HB0191ham001 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Mary E. Flowers

Filed: 3/29/2007

09500HB0191ham001 LRB095 03917 HLH 34734 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 191

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 191 by replacing line 6 on page 11 through line 8 on page 12 with the following:

"As soon as is possible after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the Department shall enhance its program of family preservation services, including, but not limited to, respite care, to support intact, foster, and adoptive families when (i) the family is eligible for services from the Department pursuant to the Department's rules, (ii) the family is experiencing extreme hardships due to the difficulty and stress of caring for a child who has been diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder, and (iii) the Department determines that those services are necessary to ensure the health and safety of the child. "Respite care" shall be defined in the Department's amended rules and regulations. The Department may refer the child or family to services available from other agencies in the community. Acceptance of these services shall be voluntary. The Department may develop and implement a public information campaign to alert health and social service providers and the general public about these special family preservation services. The nature and scope of the services offered and the number of families served under the special program implemented under this paragraph shall be determined by the level of funding that the Department annually allocates for this purpose. The term "pervasive developmental disorder" under this paragraph means a neurological condition, Asperger's Syndrome, and autism, as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association.".