The Commerce Committee's sub-committee on Health and Environment held hearings on the MiCASA bill on March 12th 1998. Over 300 people came to support the bill, so the Committee had to set up an overflow room with TV connections to the main hearing room. In addition to ADAPT, numerous national disability organizations were in attendance to show their support. Speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Dick Gephart spoke first. Mike Auberger testified for ADAPT, Justin Dart spoke in support as well, as did Carol Hughes, Chairperson of Gingrich's District Disability Task Force. In addition federal and state officials testified and most were very positive. Speaking against MiCASA were Polly Spare, President of Voice of the Retarded (the pro-large institution parents organization) and Victoria Brown of National Alliance of the Disabled (a disability group of that time.) In addition to the crowds that attended in support of MiCASA, people from all over the nation sent in written comments in support. Some of course were long and involved, others simply stated how community attendant services enabled people to live free. The hearing was both a beautiful show of support for consumer controlled community attendant services based on functional need, but also a snap shot of the long way Congress has to go to understand disability issues from an enlightened perspective.