Agencies.
The meetings are open to the public and we encourage stakeholder participation and input as we continue the planning and strategic recommendation process. The more input we have from the community, the better the outcome. To watch the first meeting, view the list of Councilmembers, or provide input by email or joining the next meeting, visit the website at [email protected].