VOSS/SCHAER/McKEON ADULTS WITH AUTISM TASK FORCE BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

Measure Creates Expert Panel to Establish a Comprehensive Plan
For Rising Number of New Jersey Adults with Autism
 
(WEST WINDSOR) - Legislation that will enable New Jersey to better meet the challenges presented by a growing population of adults classified with autism was signed into law today by the Governor.  Assembly members Joan Voss, Gary Schaer, and John F. McKeon sponsored the law, which had been spearheaded by Assembly Speaker Joseph Jr. Roberts, Jr.

The measure (A-4057) calls for the establishment of a 13-member Adults with Autism Task Force in the state Department of Human Services (DHS).   The task force will study, evaluate, and develop recommendations on efforts to support and meet the needs of adults with autism.

The new law requires the task force to consider, among other things, issues concerning job training and placement, housing, and long-term care. The recommendations from the task force are  to form the basis for a comprehensive plan aimed at meeting the needs of New Jersey growing population of adults with autism. 

"Autism is a debilitating condition and requires life-long services and care," said Assemblywoman Voss (D-Bergen). "Much of the current focus on autism in the state relates to education and assistance, but the population of adults classified with autism is going to rise dramatically in coming years, as children classified with autism in the early 1990s begin aging out of the education system."

The task force will consist of four state commissioners - from the departments of human services, health and senior services, education, and labor and workforce development.

Additional members are to include an individual with autism, service providers for individuals with autism, and representatives from autism advocacy organizations.

The task force will have one year to complete a report of its findings and recommendations, which are to be presented to the Governor and the Legislature. The task force is to then dissolve.

"New Jersey faces new challenges created by the rise in adults classified with autism including the need for job training and placement, housing and long-term care," said Assemblyman Schaer (D-Passaic).  "It's critical that we strengthen the community of support for adults living with this lifelong disease."

"We have a responsibility to improve upon the services that the state provides for autistic adults, especially since their numbers are rising so dramatically," said Assemblyman McKeon (D-Essex).

The lawmakers cited an October 2006 report Meeting the Needs of Adults with Autism: A Blueprint for the Future that was compiled by the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC). The report included 27 findings where services (both government and non-government) were lacking for adults with autism. Included in these findings were deficiencies in proactive planning to serve autistic adults, proper levels of funding for services, inefficient delivery of services, low levels of staffing and insufficient amounts of specialized services.

The new law was part of a sweeping legislative package Speaker Roberts (D-Camden) crafted to improve New Jersey's response in the detection, treatment, and public awareness of autism.  The Governor signed elements of the package into law at a ceremony at the Eden Institute, a non-profit autism service agency in Mercer County.

Speaker Roberts announced the legislative effort earlier this year, shortly after the federal Centers for Disease Control  and Prevention issued the results of a new study identifying New Jersey as having the nation's highest reported rate of juvenile autism -- one out of 94 children in the state has autism.
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