I’m Just a Bill!

How Shayan’s Law SB5203/HB1210 Will move towards passage

• The bill is introduced & assigned to a policy committee.  The committee chair grants the bill a hearing, compelling testimony is person and in writing is needed on specific discrimination against your child with autism through policy obstacles that lead to denial of medically necessary services.  This means treatments that are covered for other chronic health care conditions are being denied for YOUR child with autism. The following are examples our families are reporting:

1. Evidence based diagnosis of autism is unreasonably caped or denied altogether.
2. Evidence based diagnosis of common comorbid medical conditions denied.
3. Evidence based assessment tools required to develop evidence based treatments unreasonably caped or denied altogether.
4. Medically necessary evidence based treatments that meet national standards are unreasonably caped or denied ( considered educational, experimental, habilitative, providers out of network), the same treatments are covered for other chronic health care conditions.

• The committee chair schedules an executive session (this is not done automatically after a hearing, all questions and concerns that were brought up during the hearing must be successfully addressed with compelling and accurate responses).
  • The committee members vote Yes!!! to pass out of committee to the next stage..

The Process

1. Session starts in Jan.
2. Our bill is referred to the policy committee (Health care) for a hearing. The committee studies the bill and may hold public hearings on it. The members can then vote it out of committee (once it’s scheduled for an executive session), reject or take no action on the bill.  If no action is taken the bill dies.  Our Senate bill has had it’s first hearing and is being studied in committee. Deadline for bills to be voted out of committee will be published at the beginning of session.
3. It will then go to the fiscal committee (Ways & Means-Senate, Health & Human Services Appropriations-House). The committee studies the bill and may hold public hearings on it. It can then pass, reject or take no action on the bill. Deadline for bills to be read in fiscal committees to be published (if the bill’s fiscal note makes it into the budget by the deadline, it will be given a brief extension).
4. The bill is then referred to the Rules Committee.
5. The Rules Committee can either place the bill on the second reading of the calendar for debate before the entire body, or take no action.
6. At the second reading, a bill is subject to debate and amendment before being placed on the third reading calendar for final passage.
7. After passing the senate, the bill goes through the same procedure in the house.
8. If amendments are made, both the Senate and the House must approve the changes.
9. When the bill is accepted in both houses, it is signed by the respective leaders and sent to the governor.
10. The governor signs the bill into law or may veto all or part of it. If the governor fails to act on the bill, it may become law without a signature.