BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AJR 46|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AJR 46
Author: Harkey (R)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
WITHOUT REFERENCE TO COMMITTEE OR FILE
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 8/30/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Autism in military families: funding Intensive
Behavioral
Interventions
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution urges the Congress of the United
States to pass legislation to fully fund Intensive
Behavioral Interventions (IBI) services through TRICARE for
all military families with children with autism and autism
spectrum disorders, and designates IBI services as a
medical necessity to make services available to children
with autism of retired military personnel.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1. Makes findings and declarations regarding the increased
incidence of autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD);
the unique challenges military families with children
with autism and ASD face; and, the cost to care for a
CONTINUED
AJR 46
Page
2
person with such disorders.
2. States that IBI, including Applied Behavioral Analysis
(ABA), DIR/Floortime, Relationship Development
Intervention (RDI), and other recognized forms of
intervention therapy clinically determined to be
effective are making a difference in the lives of
children with ASDs.
3. Makes findings and declarations regarding TRICARE, the
health care management program for military families,
implemented by the Department of Defense in 1997 to
ensure medical and mental health care services for
families of active duty military service members; states
that TRICARE has failed to adequately fund IBI services
for children with autism, which impacts services for
children in military families; and, makes findings and
declarations regarding the inadequacy TRICARE's Extended
Care Health Option (ECHO) as it creates barriers to
care, enrollment, and eligibility for IBI services.
4. Respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to
fully fund IBI services through TRICARE for all military
families with children with autism, and include in the
legislation a designation of IBI services as a medical
necessity in order to make coverage of IBI services
available for the children with autism of retired
military personnel and urges Congress to fully fund all
IBI services, including ABA, DIR/Floortime, RDI, and
other forms of intervention therapy demonstrated to be
clinically effective.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, this
resolution is a necessary first step in urging Congress to
fully fund IBI services through TRICARE for all military
families with ASD children. The author states that IBI
services are currently considered "special education"
rather than "health" or "mental health" services and are
therefore not covered under TRICARE. Additionally, the
author states that ECHO, which provides additional coverage
for active-duty military families with children suffering
from disabilities such as ASD, only partially covers IBI
AJR 46
Page
3
services, and is not available to families of retired
military personnel. Additionally, the author states that
this resolution will encourage Congress to designate all
IBI services, such as ABA DIR/Floortime, and RDI as a
medical necessity. According to the author, the Surgeons
General of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps along with high
level officials in the Air Force and Coast Guard have all
recommended fully funding IBI services both through TRICARE
and through ECHO.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De
La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gatto, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Lieu,
Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning,
Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson,
Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Knight, Vacancy, Vacancy
CTW:mw 8/31/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
**** END ****