The Autism Society of North Carolina is the leading advocate for individuals with autism and their families in our state. But we cannot do the important work of creating positive change for the autism community without your help. Together, our voices on public policy and legislative matters will draw more attention to our causes. Next…
ASNC Advocates for People with Autism and Their Families, Part 2
Editor’s note: This is part 2 of a Q&A with Jennifer Mahan, ASNC Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, and Kerri Erb, Senior Director of Quality and Programs. We have merged their responses to each of the questions. What do you, Jennifer Mahan and Kerri Erb, do? Here are the main areas: Coordinating public policy Communicate…
11 Things to Know About the Autism Insurance Bill and the NC Legislature
The Autism Society of North Carolina has been working for the past 5 years with other groups in NC to pass a law that would require private insurance and the state health plan to cover diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder. We’ve written about the struggle to get a law passed in many blogs…
Public Policy Update: Some Bills Survived “Crossover” and Some Did Not
As I mentioned in my previous blog posting, the week of May 10th to 14th at the General Assembly was crossover, a “do or die” week for policy bills introduced in the legislative long session. Simplified: bills that pass one chamber, either the NC House or the NC Senate, stay “alive” and can be voted…
Autism Insurance Update: Insurance Committee Hearing for H 498 Scheduled!
House Bill 498 that would require group insurance plans and the state health plan in North Carolina to cover treatment of autism is scheduled for a House Insurance Committee hearing on Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 1PM in room 1228/1327 of the Legislative Building. The House bill would ensure that plans for companies that operate…
Legislative Long Session Kicks Off! What Might the Session Hold For People on the Spectrum?
This week marks the beginning of the North Carolina General Assembly long session, which typically lasts from the end of January to sometime in June/July. Lawmakers arrived for work in Raleigh over the last two weeks and began organizing for the session, with new legislators receiving training. There are a LOT of new folks – of…
Coalition Rally 2012
Mark your calendars now and join The Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) at the for the 2011 Coalition Popcorn Rally and Advocacy Day at the NC General Assembly on May 22nd from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. The Autism Society of North Carolina is a long time member of The Coalition, a group of…
NC General Assembly Legislative Session Wrap-up
This article was published in The Autism Society of North Carolina’s summer 2011 issue of The Spectrum. Current and past issues of The Spectrum can be found under Publications on our website. Families, self-advocates and ASNC faced difficult challenges in advocating for better services and supports for people on the autism spectrum as we headed into the long…
Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities: NC House Bill 344
[The Autism Society of North Carolina now has a comprehensive fact sheet on HB 344 Education Tax Credit for Children with Disabilities on its website here.] Thursday June 30th 2011 House Bill 344 Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities became law in North Carolina. Starting this year, families will be able to claim a…