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Statutory Regulations Released for Interagency Review of Complex Cases
On March 1, 2024, EOHHS and DESE released the long-awaited, final adoption of the regulations governing the Interagency Review of Complex Cases (published as 101 CMR 27.00). These regulations had been anticipated since the Massachusetts Legislature passed “An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health” in August, 2022.
The purpose of the law is the establishment of a team that will collaborate on complex cases where there is an urgent need to address a lack of consensus between state agencies about the service needs or placement of an individual. This replaces what was known as the Unified Planning Team, or “UPT”.
The co-chairs of the IRT will be the secretary (or a designee) from EOHHS and the commissioner (or a designee) of DESE.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP’s Two New Partners
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP is pleased to announce Attorneys Peter McNulty and Karis North’s promotion to Partner. MHTL is proud to have Attorneys McNulty and North as dedicated members of the firm. Mr. McNulty is one of the firm’s lead attorneys in...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Attorneys Nominated by Super Lawyers Magazine
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP would like to congratulate Katherine Hesse, Mary Ellen Sowyrda, Peter Mello, and Karis North for being recognized as Massachusetts’ 2023 Super Lawyers. Attorney Hesse is a partner at the firm and was acknowledged for her...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partners Present at the MMHR Annual Fall Conference
Partners Michael Maccaro and Katherine Hesse of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP presented at the Massachusetts Municipal Human Resources (“MMHR”) Annual Fall Conference on September 21, 2023. Their presentation, titled “Getting to Yes: Collective...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Welcomes New Associate Attorney
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP is delighted to announce the addition of a new associate attorney. Attorney Ariana Imbrescia graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in May 2021, and joined MHTL in the summer of 2023 as an Associate. Prior...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Prevails in U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Attorney Felicia Vasudevan, a partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, received a favorable decision on behalf of her client, Marshfield Public Schools. The Plaintiff appealed the district court’s judgement that upheld a decision of the Massachusetts...
New Features of Public Participation at School Committee Meetings
Following our Alert from March 16, 2023, Civility is Dead – The Supreme Court Rules Municipal Control of Public Speak Limited to Reasonable Time/Place/Manner Restrictions, which discussed the holding to the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Barron v. Kolenda and the Town of Southborough (SJC-13284), we promised to bring you more detailed guidance on developing a Public Speak policy for your public body or municipality. The Barron case involved a constitutional challenge to the Town of Southborough’s public comment policy, which attempted to impose a code of civility on members of the public who participated in public comment before public bodies. In Barron, the court interpreted the state constitution to mean that public bodies may request, but not require, that public commentators be respectful and courteous. Instead, a public body may set restrictions on reasonable time, place, and manner comments to ensure that the meeting retains an orderly and peaceable manner.
The U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies and Updates the Standard for Religious Accommodations Case Overview
On June 29, 2023, in a unanimous decision, the United States Supreme Court redefined how employers must evaluate religious accommodation requests under federal law. In Groff v. LeJoy, Postmaster General, the Court heard a civil rights challenge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Mr. Groff, an Evangelical Christian, and a former postal worker residing in rural southeast Pennsylvania, asserted that the United States Postal Service (USPS) impacted his ability to observe his Sunday Sabbath as a religious day of rest because they required him to work certain Sundays. The USPS denied Groff’s request for an accommodation to not work on Sundays and began to progressively discipline Groff for his continuing refusal to do so. In light of an expected termination from employment, Groff instead resigned and then brought suit against the USPS alleging violation of Title VII for failing to accommodate his religious beliefs.
THE SUPREME COURT ENDS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION
On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States (the “Court”) issued its decision in the twin cases of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina (collectively, “Students for Fair Admissions, Inc.”). In a majority opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court found that Harvard College’s (“Harvard”) and the University of North Carolina’s (“UNC”) race-based admissions programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (the “EP Clause”) of the United States Constitution. This decision ends the Court’s established, though always uneasy, acceptance of affirmative action in higher education and stands to dramatically alter college admissions across the country.
Attorney Karis North Elected President of Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association
Congratulations to Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP lawyer, Karis North, who on June 8, 2023 was elected President of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association (“MMLA”). Formed in 1946, MMLA is the Massachusetts municipal law bar association and...
Statutory Regulations Released for Interagency Review of Complex Cases
On March 1, 2024, EOHHS and DESE released the long-awaited, final adoption of the regulations governing the Interagency Review of Complex Cases (published as 101 CMR 27.00). These regulations had been anticipated since the Massachusetts Legislature passed “An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health” in August, 2022. The purpose of the law is the establishment of a team that will collaborate on complex cases where there is an urgent need to address a lack of consensus between state agencies about the service needs or placement of an individual. This replaces what was known as the Unified Planning Team, or “UPT”. The co-chairs of the IRT will be the secretary (or a designee) from EOHHS and the commissioner (or a designee) of DESE.
Statutory Regulations Released for Interagency Review of Complex Cases
On March 1, 2024, EOHHS and DESE released the long-awaited, final adoption of the regulations governing the Interagency Review of Complex Cases (published as 101 CMR 27.00). These regulations had been anticipated since the Massachusetts Legislature passed “An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health” in August, 2022. The purpose of the law is the establishment of a team that will collaborate on complex cases where there is an urgent need to address a lack of consensus between state agencies about the service needs or placement of an individual. This replaces what was known as the Unified Planning Team, or “UPT”. The co-chairs of the IRT will be the secretary (or a designee) from EOHHS and the commissioner (or a designee) of DESE.
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