ROBERTS WELCOMES RELEASE OF AUTISM BILLS
FROM SENATE COMMITTEE

(TRENTON) - Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr. today commended the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for releasing three bills that are part of a comprehensive Assembly initiative to improve the detection, treatment and awareness of autism in New Jersey.

Roberts (D-Camden) began crafting the Assembly's seven-bill autism package last year following a six-day series published by The Record of Hackensack called "In Autism's Grip."  The series took an in-depth look at the state's high autism incidence rates and the plight of families that have autistic loved ones. 

The Senate panel released the following measures:

• A-2306 - establishes a centralized statewide autism registry and appropriates $500,000 -- Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-Essex), Speaker Roberts, Assemblyman Nelson Albano (D-Cumberland) and Assemblywoman Joan Voss (D-Bergen);
• A-4056 - requires pediatricians to screen for symptoms of autism - Assemblymen Herb Conaway, M.D. (D-Burlington), Assemblyman Michael Panter (D-Monmouth), Roberts, and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen);
• A-4059 - extends funding for autism medical research and treatment - Roberts, Assemblyman David Mayer (D-Gloucester), Voss, Assemblyman James Whelan (D-Atlantic) and Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden).

  Roberts issued the following statement:

"These measures will provide hope to residents with autism and their loved ones who need greater levels of support and assistance.  Enactment of the autism package will ensure that New Jersey maintains its status as a national leader in helping families cope with this neurological disorder."

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