Senate Bill sb1716c1

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    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1716

    By the Committee on Education; and Senator Klein





    581-1915-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to regional autism centers;

  3         amending s. 1004.55, F.S.; creating an

  4         additional regional autism center in the state;

  5         reducing the number of counties within the

  6         service areas of two existing regional autism

  7         centers; providing for consistency in service

  8         delivery; encouraging each constituency board

  9         to raise funds; providing a prohibition;

10         providing an effective date.

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12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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14         Section 1.  Subsections (1) through (4) of section

15  1004.55, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

16         1004.55  Regional autism centers.--

17         (1)  Seven Six regional autism centers are established

18  to provide nonresidential resource and training services for

19  persons of all ages and of all levels of intellectual

20  functioning who have autism, as defined in s. 393.063; who

21  have a pervasive developmental disorder that is not otherwise

22  specified; who have an autistic-like disability; who have a

23  dual sensory impairment; or who have a sensory impairment with

24  other handicapping conditions. Each center shall be

25  operationally and fiscally independent and shall provide

26  services within its geographical region of the state provided

27  that service delivery shall be consistent for all centers.

28  Each center shall coordinate services within and between state

29  and local agencies and school districts but may not duplicate

30  services provided by those agencies or school districts. The

31  respective locations and service areas of the centers are:

                                  1

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    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1716
    581-1915-05




 1         (a)  The Department of Communication Disorders at

 2  Florida State University, which serves Bay, Calhoun, Escambia,

 3  Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon,

 4  Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla,

 5  Walton, and Washington Counties.

 6         (b)  The College of Medicine at the University of

 7  Florida, which serves Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia,

 8  Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion,

 9  Putnam, Suwannee, and Union Counties.

10         (c)  The University of Florida Health Science Center at

11  Jacksonville, which serves Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler,

12  Nassau, and St. Johns Counties.

13         (d)  The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health

14  Institute at the University of South Florida, which serves

15  Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands,

16  Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee,

17  Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Lucie, and Sarasota Counties.

18         (e)  The Mailman Center for Child Development and the

19  Department of Psychology at the University of Miami, which

20  serves Broward, Dade, and Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties.

21         (f)  The College of Health and Public Affairs at the

22  University of Central Florida, which serves Brevard, Lake,

23  Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia Counties.

24         (g)  The Department of Exceptional Student Education at

25  Florida Atlantic University, which serves Palm Beach, Martin,

26  St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River Counties.

27         (2)  There is established for each center a

28  constituency board, which shall work collaboratively with the

29  center. Each board shall consist of no fewer than six members,

30  each of whom is either an individual who has a disability that

31  is described in subsection (1) or is a member of a family that

                                  2

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    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1716
    581-1915-05




 1  includes a person who has such a disability, who are selected

 2  by each university president from a list that has been

 3  developed by the Autism Society of Florida and other relevant

 4  constituency groups that represent persons who have sensory

 5  impairments as described in subsection (1). As representatives

 6  of the center's constituencies, these boards shall meet

 7  quarterly with the staff of each of the centers to provide

 8  advice on policies, priorities, and activities. Each board

 9  shall submit to the university president and to the Department

10  of Education an annual report that evaluates the activities

11  and accomplishments of its center during the year. The board

12  for each center should raise funds equivalent to 2 percent of

13  the total funds allocated to that center in each fiscal year.

14         (3)  To promote statewide planning and coordination, a

15  conference must be held annually for staff from each of the

16  seven five centers and representatives from each center's

17  constituency board. The purpose of the conference is to

18  facilitate coordination, networking, cross-training, and

19  feedback among the staffs and constituency boards of the

20  centers.

21         (4)(a)  Each center shall provide:

22         1.(a)  A staff that has expertise in autism and

23  autistic-like behaviors and in sensory impairments.

24         2.(b)  Individual and direct family assistance in the

25  home, community, and school. A center's assistance should not

26  supplant other responsibilities of state and local agencies,

27  and each school district is responsible for providing an

28  appropriate education program for clients of a center who are

29  school age.

30         3.(c)  Technical assistance and consultation services,

31  including specific intervention and assistance for a client of

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    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1716
    581-1915-05




 1  the center, the client's family, and the school district, and

 2  any other services that are appropriate.

 3         4.(d)  Professional training programs that include

 4  developing, providing, and evaluating preservice and inservice

 5  training in state-of-the-art practices for personnel who work

 6  with the populations served by the centers and their families.

 7         5.(e)  Public education programs to increase awareness

 8  of the public about autism, autistic-related disabilities of

 9  communication and behavior, dual sensory impairments, and

10  sensory impairments with other handicapping conditions.

11         (b)  Direct medical intervention or pharmaceutical

12  intervention is prohibited in any center on or after July 1,

13  2008.

14         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

15  law.

16  

17          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
18                         Senate Bill 1716

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20  The committee substitute provides that Regional Autism Centers
    should, rather than must, raise the amount of funds specified
21  in the bill. By July 1, 2008, the centers must prohibit direct
    medical or pharmaceutical intervention.
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