HB2497/SB2146, which will be heard in House Health Subcommittee on Tuesday, March 19th, allows some organizations in the state to get around Tennessee's anti-institutionalization protections in order to build large-scale congregate residential facilities. For all intents and purposes, these are new institutions for people with disabilities. TDC was founded on the principle of community inclusion and integration, and this bill runs in opposition to that principle. 

We've come a long way since the horrors of state institutions; even a single exception to these protections against institutionalization erodes the integrity of this firewall and sets us on a path backwards. This is a red line for us, and it should be a red line for the state. So please join us in saying "NO!" to new institutions in the state.