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Rep. Shanley bill would allow collective bargaining for those who care for developmentally disabled adults

 

STATE HOUSE — Rep. Evan P. Shanley (D-Dist. 24, Warwick, East Greenwich), has introduced legislation that would ensure that more developmentally disabled adults can self-direct the care they need and want by allowing care professionals to collectively negotiate with the state.

Self-directed personal care services are a way for those receiving services to have more control about how they spend service funding. In addition to setting their own goals and deciding their own schedule, individuals hire their own support staff and manage their service budget. 

Modeled after the Quality Family Child Care Act of 2013, the Quality Self-Directed Supports Act of 2025 (2025-H 5228) would incorporate collective bargaining rights into the self-directed supports program to enhance service access, increase the availability of education and training options and improve the recruitment and retention of the individuals selected by participants as direct support professionals.

“The goal of this legislation is to ensure that every developmentally disabled adult gets the best quality care possible,” said Representative Shanley. “Empowering self-directed support professionals will help ensure access to quality care, which in turn will create a more efficient and high-quality system that provides developmentally disabled adults with the care they need.”

Under the legislation, self-directed support professionals would negotiate with the state over the terms of the support services, including training and professional development opportunities; improving the recruitment and retention of qualified self-directed direct support professionals; reimbursement rates, wages, and other economic matters; benefits; payment procedures; provider qualification standards and a grievance resolution process.

The bill would retain the rights of participants and their representatives to select, direct and terminate the services of self-directed support professionals and to determine the wages of self-directed direct support professionals.

“It can be awkward and burdensome to families when they have to be employers to their self-directed support professionals,” said Representative Shanley. “While individuals receiving these services will continue to be the boss, deciding how much to pay their caretakers and firing them if need be, everything else that goes along with being a boss will be regulated by the collective bargaining agreement, making things easier for both the families and the caregivers.”

            The legislation has been referred to the House Labor Committee.                                                   

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