Persons with Developmental Disabilities Bill of Rights.

Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide fixed points of contact in the community for persons with developmental disabilities and their families, and to ensure that a person with developmental disabilities has access to the services and supports best suited to the person throughout his or her lifetime. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that persons with developmental disabilities have certain rights, including a right to prompt medical care and treatment and a right to be free from harm, including abuse or neglect. Existing law grants specified rights to a person with developmental disabilities who has been admitted or committed to a state hospital, community care facility, or health facility, including the right to have access to individual storage space for private use and a right to see visitors each day. Existing law requires a developmental center to immediately report resident deaths and certain serious injuries, including a sexual assault, to the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the city or county in which the developmental center is located. This bill would recast those rights as the Persons with Developmental Disabilities Bill of Rights. The bill would include, as a right to persons with developmental disabilities, the right to a prompt investigation of any alleged abuse against them.