Lobby Day--SB1900 passes Senate!
Rep. Patti Bellock addressing Lobby Day press conference.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Springfield for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lobby Day on Tuesday! Those of you who missed it, missed out on a special day.
Our families met with dozens of legislators, held a huge press conference featuring Special Olympian Jamie Smith, and held a rally with many speakers from the Capitol. Best of all, after the rally, Senator James DeLeo called his autism insurance bill, SB1900, for a vote before the full Senate. Many of us were there to watch as the bill passed 50 to 0 (although 4 voted "present"). We cheered when the vote was announced (maybe a little to loudly), a big step for a landmark bill that will hopefully provide many families with much needed health care coverage.
SB1900 passes 50-0-4
Senator James DeLeo, chief sponsor of SB1900, at press conference with bill author, Pete DiCianni, father of a young girl with autism.
After the press conference and rally in the rotunda, Senator DeLeo led an impassioned argument in favor of covering children with autism. Senator DeLeo and 49 of his colleagues voted in favor of this landmark piece of legislation, which will provide up to $36,000 per year worth of health insurance coverage for autism treatments, including ABA and other therapies.
SB1900 is now in the House, where there are already 20 sponsors. Please click on this link and if your state representative is not yet a sponsor, please call him/her and ask for them to sign on.
If your Senator was a co-sponsor, please send them a note thanking them for their support--and send Senator DeLeo a note as well.
For the roll call vote, click here .
To view the Daily Herald story, click here.
To view the Chicago Sun-Times editorial calling on the General Assembly to pass SB1900, click here.
To view a recent study on the financial impact of autism on a family, click here.
To view a PSA supporting SB1900 by actor/parent Joe Mantegna, click here.
See the status of Senate Bill 1900 . . .
Lobby Day 2008 also focused on getting improved state funding to persons and families, so that we can keep our loved ones in our homes and communities. Illinois was just ranked 51st in the nation in the most important categories assessing whether a state truly provides for persons with developmental disabilities-- that's worse than every state, even Mississippi, the poorest, and the District of Columbia, which isn't even a state. This has to end, and it's up to us to demand better from our elected officials.
Please ask your state senators to sponsor SB3022, which wil provide additional funding to allow some of the many thousands of people waiting for desperately needed services.
Click here to find your state senator . . .
The inspirational Jamie Smith story
We were lucky enough to be joined by Jamie Smith, a young man with autism who has excelled at powerlifting--enough so to win medals at the Special Olympics in Beijing earlier this year. To read more about this inspirational young man and his mother, Alice, click here.
Thank you again to everyone who made the sacrifices needed to get to Springfield and help all of us who love someone with a developmental disability. Please follow up with your legislators and do whatever you can to make contact and get their support for our bills: SB1900 and SB3022.
Christopher Kennedy
|
