Cincinnati father who inspired ‘Lauren’s Law’ wants daughter’s name removed from bill after changes

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – A bill aimed at helping families of people with developmental disabilities passed an Ohio House committee today, but the father of the bill’s namesake may want to that his daughter’s name be removed.

Local 12 broke Lauren Carter’s story last year. That’s when the young woman’s father filed a complaint after years of alleged abuse at care facilities, including Lauren’s throat being slit. The reporting and advocacy of Lauren’s father and other families in similar situations gave rise to “Lauren’s Law,” a bill that promised to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities.

But Lauren’s father isn’t happy with the way things are going. Lauren’s Law passed the Ohio House of Representatives Committee on Families and Aging on Tuesday. The problem? How the bill started and what it looks like today are very different.

“Today it was completely kicked,” said Greg Carter, Lauren’s father.

He’s unhappy after seeing what the Committee on Families and Aging did with the bill. Initially, Lauren’s Law would have required the state to pay families caring for their developmentally disabled loved ones 90 percent of what it pays to facilities and group homes. Currently, families receive only a fraction of that, and most cannot afford home care, including Greg, because it would force them to quit their jobs. This part of the bill has been deleted.

“Right now, families don’t have access to facilities and group homes,” Greg said. “Many families could care for their loved ones at home, but the finances just aren’t there. Funds are spent on facilities, group homes, etc. Institutional frameworks are where the preference lies.

The bill also would have required facilities to install cameras in guest rooms if families requested it, but the language was changed to make this voluntary for facilities.

“So what’s the point then?” » Local 12 asked Greg. “Why even have this bill? »

“Well, as it stands, it’s of no use,” he said.

But the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Sara Carruthers of Hamilton, says the bill does a lot.

“You don’t always get everything you want,” she said. “We’ve got to keep biting at that apple. At least now these people have a voice. At least now in the Legislature they’ve been heard. They’ve never been heard before.”

Carruthers said the bill can still change during the legislative process in the House and Senate.

“It’s not doing what needs to be done,” she admitted. “It’s the first step in doing what needs to be done. It can come back and get into the operating budget that way.”

Greg says he will wait to see if the bill will be stronger than it is, because when he saw what it had become, his reaction was strong.

“Well, my first thought was to remove his name,” he said.

Apparently, dissatisfaction with the way the bill was changed prompted letters to be sent to committee members and even the governor. Carruthers says he actually delayed introducing the bill until after the summer recess. Now he probably won’t be heard until after the November election.

Lauren Carter currently lives in a group home near her father. He says the facility allows him to keep a camera in Lauren’s room, so he can check on her when he’s not visiting.