Jefferson City
As the legislative session comes to a close, it's time to give a quick overview of the autism bills so far.
The Autism Commission Bill (SB 768) creates Missouri Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders sponsored by Senator Rupp is now through both the Senate and the House, and is on its way to the Governor, and is expected to be signed. This will establish a state commission to consider autism issues in Missouri and officially report to the legislature. It will be serviced by the Department of Mental Health and the Office of Autism Services.
The bills relating to autism insurance coverage attracted a bit of attention this session, with versions in both the Senate and House voted out of committee. But no other action was taken on any of the bills, and neither side had any bills to come to a floor vote.
None of the autism bills relating to education (either in tax-credit/scholarship form or public school support) are appearing to be viable. While the autism tax credit bill provided the most controversy, especially in the House, none of the controversy was over real autism issues. It became a public school vs. private school argument which is a school choice issue. Neither side disputed the fact that some schools are struggling to serve students with autism. They just both have very different ideas about what to do about it. It will be very interesting to see where and how this issue resurfaces, and if it has anything to do with autism when it does.
Missouri Autism Legislative Overview
April 12, 2008
Behavior Modification Plans Needed in Jeff City?
Many of us in the autism community spend a great deal of our time trying to modify behavior: reinforcing desired behaviors and trying to extinguish or replace the undesired ones. It seems that the Missouri state legislature might need some behavior modification plans for their own members. This week, the “undesired behaviors” emerged in Jefferson City, with yelling, screaming, tantrums, and even a little pushing and shoving. And, no, it wasn’t in a special education classroom. The nastiness ensued in the capitol in the House chamber this week, some in the name of autism.
The controversial special needs/autism tax credit bills earned their day of infamy this legislative session when the House took up floor debate over whether the tax credit issue could be tacked on to a larger bill involving teacher salary increases. The House supporters of the tax credit scholarship bill were not successful in their attempt to put the two bills together, as the House voted to strip off the tax credit amendment. The unpleasantries followed with plenty of bitter words all around.
Click here for “real” news articles and coverage
St. Louis Post Dispatch coverage from April 11, 2008
Good news for the legislature: Behavior modification programs are available in Missouri!
Bad news: The providers are few, the waiting lists are LONG and insurance doesn’t cover a penny!
Missouri Autism Legislative Overview
April 1, 2008
In Jefferson City, it has been a very busy session for appropriations and legislation involving autism. The Missouri State Legislature is primarily focused on the state budget this session. The House finished its work on all the appropriations bills before the spring recess. The entire budget package has been sent to the Senate to the Appropriations Committee. The largest ever increase in autism funding was proposed in the Dept. of Mental Health budget. This is attracting some attention, but relatively speaking, it is “small potatoes” when compared to the overall DMH budget and the entire state budget.
LEGISLATION: Autism is certain starting to show up on the radar of many legislators, but we are still considered “new-comers” to the political scene. The Missouri Blue Ribbon Panel on Autism, which concluded and filed its report in late 2007, seems to have sparked interest in several areas and by a wide variety of legislators. Currently eleven bills are filed which specifically deal with autism. That sounds like a record, and it is, but in a stormy sea of over 2,400 bills filed this session, it is easy to lose sight of them. Not all the bills filed are a direct recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Panel, but many are related. The bills involving mainly fall into three categories: State systems/structures, insurance reform, and education. Some bills are non-controversial, such as the bills that would establish the Missouri Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Office of Autism Services in DMH.
INSURANCE: The bills related to insurance coverage are similar to legislative efforts in many other states across the nation, but aren’t gathering any wide-spread attention in our capitol this session. All of these would require (mandate) insurers to pay for autism-related health services prescribed by a physician, including ABA. The details in the various bills differ slightly, but it is the concept that is a new issue, and thus a difficult sell. SB 1122 completed its hearing on April 1 without any fanfare. The insurance industry predictably opposed this bill, as they will any type of such a bill, but not to just single out autism… they categorically oppose ANY insurance mandate. Missouri does have other insurance mandates in use, but Missouri is not considered a “mandate-friendly” state.
EDUCATION: The bills attracting the most attention by far (i.e. most controversial!) this session have been the bills filed relating to scholarships through tax credits/vouchers for special needs students. The senate took this issue up for lively debate last week. The lines are clearly drawn: the “school choice”/private school crowd vs. the public school education crowd. While this hotly-debated issue is IN THEORY about special needs students, the reality is that it is an issue over using any state funds (or perceived use of state funds through tax credits) in a private school.
While it is very unlikely that the majority of the bills relating to autism will actually get to the floor for a final vote, many legislators are increasingly taking notice and an interest in autism issues. BUT …there still is a LONG way to go in helping educate them about the autism community in Missouri and their diverse needs.
