[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5756 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5756
To amend title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill
of Rights Act of 2000 to provide for grants and technical assistance to
improve services rendered to children and adults with autism, and their
families, and to expand the number of University Centers for Excellence
in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 22, 2010
Mr. Doyle (for himself and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill
of Rights Act of 2000 to provide for grants and technical assistance to
improve services rendered to children and adults with autism, and their
families, and to expand the number of University Centers for Excellence
in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Training and
Research for Autism Improvements Nationwide Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVES ON AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS.
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:
``Subtitle F--National Training Initiative on Autism Spectrum Disorders
``SEC. 171. NATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVE.
``(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
``(G) 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).''.
<all>