Rep. HERBKERSMAN proposes the following Amendment No. to H.5150 as Passed By The House

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EXPLANATION: Establishes the Palmetto Autism Study Committee.

Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 117, GENERAL PROVISIONS, page 544, after line 16, by adding an appropriately numbered proviso to read:

/ (GP: Palmetto Autism Study Committee) (A) For Fiscal Year 2022-23, there shall be established the Palmetto Autism Study Committee to be housed in the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The study committee shall address, but is not limited to, the following issues:

(1) the best ways to ensure the timely evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of autism for individuals aged eighteen and under and their families;

(2) the need for and viability of development of statewide autism centers of excellence that engage in the training of practitioners and advanced treatment practices and research related to autism;

(3) reviewing and evaluating the accessibility to initial autism evaluations and Medicaid eligibility to identify any barriers to diagnosis and enrollment; and

(4) methods by which financial assistance can be provided to families in order to obtain needed autism services.

(B) The study committee shall be composed of members appointed as follows:

(1) two appointees by the Governor, one of which may be a parent of an autistic child;

(2) three appointees by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of which may be a House member, one of which may be a practitioner, and one of which may be a parent of an autistic child;

(3) three appointees by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, one of which may be a Senate member, one of which may be a practitioner, and one of which may be a parent of an autistic child;

(4) the director of the Department of Health and Human Services or his designee; and

(5) the director of the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs or his designee.

No member of the study committee shall be entitled to any compensation or reimbursement, and no three members of the study committee shall reside in the same public health region of the state.

(C) Any administrative services or support for the study committee shall be provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.

(D) No later than January 15, 2023, the study committee shall provide the Governor, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee with a report on its findings and recommendations on the issues contained in this provision. /

Amend totals and titles to conform.