ASA-ASO Action Alert: Contact your Senators about HB 1

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend of ASA-ASO:Ohio Sub. HB 1, the Ohio Budget bill has now moved on to the Senate for debate by the Senate Finance Committee.

There are several items in the budget bill that will affect individuals with Autism:

- Autism Insurance Coverage

- Funding for Special Education

- Funding for Charter Schools

Autism Insurance Coverage

This bill contains language that would require Autism Insurance coverage by health insurers - the language contained in HB 8 with three significant changes - a 6 month delayed start date, a $36,000 annual limit on services and additional licensing and oversight requirements for providers.

The Senate Finance Committee has begun hearing testimony on varying aspects of the budget. ASA-Autism Society of Ohio Chapter Executive Director Barbara Yavorcik will testify before the committee on Friday, May 15 in support of the Autism Insurance Coverage language in the bill.

Please contact your Senators to encourage them to support Autism Insurance Coverage language in Sub HB 1! It is especially important to contact members of the Senate Finance Committee (especially the Republican Members) to ask them to retain the Autism Insurance Coverage language in the version of the bill that is sent to the full Senate for consideration. Members of the Senate Finance Committee are:

Carey - R, Chair

Dale - D, Ranking Minority Member Mark Wagoner - R, Vice Chair

Ray - D Cates - R

Shirley - D Faber - R

H. - DTom Niehaus - R F. Patton - RBill Seitz - R Jimmy - RWidener - R

If you Senator is on the Finance Committee, please contact them as soon as possible. Even if your Senator is not on the committee, you can ask them to help.

Please use this link to write to your state Senator and urge him or her to support Autism Insurance Coverage language in Sub HB 1.

You can also click here to get contact information for your Senator if you are willing to write a letter or contact them by phone.

Funding for Special Education

Also, as you may be aware, the Ohio Budget Bill addresses funding for education, including Special Education.

Special Education students in Ohio are currently funded through a cost-based, special education funding methodology. Students are provided the same per pupil base funding as regular education students, and then this amount is enhanced through one of six special education weights, or multipliers, with the strength of the weight related to the severity (and related cost) of the disability. The policy logic that supports this funding model has strong bipartisan support in Ohio and it has won favorable attention nationally. Unfortunately, due primarily to funding constraints, Ohio’s model has never been fully funded or updated. It is currently funded at 90 percent of the original 2001 weights. The Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (of which ASA-ASO is a member) supports an updated, fully funded, cost-based special education funding methodology as the right approach for Ohio.

The Sub. HB 1 budget proposal for special education funding is both complicated and confusing. It proposes that Ohio retain a weighted special education funding model, but since it also proposes the elimination of the state’s per pupil foundation formula (base funding), the weights will be used to develop a revised funding model that purports to reflect the reality that it costs more to educate students with special education needs.

When talking with your Senators, please ask them to:

Address Special Education Funding Formula Issues: The basic logic of the proposed special education funding formula has not been made clear, nor have important details. For instance, the assumption that the special education funding model should include a 1/20 teacher pupil ratio when it is very likely the case that the special education teacher/student ratio, particularly when related service professionals (OTs, PTs etc.) are included, is lower and therefore more costly. Please retain, update and fully fund a cost-based special education funding methodology as is currently in use. Assure that any school funding reforms in Ohio produce a system that provides parity for special education: Students with special education needs, their families and other advocates have worked for decades to assure that they receive a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) as required by IDEA. This work has resulted in clear federal and state mandates, but in order for these rights to be fully actualized, there must be funding parity for these students. Sub. H.B. 1, as introduced, assumes that new weights for special education students are funded at 90 percent. Given the eight-year plan to substantially increase state support for public education, why are students with special education needs are only funded at 90 percent of a new funding model?

Encourage Full Funding of Preschool Special Education. Progress is not being made in Sub. H.B. 1 to improve preschool special education funding. Preschool teacher salary assumptions have not changed since 1989 and there are approximately 1000 unfunded special education units, which contributes to the shortage of preschool special education teachers and related services professionals. Research would indicate that for young children with disabilities, the sooner services are provided, the better the educational results. Based on this research, the federal government passed early intervention legislation in 1986 as part of IDEA which required all states to fully implement these services by 1991 for preschoolers. This is especially important for young children with autism!

Please note that the changes in special education funding as proposed under Sub. HB 1 will NOT affect the Autism Scholarship program in any way and are NOT in any way related to the fact that Autism Insurance Coverage language was included in Sub. HB 1.

Funding for Charter Schools

Finally, Sub. HB 1 cuts funding to community schools by as much as 25%. Many students with autism are utilizing the community schools. Ask your Senators to restore this funding.

What happens next?

The Senate will debate and pass a version of the budget bill by early June. This version promises to be significantly different that the House version. The bill will then go to a conference committee made up of legislators from both chambers and parties to resolve the differences between the two bills. As these differences should prove to be significant, this should be a challenging process. You should also understand that many compromises will be made as part of this process and language that appears in one version of the bill and not the other may indeed be part of the final bill.

ASA-ASO will keep you posted as to developments with this most important budget bill.

Please contact your Senators today! Share this email with any of your friends and family that might be willing to contact their legislators and help us in our efforts!

Sincerely,

Autism Society of America - Autism Society of Ohio Chapter701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311(330) 376-0211fax: (330) 376-1226email: askASO@...web: www.autismohio.org Dell Mini Netbooks: Great deals starting at $299 after instant savings!