As Capital Tonight reported last week, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in group homes were three times more likely to get COVID-19 and three times more likely to die from it than the general public. 

It’s just one of the alarming findings in a report by three organizations, including Disability Rights New York, that was published after a seven-month investigation.   

Senator James Skoufis, chairman of the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, discussed the report on Capital Tonight.

“We’ve seen what happened in nursing homes. The directive, the executive order, does seem to have some parallels to the nursing home directive, although the circumstances are quite distinct,” Skoufis told Capital Tonight.

A group of Republican lawmakers brought the report to Skoufis’ attention and asked if he would launch an investigation.

When asked by Capital Tonight if he would, Skoufis stated, “It needs to be looked at. I’ve spoken to Senator John Mannion, who is the chair of the Disabilities Committee, and he is also alarmed by this and believes that it needs to be closely looked at. He is interested in taking the lead on this examination. Certainly, both my office and the Investigations Committee is ready to support his efforts, however we can.”