This article was contributed by Jennifer Mahan, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at ASNC. The Autism Society of North Carolina advocates with policymakers at the General Assembly, state departments and divisions, and LME/MCOsĀ to help create better services and opportunities for people on the autism spectrum. We are developing our public policy targets for…
2016 Legislative Wrap-Up: Education Budget and Bills
This article was contributed by Jennifer Mahan, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at ASNC. It is the second of three parts wrapping up the NC General Assemblyās 2016 short session. Teacher and school staff raises, education programs and supplies: The budget adjustments bill adds $240 million for teacher and school staff raises, plus an…
2016 Legislative Wrap-Up: The Budget
This article was contributed by Jennifer Mahan, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at ASNC. It is the first of three parts wrapping up the NC General Assemblyās 2016 short session. The NCĀ House and Senate agreed on a budget adjustments bill for the second year of the stateās two-year budget, which allocates a total of…
Speak Out on NC Budget Proposals
This article was contributed by Jennifer Mahan, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at ASNC. On June 1, the NC Senate released its version of the budget adjustments bill for this year. Despite advocacy directed at the Senate to improve on what the NC House budget offered, the Senate includes no funding for federally required…
A Closer Look at North Carolinaās 2015-17 Budget
This article was contributed by Jennifer Mahan, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at ASNC. The new state budget for budget years 2015-17, which began on July 1, 2015, sits at $21.7 billion. It includes several important policy initiatives for people with disabilities, but it also makes changes that could keep people with autism, intellectual…
NC General Assembly Begins Long Session
This article was contributed by Jennifer Mahan, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy. The North Carolina General Assembly began its long legislative session on January 28, spending the two weeks prior to that organizing committee membership and shifting offices for new members and leaders. This yearās legislative session is off to a slow start. The…
Legislative Wrap-up 2014: Education Policy
This article is the last of several wrapping up the 2014 legislative session.Ā The Autism Society of North Carolina’s focus on education continued to highlight improving education for children with disabilities in public schools while also offering options to parents who need to find different academic settings. Public Education: Per-student funding was not changed for…
Closer Look: NC Budget Appropriations Act of 2014 and Medicaid Reform
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…