Index for HR3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act

To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

Mr. Dingell (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Waxman, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Stark, Mr. Pallone, and Mr. Andrews) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

Title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(a) Grants and technical assistance.—

“(1) GRANTS.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, shall award multiyear grants to eligible entities to provide individuals (including parents and health, allied health, vocational, and educational professionals) with interdisciplinary training, continuing education, technical assistance, and information for the purpose of improving services rendered to children and adults with autism, and their families, to address unmet needs related to autism.

“(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an entity shall be—

“(i) a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service; or

“(ii) a comparable interdisciplinary education, research, and service entity.

“(C) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An entity that desires to receive a grant for a program under this paragraph shall submit to the Secretary an application—

“(i) demonstrating that the entity has capacity to—

“(I) provide training and technical assistance in evidence-based practices to evaluate, and provide effective interventions, services, treatments, and supports to, children and adults with autism and their families;

“(II) include individuals with autism and their families as part of the program to ensure that an individual- and family-centered approach is used;

“(III) share and disseminate materials and practices that are developed for, and evaluated to be effective in, the provision of training and technical assistance; and

“(IV) provide training, technical assistance, interventions, services, treatments, and supports under this subsection statewide.

“(ii) providing assurances that the entity will—

“(I) provide trainees under this subsection with an appropriate balance of interdisciplinary academic and community-based experiences; and

“(II) provide to the Secretary, in the manner prescribed by the Secretary, data regarding the number of individuals who have benefitted from, and outcomes of, the provision of training and technical assistance under this subsection;

“(iii) providing assurances that training, technical assistance, dissemination of information, and services under this subsection will be—

“(I) consistent with the goals of this Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and

“(II) conducted in coordination with relevant State agencies, institutions of higher education, and service providers; and

“(iv) containing such other information and assurances as the Secretary may require.

“(D) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant received under this subsection shall be used to provide individuals (including parents and health, allied health, vocational, and educational professionals) with interdisciplinary training, continuing education, technical assistance, and information for the purpose of improving services rendered to children and adults with autism, and their families, to address unmet needs related to autism. Such training, education, assistance, and information shall include each of the following:

“(i) Training health, allied health, vocational, and educational professionals to identify, evaluate the needs of, and develop interventions, services, treatments, and supports for, children and adults with autism.

“(ii) Developing model services and supports that demonstrate evidence-based practices.

“(iii) Developing systems and products that allow for the interventions, services, treatments, and supports to be evaluated for fidelity of implementation.

“(iv) Working to expand the availability of evidence-based, lifelong interventions; educational, employment, and transition services; and community supports.

“(v) Providing statewide technical assistance in collaboration with relevant State agencies, institutions of higher education, autism advocacy groups, and community-based service providers.

“(vi) Working to develop comprehensive systems of supports and services for individuals with autism and their families, including seamless transitions between education and health systems across the lifespan.

“(vii) Promoting training, technical assistance, dissemination of information, supports, and services.

“(viii) Developing mechanisms to provide training and technical assistance, including for-credit courses, intensive summer institutes, continuing education programs, distance based programs, and Web-based information dissemination strategies.

“(ix) Promoting activities that support community-based family and individual services and enable individuals with autism and related developmental disabilities to fully participate in society and achieve good quality-of-life outcomes.

“(x) Collecting data on the outcomes of training and technical assistance programs to meet statewide needs for the expansion of services to children and adults with autism.

“(E) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—The amount of a grant to any entity for a fiscal year under this section shall be not less than $250,000.

“(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall reserve 2 percent of the amount appropriated to carry out this subsection for a fiscal year to make a grant to a national organization with demonstrated capacity for providing training and technical assistance to—

“(A) assist in national dissemination of specific information, including evidence-based best practices, from interdisciplinary training programs, and when appropriate, other entities whose findings would inform the work performed by entities awarded grants;

“(B) compile and disseminate strategies and materials that prove to be effective in the provision of training and technical assistance so that the entire network can benefit from the models, materials, and practices developed in individual centers;

“(C) assist in the coordination of activities of grantees under this subsection;

“(D) develop a Web portal that will provide linkages to each of the individual training initiatives and provide access to training modules, promising training, and technical assistance practices and other materials developed by grantees;

“(E) serve as a research-based resource for Federal and State policymakers on information concerning the provision of training and technical assistance for the assessment, and provision of supports and services for, children and adults with autism;

“(F) convene experts from multiple interdisciplinary training programs, individuals with autism, and the families of such individuals to discuss and make recommendations with regard to training issues related to assessment, interventions, services, treatment, and supports for children and adults with autism; and

“(H) undertake any other functions that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

“(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry out this subsection, there are authorized to be appropriated $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2011 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2015.

“(b) Expansion of the number of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service.—

“(1) GRANTS.—To provide for the establishment of up to 4 new University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service, the Secretary shall award up to 4 grants to institutions of higher education.

“(2) APPLICABLE PROVISIONS.—Except for subsection (a)(3), the provisions of subsection (a) shall apply with respect to grants under this subsection to the same extent and in the same manner as such provisions apply with respect to grants under subsection (a).

“(3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that—

“(A) are minority institutions that have demonstrated capacity to meet the requirements of this section and provide services to individuals with autism and their families; or

“(B) are located in a State with one or more underserved populations.

“(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry out this subsection, there is authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015.

“(c) Definitions.—In this section:

“(1) The term ‘autism’ means an autism spectrum disorder or a related developmental disability.

“(2) The term ‘interventions’ means educational methods and positive behavioral support strategies designed to improve or ameliorate symptoms associated with autism.

“(3) The term ‘minority institution’ has the meaning given to such term in section 365 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

“(4) The term ‘services’ means services to assist individuals with autism to live more independently in their communities.

“(5) The term ‘treatments’ means health services, including mental health services, designed to improve or ameliorate symptoms associated with autism.

“(6) The term ‘University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service’ means a University Center for Excellence in Development Disabilities Education, Research, and Service that has been or is funded through subtitle D or subsection (b).”.