HB 885

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to regional autism centers; amending s.
3	1004.55, F.S.; creating an additional regional autism
4	center in the state; reducing the number of counties
5	within the service areas of two existing regional autism
6	centers; providing for consistency in service delivery;
7	encouraging each constituency board to raise funds;
8	providing a prohibition; providing an effective date.
9
10	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12	Section 1.  Subsections (1) through (4) of section 1004.55,
13	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
14	1004.55  Regional autism centers.--
15	(1)  Seven Six regional autism centers are established to
16	provide nonresidential resource and training services for
17	persons of all ages and of all levels of intellectual
18	functioning who have autism, as defined in s. 393.063; who have
19	a pervasive developmental disorder that is not otherwise
20	specified; who have an autistic-like disability; who have a dual
21	sensory impairment; or who have a sensory impairment with other
22	handicapping conditions. Each center shall be operationally and
23	fiscally independent and shall provide services within its
24	geographical region of the state. Service delivery shall be
25	consistent for all centers. Each center shall coordinate
26	services within and between state and local agencies and school
27	districts but may not duplicate services provided by those
28	agencies or school districts. The respective locations and
29	service areas of the centers are:
30	(a)  The Department of Communication Disorders at Florida
31	State University, which serves Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin,
32	Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty,
33	Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and
34	Washington Counties.
35	(b)  The College of Medicine at the University of Florida,
36	which serves Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie,
37	Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam,
38	Suwannee, and Union Counties.
39	(c)  The University of Florida Health Science Center at
40	Jacksonville, which serves Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau,
41	and St. Johns Counties.
42	(d)  The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
43	at the University of South Florida, which serves Charlotte,
44	Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands,
45	Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee,
46	Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Lucie, and Sarasota Counties.
47	(e)  The Mailman Center for Child Development and the
48	Department of Psychology at the University of Miami, which
49	serves Broward, Dade, and Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties.
50	(f)  The College of Health and Public Affairs at the
51	University of Central Florida, which serves Brevard, Lake,
52	Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia Counties.
53	(g)  The Department of Exceptional Student Education at
54	Florida Atlantic University, which serves Palm Beach, Martin,
55	St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River Counties.
56	(2)  There is established for each center a constituency
57	board, which shall work collaboratively with the center. Each
58	board shall consist of no fewer than six members, each of whom
59	is either an individual who has a disability that is described
60	in subsection (1) or is a member of a family that includes a
61	person who has such a disability, who are selected by each
62	university president from a list that has been developed by the
63	Autism Society of Florida and other relevant constituency groups
64	that represent persons who have sensory impairments as described
65	in subsection (1). As representatives of the center's
66	constituencies, these boards shall meet quarterly with the staff
67	of each of the centers to provide advice on policies,
68	priorities, and activities. Each board shall submit to the
69	university president and to the Department of Education an
70	annual report that evaluates the activities and accomplishments
71	of its center during the year. The board for each center should
72	raise funds equivalent to 2 percent of the total funds allocated
73	to that center in each fiscal year.
74	(3)  To promote statewide planning and coordination, a
75	conference must be held annually for staff from each of the
76	seven five centers and representatives from each center's
77	constituency board. The purpose of the conference is to
78	facilitate coordination, networking, cross-training, and
79	feedback among the staffs and constituency boards of the
80	centers.
81	(4)(a)  Each center shall provide:
82	1.(a)  A staff that has expertise in autism and autistic-
83	like behaviors and in sensory impairments.
84	2.(b)  Individual and direct family assistance in the home,
85	community, and school. A center's assistance should not supplant
86	other responsibilities of state and local agencies, and each
87	school district is responsible for providing an appropriate
88	education program for clients of a center who are school age.
89	3.(c)  Technical assistance and consultation services,
90	including specific intervention and assistance for a client of
91	the center, the client's family, and the school district, and
92	any other services that are appropriate.
93	4.(d)  Professional training programs that include
94	developing, providing, and evaluating preservice and inservice
95	training in state-of-the-art practices for personnel who work
96	with the populations served by the centers and their families.
97	5.(e)  Public education programs to increase awareness of
98	the public about autism, autistic-related disabilities of
99	communication and behavior, dual sensory impairments, and
100	sensory impairments with other handicapping conditions.
101	(b)  Direct medical intervention or pharmaceutical
102	intervention is prohibited in any center on or after July 1,
103	2008.
104	Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

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