Governor Gregoire (D) of Washington State will be announcing whether she is appealing MR v Dreyfus to the Supreme Court TODAY (10/22).
TAKE ACTION AND CALL GOVERNOR GREGOIRE!
Call Governor Gregoire‘s office at 360-902-4111 starting at 12 PM Eastern, 11 AM Central, 10 AM Mountain, 9 AM Pacific.
Say: “Make the right decision. Don‘t appeal MR v Dreyfus to the Supreme Court and risk and the right of people with disabilities to live in the community!“
Then get as many people to call as possible!
She announces her decision at 4pm PST / 7 pm EST!!!
BACKGROUND: In response to cuts to personal care services for approximately 45,000 Medicaid recipients, disability advocates sued the state of Washington. In response to the suit, Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire argued that individuals with disabilities must be already institutionalized in order to be protected under the Olmstead decision and that it violates the U.S. Constitution for the Americans with Disabilities Act to prevent states from cutting home and community based services, even when those cuts will cause institutionalization. The Circuit court disagreed with Governor Gregoire.
Now, Governor Gregoire is considering an appeal to the Supreme Court! She wants to maintain control of her budget, but is putting the rights of people with disabilities at risk. If she takes the case to the Supreme Court, they could take the opportunity to turn back the clock on our rights. The disability community in Washington state has urged Governor Gregoire to settle this case without going to the Supreme Court, but she has been unwilling to do so.
Thank you,
Dean DeRusso
Deaf Systems Advocate
Regional Center for Independent Living (RCIL)
