When State Representative Tom Sannicandro, a longtime MDSC member and legislative champion, resigned in 2016 his departure left a void for the entire disability community.
However, we could never have imagined our great fortune when a young, new legislator was elected to that seat - a man who would prove to be as relentlessly supportive of the MDSC and as dedicated to the rights of people with disabilities as his predecessor. From the moment he was sworn into office in January 2017, Representative Jack Patrick Lewis has been our go-to guy, the legislator the MDSC can always count on to be in our corner.
From his participation in our State House Advocacy Days, to ensuring that the MDSC receives an annual appropriation in the state budget, Rep. Lewis has been there for us year after year. Honestly, he never says no to us - actually, we don’t think that word is in his vocabulary!
From the start, he was there for the MDSC when we needed support and leadership to pass our access to higher education legislation, which finally became law last year! And Rep. Lewis has been the lead sponsor of our current legislation that would mandate insurance coverage for Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy - or ABA therapy - for children with a single diagnosis of Down syndrome.
We are so happy to announce that we are inching closer to passage of that bill and - fingers crossed - we hope to have some good news to report to you in the coming months.
Rep. Lewis was our champion throughout COVID-19, helping to secure substantial amounts of money in federal ARPA and economic development funds that have helped to build a solid foundation on which we have created the Your Next Star employment training program.
We can’t thank Rep. Lewis enough for his tireless work, compassion and willingness to take on any challenge for the MDSC. Our families have come to depend upon his leadership and the support of his colleagues to ensure that all individuals living with disabilities have the support and services they need to REACH their goals.
On behalf of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, we are proud to present the 2023 Legislator of the Year Award to State Representative Jack Patrick Lewis.