HB 0885

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to regional autism centers; amending s.
31004.55, F.S.; creating an additional regional autism
4center in the state; reducing the number of counties
5within the service areas of two existing regional autism
6centers; providing for consistency in service delivery;
7requiring each constituency board to raise funds;
8providing a prohibition; providing an effective date.
9
10Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12     Section 1.  Subsections (1) through (4) of section 1004.55,
13Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
14     1004.55  Regional autism centers.--
15     (1)  Seven Six regional autism centers are established to
16provide nonresidential resource and training services for
17persons of all ages and of all levels of intellectual
18functioning who have autism, as defined in s. 393.063; who have
19a pervasive developmental disorder that is not otherwise
20specified; who have an autistic-like disability; who have a dual
21sensory impairment; or who have a sensory impairment with other
22handicapping conditions. Each center shall be operationally and
23fiscally independent and shall provide services within its
24geographical region of the state provided that service delivery
25shall be consistent for all centers. Each center shall
26coordinate services within and between state and local agencies
27and school districts but may not duplicate services provided by
28those agencies or school districts. The respective locations and
29service areas of the centers are:
30     (a)  The Department of Communication Disorders at Florida
31State University, which serves Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin,
32Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty,
33Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and
34Washington Counties.
35     (b)  The College of Medicine at the University of Florida,
36which serves Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie,
37Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam,
38Suwannee, and Union Counties.
39     (c)  The University of Florida Health Science Center at
40Jacksonville, which serves Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau,
41and St. Johns Counties.
42     (d)  The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
43at the University of South Florida, which serves Charlotte,
44Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands,
45Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee,
46Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Lucie, and Sarasota Counties.
47     (e)  The Mailman Center for Child Development and the
48Department of Psychology at the University of Miami, which
49serves Broward, Dade, and Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties.
50     (f)  The College of Health and Public Affairs at the
51University of Central Florida, which serves Brevard, Lake,
52Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia Counties.
53     (g)  The Department of Exceptional Student Education at
54Florida Atlantic University, which serves Palm Beach, Martin,
55St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River Counties.
56     (2)  There is established for each center a constituency
57board, which shall work collaboratively with the center. Each
58board shall consist of no fewer than six members, each of whom
59is either an individual who has a disability that is described
60in subsection (1) or is a member of a family that includes a
61person who has such a disability, who are selected by each
62university president from a list that has been developed by the
63Autism Society of Florida and other relevant constituency groups
64that represent persons who have sensory impairments as described
65in subsection (1). As representatives of the center's
66constituencies, these boards shall meet quarterly with the staff
67of each of the centers to provide advice on policies,
68priorities, and activities. Each board shall submit to the
69university president and to the Department of Education an
70annual report that evaluates the activities and accomplishments
71of its center during the year. The board for each center must
72raise funds equivalent to 2 percent of the total funds allocated
73to that center in each fiscal year.
74     (3)  To promote statewide planning and coordination, a
75conference must be held annually for staff from each of the
76seven five centers and representatives from each center's
77constituency board. The purpose of the conference is to
78facilitate coordination, networking, cross-training, and
79feedback among the staffs and constituency boards of the
80centers.
81     (4)(a)  Each center shall provide:
82     1.(a)  A staff that has expertise in autism and autistic-
83like behaviors and in sensory impairments.
84     2.(b)  Individual and direct family assistance in the home,
85community, and school. A center's assistance should not supplant
86other responsibilities of state and local agencies, and each
87school district is responsible for providing an appropriate
88education program for clients of a center who are school age.
89     3.(c)  Technical assistance and consultation services,
90including specific intervention and assistance for a client of
91the center, the client's family, and the school district, and
92any other services that are appropriate.
93     4.(d)  Professional training programs that include
94developing, providing, and evaluating preservice and inservice
95training in state-of-the-art practices for personnel who work
96with the populations served by the centers and their families.
97     5.(e)  Public education programs to increase awareness of
98the public about autism, autistic-related disabilities of
99communication and behavior, dual sensory impairments, and
100sensory impairments with other handicapping conditions.
101     (b)  Direct medical intervention or pharmaceutical
102intervention is prohibited in any center.
103     Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.


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