A few highlights from 2013 2013 was a busy year in the autism community. We witnessed the changeover in statewide service delivery from Local Management Entities (LMEs) to Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). Issues that had stalled for years with the legislature moved forward, but not all the way into law. And more families learned that…
Update on Voting Rights Legislation: H 589 VIVA/Election Reform
On Tuesday, ASNC alerted the public that changes made to H 589 would threaten the rights of individuals with guardianship to vote. Thank you for your advocacy on this issue: You were heard! Ā We can now report that Senator Apodaca introduced an amendment to the bill on the floor of the Senate Wednesday night that…
Update and Alert: Children w/ Disabilities Education Tax Credit and Scholarship Program
Note: an hour after this blog was posted we got word that Senate Finance scheduled an additional meeting Wednesday July 17 at 1 PM and has put H269 on the calendar! Ā We are looking forward to the committee discussion and a favorable vote. Ā Feel free to let your own Senator know your support for the…
11 Things to Know About the Autism Insurance Bill and the NC Legislature
The Autism Society of North Carolina has been working for the past 5 years with other groups in NC to pass a law that would require private insurance and the state health plan to cover diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder. We’ve written about the struggle to get a law passed in many blogs…
Public Policy Update: State Budget 2013 to 2015
State Budget 2013-2015 During the long legislative session, such as the one currently going on, the General Assembly creates a two year budget for the state. This session, the NC Senate started the process by passing a proposed budget bill several weeks ago. The NC House has now responded with their budget proposal. The two…
Driving and Autism
Editor’s Note – The following article was written by Linda Griffin, Parent Advocate Director for the Autism Society of North Carolina. I had hoped that my son would learn to drive. And then I hoped that he wouldnāt. Either way, there were going to be consequences. Not driving meant learning to use public transportation and…
Public Policy Update: Some Bills Survived “Crossover” and Some Did Not
As I mentioned in my previous blog posting, the week of May 10th to 14th at the General Assembly was crossover,Ā a ādo or dieā week for policy bills introduced in the legislative long session. Simplified: bills that pass one chamber, either the NC House or the NC Senate, stay āaliveā and can be voted…
Legislative Update for May 20 – NC House Passes Autism Insurance Bill!
The following post was filed by Jennifer Mahan, Autism Society of North Carolina Director of Advocacy and Public Policy. Crossover Week Last week, the legislature finished a very busy week known as ācrossover.ā During each long session the NC General Assembly sets a deadline for policy bills to be approved by one chamber or the…
Autism Insurance Update: Insurance Committee Hearing for H 498 Scheduled!
House Bill 498 that would require group insurance plans and the state health plan in North Carolina to cover treatment of autism is scheduled for a House Insurance Committee hearing on Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 1PM in room 1228/1327 of the Legislative Building. The House bill would ensure that plans for companies that operate…