This article is the second of several wrapping up the 2014 legislative session. Look for more details on the budget and issues related to education in coming days.Ā The NC General Assembly passes two-year budgets during its long sessions in odd calendar years. During the short sessions, like this year, they make adjustments to the…
State Budget Package Finalized; Autism Insurance Reform Set Aside
This article is the first of several wrapping up the 2014 legislative session. Look for more details on the budget and information on other legislation passed during the session in coming days.Ā The NC House and Senate agreed on a budget package to adjust the final year of the current two-year budget and passed the…
Selecting a Board Certified Behavior Analyst
This article was contributed by Leica Anzaldo, Training Manager for the Autism Society of North Carolina. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has gotten a bad rap over the years, and up until a few years ago, I too had some misconceptions. Common assumptions are that ABA: creates robotic results is very rigid and does not allow…
Autism Insurance Reform Gets Another Chance
This week, the NC House passed S493, Health and Safety Regulatory Reform. The House had been debating various regulatory reform bills for the past week, and on Tuesday, they introduced a new version of S493 that included autism insurance reform with very similar bill language to House bill 498, which was passed last year, as…
House Approves its Budget Adjustments Bill
As we wrote about in a previous budget update, the NC Senate passed its version of the budget on May 30. That Senate bill contained a number of cuts and policy changes that would negatively affect people on the autism spectrum and people with disabilities. The House responded with its version, which passed Friday, June…
General Assembly Budget Update and Action Alert!
Last week, the NC Senate passed a budget adjustments bill that proposes cuts to teacherās assistants, other school funds, and Medicaid, including the cutting of so-called āoptional populations,ā such as those eligible for Special Assistance and the medically needy. See our previous post for details on the proposal. In short, these cuts would be devastating…
Senate Approves Budget Adjustments Bill
During the long legislative session last year, the NC General Assembly created a two-year budget for the state. During this yearās short legislative session, lawmakers review the budget and make adjustments based on current spending, revenues, and any new priorities that arose in the past year. The governor released his budget proposal several weeks ago,…
Summer Doesnāt Mean a Break from Learning
This article was contributed by Leica Anzaldo, Training Manager for the Autism Society of North Carolina. Many of us are looking forward to the summer: no early mornings at the bus stop, frantic lunch packing, haggling over bedtimeā¦ you get the picture. Of course a break from the intensity of school is important, but donāt…
NC Legislative Session Starts May 14: What You Need to Know
May 14 begins the āshortā session of the North Carolina General Assembly. The short session takes place in even years and lasts about 6-7 weeks. Typically, legislators will make adjustments to the budget and take up a few pieces of legislation that either were not completed the previous year or are being introduced based on…