AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Two state lawmakers say Texas should close some of its homes for the mentally disabled and get more of those residents into community settings.
Rep. Patrick Rose of Dripping Springs and Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston filed bills Monday that would close some schools in a state system wracked by reports of abuse and neglect of patients.
The lawmakers did not say which schools should be closed and that the matter will take a lot of study.
A Justice Department report released in December found at least 53 patients in Texas’ large residential facilities died in 2007 from preventable conditions that were often the result of lapses in care.
It concluded that the Texas facilities violate residents’ constitutional rights and called the number of injuries to patients “disturbingly high.”
Some families of the residents at the schools have opposed such a move, saying their loved ones have received good care.