REPORT TITLE:
Autism


DESCRIPTION:
Establishes the Hawaii Autism Center of Excellence within the
University of Hawaii. (HB2108 HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2108
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO AUTISM. 


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that:
 
 2      (1)  Infantile autism and autism spectrum disorders are
 
 3           biologically-based developmental disorders that cause
 
 4           severe impairments in language and communication, and
 
 5           generally manifest in young children in the first two
 
 6           years of life;
 
 7      (2)  The devastation of life caused by autism lasts a
 
 8           lifetime due to the emotional and financial distress
 
 9           that families experience;
 
10      (3)  Persons suffering from autism need intense support
 
11           throughout their lives;
 
12      (4)  Three quarters of persons with infantile autism spend
 
13           their adult lives in institutions or group homes,
 
14           usually entering by age thirteen;
 
15      (5)  The cost of caring for persons with autism and autism
 
16           spectrum disorder is great -- an estimated $2,500,000 a
 
17           year in the State for direct costs only;
 
18      (6)  The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 
19           estimates that one in five hundred individuals in the
 
20           State are affected by autism, although this figure may
 

 
Page 2                                                     2108
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1           be underestimated due to lack of accurate diagnostic
 
 2           procedures;
 
 3      (7)  Infantile autism is the third most common developmental
 
 4           disorder and is more prevalent than Down's Syndrome,
 
 5           childhood cancer, or cystic fibrosis;
 
 6      (8)  Autism research receives less than five per cent of
 
 7           total funds from the federal government;
 
 8      (9)  There has been little biomedical research into autism,
 
 9           in spite of the fact that scientists consider autism to
 
10           be one of the most congenital of all developmental
 
11           disorders and most likely to yield the latest
 
12           scientific advancements in genetics and neurology;
 
13     (10)  The lack of research has been due to forty years of
 
14           neglect by the scientific community, arising from
 
15           outmoded attitudes and beliefs about autism;
 
16     (11)  The neglect in research and funding has left an entire
 
17           generation of autistic children without beneficial
 
18           treatment;
 
19     (12)  Recent rapid advances in biomedical science suggest
 
20           that effective treatment and a cure for autism is
 
21           attainable, if there is sufficient funding for
 
22           research;
 

 
 
 
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                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1     (13)  The diverse symptoms and etiology of autism require a
 
 2           high level of expertise and interaction in a wide
 
 3           variety of scientific fields, from genetics to
 
 4           neurology, neuroimaging, immunology, and
 
 5           gastroenterology to discover effective treatments and a
 
 6           cure;
 
 7     (14)  Hawaii cannot wait any longer to commit resources to
 
 8           research into autism so that another generation of
 
 9           autistic children will not be lost to society;
 
10     (15)  Other states have established autism research centers,
 
11           including nationally recognized centers in California,
 
12           Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and New
 
13           York, and these centers attract funding from the
 
14           National Institutes of Health; and
 
15     (16)  Hawaii can receive federal funding for autism research
 
16           if a research center is established.
 
17      The purpose of this Act is to establish a center for autism
 
18 research.
 
19      SECTION 2.  Chapter 304, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended
 
20 by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to
 
21 read as follows:
 
22      "§304-    Autism services; training; research.  There is
 
23 established the Hawaii autism center of excellence, within the
 

 
Page 4                                                     2108
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 University of Hawaii at Manoa.  The center shall serve as a
 
 2 central clinical and academic resource for state-of-the-art
 
 3 autism spectrum disorder diagnostic assessment, therapeutic, and
 
 4 educational interventions, consultation, training, and applied
 
 5 clinical research.  The center shall endeavor to collaborate
 
 6 nationwide in efforts to identify the most effective therapeutic
 
 7 and educational interventions.  Research shall be a
 
 8 multidisciplinary effort among the various medical, educational,
 
 9 and behavioral disciplines, including but not limited to
 
10 pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, psychology, speech-
 
11 communications, occupational and physical therapy, social work,
 
12 and nursing.  The center shall:
 
13      (1)  Apply for federal funding and charitable foundation
 
14           grants;
 
15      (2)  Provide services, training, and research to a full
 
16           spectrum of youth with autism spectrum disorders
 
17           without regard to level of disability;
 
18      (3)  Seek to attain national recognition as the pre-eminent
 
19           institution for autism spectrum disorder research;
 
20      (4)  Collaborate with the state in its efforts to address
 
21           the needs of individuals with autism spectrum
 
22           disorders;
 

 
 
 
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                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      (5)  Collaborate with individuals with autism spectrum
 
 2           disorders, their families, and communities in
 
 3           addressing service and support needs; and
 
 4      (6)  Involve and interact with the public and private
 
 5           sectors for the purposes of this section."
 
 6      SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenue
 
 7 of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000 or so much thereof as
 
 8 may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001 for start-up funding
 
 9 of the Hawaii autism center of excellence.
 
10      SECTION 4.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
11 University of Hawaii at Manoa for the purpose of this Act.
 
12      SECTION 5.  New statutory material is underscored.
 
13      SECTION 6.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000.