HB 0885

CS

CHAMBER ACTION

1	The Colleges & Universities Committee recommends the following:
2
3	Council/Committee Substitute
4	Remove the entire bill and insert:
5	A bill to be entitled
6	An act relating to regional autism centers; amending s.
7	1004.55, F.S.; creating an additional regional autism
8	center in the state; reducing the number of counties
9	within the service areas of two existing regional autism
10	centers; providing for consistency in service delivery;
11	requiring each constituency board to raise funds;
12	providing a prohibition; providing an effective date.
13
14	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16	Section 1.  Subsections (1) through (4) of section 1004.55,
17	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
18	1004.55  Regional autism centers.--
19	(1)  Seven Six regional autism centers are established to
20	provide nonresidential resource and training services for
21	persons of all ages and of all levels of intellectual
22	functioning who have autism, as defined in s. 393.063; who have
23	a pervasive developmental disorder that is not otherwise
24	specified; who have an autistic-like disability; who have a dual
25	sensory impairment; or who have a sensory impairment with other
26	handicapping conditions. Each center shall be operationally and
27	fiscally independent and shall provide services within its
28	geographical region of the state provided that service delivery
29	shall be consistent for all centers. Each center shall
30	coordinate services within and between state and local agencies
31	and school districts but may not duplicate services provided by
32	those agencies or school districts. The respective locations and
33	service areas of the centers are:
34	(a)  The Department of Communication Disorders at Florida
35	State University, which serves Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin,
36	Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty,
37	Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and
38	Washington Counties.
39	(b)  The College of Medicine at the University of Florida,
40	which serves Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie,
41	Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam,
42	Suwannee, and Union Counties.
43	(c)  The University of Florida Health Science Center at
44	Jacksonville, which serves Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau,
45	and St. Johns Counties.
46	(d)  The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
47	at the University of South Florida, which serves Charlotte,
48	Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands,
49	Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee,
50	Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Lucie, and Sarasota Counties.
51	(e)  The Mailman Center for Child Development and the
52	Department of Psychology at the University of Miami, which
53	serves Broward, Dade, and Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties.
54	(f)  The College of Health and Public Affairs at the
55	University of Central Florida, which serves Brevard, Lake,
56	Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia Counties.
57	(g)  The Department of Exceptional Student Education at
58	Florida Atlantic University, which serves Palm Beach, Martin,
59	St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River Counties.
60	(2)  There is established for each center a constituency
61	board, which shall work collaboratively with the center. Each
62	board shall consist of no fewer than six members, each of whom
63	is either an individual who has a disability that is described
64	in subsection (1) or is a member of a family that includes a
65	person who has such a disability, who are selected by each
66	university president from a list that has been developed by the
67	Autism Society of Florida and other relevant constituency groups
68	that represent persons who have sensory impairments as described
69	in subsection (1). As representatives of the center's
70	constituencies, these boards shall meet quarterly with the staff
71	of each of the centers to provide advice on policies,
72	priorities, and activities. Each board shall submit to the
73	university president and to the Department of Education an
74	annual report that evaluates the activities and accomplishments
75	of its center during the year. Beginning in the 2006-2007 fiscal
76	year, the board for each center must raise funds equivalent to 2
77	percent of the total funds allocated to that center in each
78	fiscal year.
79	(3)  To promote statewide planning and coordination, a
80	conference must be held annually for staff from each of the
81	seven five centers and representatives from each center's
82	constituency board. The purpose of the conference is to
83	facilitate coordination, networking, cross-training, and
84	feedback among the staffs and constituency boards of the
85	centers.
86	(4)(a)  Each center shall provide:
87	1.(a)  A staff that has expertise in autism and autistic-
88	like behaviors and in sensory impairments.
89	2.(b)  Individual and direct family assistance in the home,
90	community, and school. A center's assistance should not supplant
91	other responsibilities of state and local agencies, and each
92	school district is responsible for providing an appropriate
93	education program for clients of a center who are school age.
94	3.(c)  Technical assistance and consultation services,
95	including specific intervention and assistance for a client of
96	the center, the client's family, and the school district, and
97	any other services that are appropriate.
98	4.(d)  Professional training programs that include
99	developing, providing, and evaluating preservice and inservice
100	training in state-of-the-art practices for personnel who work
101	with the populations served by the centers and their families.
102	5.(e)  Public education programs to increase awareness of
103	the public about autism, autistic-related disabilities of
104	communication and behavior, dual sensory impairments, and
105	sensory impairments with other handicapping conditions.
106	(b)  Direct medical intervention or pharmaceutical
107	intervention is prohibited in any center.
108	Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.