Full Text of HR1053 94th General Assembly
HR1053 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
HR1053 |
|
LRB094 19988 DRJ 57432 r |
|
| 1 |
| HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The Illinois State Board of Education has reported | 3 |
| that today there are more than twice as many children in | 4 |
| Illinois diagnosed with autism as there were only five years | 5 |
| ago; and
| 6 |
| WHEREAS, It is estimated that fewer than 1 in 10 children | 7 |
| with autism receive the level and type of services recommended | 8 |
| by the National Research Council; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, Families of children with autism bear an enormous | 10 |
| financial burden of providing needed services and healthcare; | 11 |
| and | 12 |
| WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 was signed into law in 2004 | 13 |
| establishing the Autism Task Force, in order to study and | 14 |
| assess service needs of persons with autism spectrum disorders | 15 |
| ("ASD") in the State of Illinois; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 additionally required the | 17 |
| Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Public | 18 |
| Aid to determine the availability of federal financial | 19 |
| participation in the cost of developing a family support | 20 |
| program, which would include medical assistance coverage for | 21 |
| children diagnosed with autism, including services to support | 22 |
| persons with autism in their homes and communities that are not | 23 |
| provided through local school systems, early intervention | 24 |
| programs, or the medical assistance program under the Illinois | 25 |
| Public Aid Code; and | 26 |
| WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 required the departments to | 27 |
| determine the feasibility of obtaining federal financial | 28 |
| participation and stated that they "may apply for any | 29 |
| applicable waiver under Section 1915(c) of the federal Social | 30 |
| Security Act"; and |
|
|
|
HR1053 |
- 2 - |
LRB094 19988 DRJ 57432 r |
|
| 1 |
| WHEREAS, The Autism Task Force met for over 18 months and, | 2 |
| on September 1, 2005, delivered a 30-page report which | 3 |
| recommended that the Governor and State Legislature should give | 4 |
| "the highest priority" to establishment of a children's Autism | 5 |
| Waiver program in Illinois; and | 6 |
| WHEREAS, The Autism Task Force further recommended that, | 7 |
| "with the support of the Governor and the Legislature, the | 8 |
| Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and DHS | 9 |
| should prepare and submit as soon as possible to the Federal | 10 |
| Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services an application for | 11 |
| an Illinois Children's ASD Waiver"; and
| 12 |
| WHEREAS, Committees of both houses of the General Assembly | 13 |
| convened several subject matter hearings on autism in Fall 2005 | 14 |
| in Chicago and Springfield, including hearings by the House | 15 |
| Developmental Disabilities/Mental Illness Committee, the | 16 |
| Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the House Human | 17 |
| Services Committee; and
| 18 |
| WHEREAS, Many dozens of parents of children and adults with | 19 |
| autism testified before these committees, attesting to the | 20 |
| urgent need for services and financial support for families of | 21 |
| children and adults with autism; and
| 22 |
| WHEREAS, Illinois has no Medicaid waiver program for | 23 |
| children with autism or any developmental disabilities; and
| 24 |
| WHEREAS, A children's Medicaid waiver will provide Federal | 25 |
| Match to the State through reimbursement by the Federal | 26 |
| government for waiver services; therefore, be it
| 27 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 28 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 29 |
| we endorse the goal of supporting families of children with |
|
|
|
HR1053 |
- 3 - |
LRB094 19988 DRJ 57432 r |
|
| 1 |
| autism directly and providing consumer-directed services for | 2 |
| persons with autism; and be it further
| 3 |
| RESOLVED, That we support the goal of establishing a | 4 |
| Medicaid waiver or waivers to provide supports and services for | 5 |
| families of children with autism; and be it further
| 6 |
| RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Healthcare and | 7 |
| Family Services and the Department of Human Services to apply | 8 |
| for a children's Medicaid waiver that includes a minimum of | 9 |
| 2,000 children with autism and provides for these children to | 10 |
| receive specialized autism services, including applied | 11 |
| behavioral analysis and analogous habilitative methodologies, | 12 |
| in addition to other waiver services and supports that will | 13 |
| allow parents to keep their children with autism in their homes | 14 |
| and with their families; and be it further | 15 |
| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 16 |
| delivered to the Director of Healthcare and Family Services and | 17 |
| to the Secretary of Human Services.
|
|