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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Hello friends and supporters of H.1852/S.1164, a bill to protect disabled parents rights in the juvenile and family court systems.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>These bills were scheduled for hearing on April 22, 2025 with only a few days notice prior to a holiday weekend. My apologies for not notifying you in advance, but I was actually out of the country at the time. Our own Sam Fein and Senator Joan Lovely testified in favor of the bill, but since we were not able to bring a larger group of people to show up at the state house for the hearing, we now need your help with <u>submitting written testimony</u>!<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Please submit any written testimony as soon as possible by email to: <a href="mailto:Christianna.Golden@masenate.gov">Christianna.Golden@masenate.gov</a> and <a href="mailto:Grace.Giordina@masenate.gov">Grace.Giordina@masenate.gov</a>, both in Senator Edwards office. Please reference the bill numbers (H.1852/S.1164) and indicate that you are supporting the legislation and asking that the members vote it favorably out of committee as soon as possible! The House deadline to report bills out of committee is sixty days after hearing, which puts us at June 22! While it appears the Senate allows for more time, we need to consider this deadline as a critical one! If you need more assistance in drafting testimony, please reach out to myself, or Sam Fein (copied above) and we can send you some talking points and/or suggestions. Please speak from your own personal experience and/or that of your constituency and how this bill would positively impact their experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>We also need calls to the chairs and committee members! Please use the following links to reach out to any and all members of the Judiciary Committee, and in particular the chairs, Senator Lydia Edwards and Representative Michael Day, as they have the greatest influence in determining what is voted favorably out of committee. (I've included a link to the page for the committee listing all the members, click on their name for their page and email address) as well as email addresses for each of the chairs and vice chairs.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><a href="https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J19">https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J19</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Senate chair: <a href="mailto:Lydia.Edwards@masenate.gov">Lydia.Edwards@masenate.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>House chair: <a href="mailto:Michael.Day@mahouse.gov">Michael.Day@mahouse.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Senate vice chair: <a href="mailto:James.Eldridge@masenate.gov">James.Eldridge@masenate.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>House vice chair: <a href="mailto:Brandy.FlukerReid@mahouse.gov">Brandy.FlukerReid@mahouse.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Again, please contact us with any questions or if you are in need of contact information. If you happen to be a constituent of any of the relevant legislators, PLEASE mention that (and include your address) in your email or call to their office - they always want to hear from constituents. If you have community members and other individuals you are working with you can also make calls or send emails, please have them do so, and feel free to forward this email and/or fact sheet attached - which you should feel free to reference and use for talking points as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Thank you all so much for your support and efforts on this legislation, we have a short window to work on this bill, but let's make this the year to get the bill passed!<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id=Signature><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"inherit",serif;color:black'>_____________________________________</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Kate Nemens, Esq. (she/her/hers) </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Senior Attorney/Legislative Advocacy Director</span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Supervising Attorney, Family Law Project<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>100 Hancock Street, 10<sup>th</sup> Floor, Suite 1002</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Quincy, MA 02171</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Phone: 617-338-2345 ext. 128 </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Direct dial: 617-391-9727 </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Cell/text messages: 857-301-7949 </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Fax: 617-338-2347 </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'><a href="mailto:knemens@mhlac.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>knemens@mhlac.org</span></a></span></u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Please find us on </span><u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#002451'><a href="https://www.facebook.com/www.mhlac.org" title="https://www.facebook.com/www.mhlac.org"><span style='color:#002451'>facebook</span></a></span></u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> and </span><u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#174E86'><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/mental-health-legal-advisors" title="https://www.linkedin.com/company/mental-health-legal-advisors"><span style='color:#174E86'>LinkedIn</span></a></span></u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#201F1E'>. For more information, you can also go to </span><u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'><a href="http://mhlac.org/legal_help/"><span style='color:#0563C1'>http://mhlac.org/legal_help/</span></a></span></u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#201F1E'>. </span><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>If you need legal help, go to </span><u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'><a href="http://mhlac.org/request-intake/"><span style='color:#0563C1'>http://mhlac.org/request-intake/</span></a></span></u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> or use </span><u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'><a href="mailto:intake@mhlac.org" title="intake@mhlac.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>intake@mhlac.org</span></a></span></u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> to send an email message. </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>For TTY users ONLY, you can call 617-227-6500. </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>For additional resources, go to </span><u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'><a href="http://www.mhlac.org/"><span style='color:#0563C1'>www.mhlac.org</span></a></span></u><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>. </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>This electronic message contains a communication from a law office, which is strictly confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee. The communication may be privileged under the attorney-client and/or the attorney work product privileges. Any non-addressee is prohibited from reading, disseminating, distributing, or copying the communication contained herein. If you are in possession of the communication in error, please immediately notify the sender via electronic mail excluding the original communication. Thank you. </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div></body></html>