View Congress Member / Senator

Name: Lucille Roybal-Allard
Position: House (CA, 40)
Party: Democrat

Staffer: Debbie Jessup
Telephone: 202-225-1766
Email: Debbie.Jessup@mail.house.gov
Address: 2083 Rayburn House Office Building

Number of Contacts: 12 ( or 0% in support)
Cosponsor: Yes

Message and Talking Points

Contacts

Leah Smith writes on 5/16/2019 at 4:08PM:
Followed up via email with Debbie, as the Congresswoman's name is not currently on the list.

Leah Smith writes on 5/16/2019 at 3:37PM:
Called and spoke with James, who reported that Debbie wanted us to know that the Congresswoman just recently signed on as a cosponsor.

Sophie Poost writes on 4/30/2019 at 9:40AM:
On 4/29, Sophie Poost sent the following-email to Debbie Jessup:

Good Afternoon,

A few weeks ago a few disability rights activists, myself included, stopped by the office in hopes of discussing the Disability Integration Act (HR.555). We were told to follow up with you after the recess in regards to the bill and the Congresswoman???s potential cosponsorship. The language of the bill has only a few small changes, so we believe that it should not be a hard decision on whether or not to support the legislation, as Representative Roybal-Allard was a cosponsor when this bill was in the 115th Congress. We would love to know if she will be committing once more or what questions or concerns you may have that are preventing further support. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or to Amy Bos in Representative Sensenbrenner???s office to join as a cosponsor.

Thank you for your assistance,
Sophie Poost
National ADAPT

Sophie Poost writes on 4/10/2019 at 2:05PM:
On April 10, Sophie Poost and Kathryn Carrol stopped by the office and asked to meet with the staffer. Debbie Jessup was not available so the ADAPTers left their cards and one pagers.

Sophie Poost writes on 3/21/2019 at 11:01AM:
S. Poost sent the following email to Debbie Jessup:

Good Morning,

I???m a member of the national disability rights group, ADAPT, and we are looking for continued support for the Disability Integration Act (HR.555) from Representative Roybal-Allard. As one of the previous cosponsors on the bill in the last Congress, we believe that she understands the significance of the bill for the rights and lives of Disabled Americans. Reintroduced on January 15th, the Disability Integration Act or DIA remains bipartisan, bicameral civil rights legislation led by Representative Sensenbrenner and Minority Leader Schumer. The legislation???s goal is to ensure that people with disabilities have the right to decide where and how they live instead of being forced into institutions. For a refresher on the bill, I have attached a one pager which reviews the basics of the bill.

The Representative???s support for the legislation feels especially pertinent right now, during Women???s History Month, as women are disproportionately impacted by the issues this bill addresses. Women in general live longer than men, which means they are more likely to become disabled in their later years. Additionally, women are more likely to work as attendants or take on informal/voluntary caregiver roles which means many women are underpaid or unpaid for their efforts???an issue that would be directly addressed by this legislation. The text remains largely unchanged from its previous iteration, so we would like to belief that Representative Roybal-Allard would not have too much trouble continuing her cosponsorship of the bill.

The legislation currently has 112 cosponsors in the House and we would love to see Congresswoman Roybal-Allard join the list. Please take some time to look over what I have sent you, and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me or if the Representative is interested in cosponsorship reach out to Amy Bos in Representative Sensenbrenner???s office.

Thank you for your time,
Sophie Poost
National ADAPT



Tim Bowman writes on 8/30/2018 at 1:12PM:
On August 30th, 2018, C4CI sent an email to Debbie Jessup (Debbie.Jessup@mail.house.gov) asking why is not a cosponsor of DIA and whether the representative would commit to being an initial co-sponsor of DIA if elected to the next Congress.

Lindsay Baran writes on 8/01/2018 at 3:56PM:
From Sheryl Grossman, 7/17/18-
Met with Debbie Jessup, Health Policy Advisor, for 20 mins. She asked a lot of questions. She disclosed having had meetings with ???those with severe disabilities??? who raised ???some legitimate concerns???. We talked about DIA not closing facilities and what funding for community-based services will provide that can help alleviate some of these fears. She asked about seniors. I talked about the civil right to live and receive services where we choose to do so, no matter what our age. She took notes on this. She had concerns over ???who decides??? and I talked about the fact that this bill does not change how states run their Medicaid programs, etc. Debbie disclosed that her sister has Down???s Syndrome and that the Congresswoman is ???very committed to the rights of people with disabilities???. I received the following email when I returned to the office:
???Hi Sheryl,
It was great meeting you today. Thanks for stopping by the office and educating me about the need for the Disability Integration Act. I had the bill in my pile of legislation that needed some action, and would probably have gotten to it sometime during the August recess, but your personal witness about how this would impact your life was so very compelling. So I just wanted to say thanks for your advocacy, and to let you know that we cosponsored the bill this afternoon.
Best, Deb
Debbie Jessup, CNM, PhD
Health Policy Advisor
Office of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40)

Stephanie Woodward writes on 6/27/2018 at 9:23AM:
Good Morning Debbie,



I am writing to follow up on two visits that the Disability Community has made to Congresswoman Roybal-Allard's office about the Disability Integration Act. On May 16, members of the Disability Community met with staff in the D.C. office and were directed to follow up with you.

I have attached an informational packet for you. This includes a 2 pager with an overview of the bill, a letter from the DNC supporting the Disability Integration Act, a statement from Center for American Progress endorsing the bill, a letter of support signed by hundreds of disability organizations across the nation (as well as other organizations such as the ACLU), a letter of support from Disability Rights attorneys across the nation, a letter of support from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, and finally, a letter of support from SEIU. As you can see, the bill has widespread and consistent support from the Disability Community and beyond.

Additionally, we know that Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is on the Congressional Task Force on Down Syndrome. I am happy to tell you that two of the co chairs of the Congressional Task Force on Down Syndrome support the Disability Integration Act, as well as many members of the Task Force including:

Tony C??rdenas (D-CA)
Gerald Connolly (D-VA)
John Delaney (D-MD)
Joseph Kennedy lll (D-MA)
Ted Lieu (D-CA)
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa)
Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
Adam Smith (D-WA)
Darren Soto (D-FL)

One fantastic benefit of the Disability Integration Act is that it will secure the civil rights of ALL disabled Americans to live in freedom. While people with Down Syndrome will certainly benefit, so will every other disabled American.

I hope this email has provided you with enough information to have a discussion with the Congresswoman to see if she will cosponsor the Disability Integration Act. I will be in D.C. today and tomorrow (6/27 and 6/28) and would be happy to stop in to discuss this bill further.

Thank you,



Stephanie Woodward, J.D.
Director of Advocacy
Center for Disability Rights

Ericka Jones writes on 5/30/2018 at 5:05PM:
ADAPT spoke to an intern on May 16th because staff were at a hearing. Follow up with: debbie.jessup@mail.house.gov

Bruce Darling writes on 9/27/2017 at 3:30PM:
On September 27th, ADAPT members - as part of the Fall Action Hill Day - provided the office with information about the Disability Integration Act and asked that the Member of Congress cosponsor this legislation.

Bruce Darling writes on 5/17/2017 at 4:45PM:
On May 17th, ADAPT members - as part of the Spring Action Hill Day - provided the office with information about the Disability Integration Act and asked that the Member of Congress cosponsor this legislation.

Stephanie Woodward writes on 4/13/2016 at 11:02AM:
On April 13, 2016 ADAPT members - as part of the Spring Action Hill Day - provided the office with information about the Disability Integration Act which has already been introduced in the US Senate and asked that the Member of Congress become initial cosponsor this legislation in the House.


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