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JEFFERSON CITY—Missouri families struggling to care for a child with autism are one step closer to coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder under a bill that received initial approval by the Missouri Senate this week.
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Senate Bill 618, sponsored by Sen. Scott T. Rupp (R-Wentzville), would require health insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The bill needs one more passing vote from the Senate before it can move on to the House for similar consideration.
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Under SB 618, health carriers that issue or renew health benefit plans on or after Aug. 28, 2010, would be required to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The bill would also prohibit health carriers from refusing to cover an individual or dependent solely because the individual is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Senator Rupp’s bill would, however, establish coverage restrictions for autism, limiting coverage to treatment that is ordered by the individual’s treating licensed physician or licensed psychologist, in accordance with a treatment plan.
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Coverage provided under SB 618 for applied behavior analysis, a common treatment method for those with autism, would be subject to a maximum annual benefit of $55,000 for individuals under the age of 21 (no coverage for applied behavior analysis would be provided to those 21 years of age or older).
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And finally, SB 618 would require the Missouri Department of Insurance to grant a waiver from the autism insurance standard to small business employers that have group health plans if compliance raises premium costs by a certain percentage. Employers must demonstrate (over any consecutive 12-month period) that compliance with the coverage has increased the premium costs of their health insurance policy by at least 2.5 percent over the course of a calendar year.
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Listen to the Senate Minute’s report on SB 618.
The Senate also gave preliminary approval to SB 586, sponsored by Sen. Matt Bartle (R-Lee’s Summit). The bill would strengthen regulations for sexually oriented businesses in Missouri, including prohibiting anyone from establishing a sexually oriented business within 1,000 feet of a pre-existing school, house of worship, state-licensed day care, public library, residence, or other sexually oriented business. The bill would also require such establishments to close between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.; prohibit the sale, use and consumption of alcohol on the premises; and regulate the activities that may take place inside sexually oriented businesses.
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Also receiving first-round approval this week was SB 604, sponsored by Sen. Rob Mayer (R-Dexter). The measure would prohibit large users of water resources from excessively disrupting the normal irrigation activities of certain large farms in the Southeast Missouri Regional Water District. If a disruption occurs, the attorney general may seek an injunction.
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Both SB 586 and SB 604 need a final Senate vote to move on to the House.
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Ethics reform continues to move swiftly through the legislative process as Senate Bill 577, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), was passed out of the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee this week and is now eligible for floor debate. The bill would create the position of an independent investigator within the Ethics Commission, bar certain contributions to incumbent officials during session and expand income reporting requirements to include legislative staff.
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Also passed out of committee this week was SB 594, sponsored by Sen. Rita Heard Days (D-St. Louis). The Senate Health, Mental Health, Seniors and Families Committee approved the bill, which would allow adopted individuals age 18 and over to obtain copies of their original birth certificates under certain circumstances.
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The committee also voted to send a bill to the Senate floor that would allow drug testing of recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. Senate Bill 607, sponsored by Sen. Bill Stouffer (R-Napton), would require the Department of Social Services to develop a program to test work-eligible TANF applicants or recipients when a case worker believes, based on reasonable suspicion, that a person is using illegal drugs. Similar measures were rolled into SB 607, including SB 602, sponsored by Sen. Jason Crowell (R-Cape Girardeau); SB 615, sponsored by Sen. Jack Goodman (R-Mt. Vernon); and SB 725, sponsored by Sen. Scott T. Rupp (R-Wentzville). Senator Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) is also sponsoring a similar bill, SB 821, which is awaiting a committee hearing.
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According to SB 607, if the drug test is positive, the individual would be ineligible for TANF benefits for three years and would also be referred to an approved substance abuse treatment program. Also, if a parent is deemed ineligible for TANF benefits because of illegal drug use, his or her child's eligibility for the benefits would not be affected. Instead, a protective payee would be designated to ensure the child receives the benefits. Senate Bill 607 may now be taken up for debate by the full Senate.
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Senate Bill 596, sponsored by Sen. Victor Callahan (D-Independence), was passed by the Senate Progress and Development Committee. The bill would allow the governing bodies of any Missouri city to designate Show-Me Small Business Districts within a city for no longer than 23 years. During the designation period, eligible small businesses within these areas could receive tax-favored status for a term not to exceed 15 years.
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Also passed out of the Senate Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee was Senate Joint Resolution 25, sponsored by Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield). The measure would, upon approval by voters, prohibit any laws from interfering with Missourians’ health care choices.
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In addition to sending measures to the full Senate, committees also continued to hear testimony on legislation this week. For instance, some of the bills receiving a hearing in the Senate Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee were SB 589, sponsored by Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin), which would bar felons from holding public office; SB 629, sponsored by Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles), which would establish the Missouri Healthy Workplace Recognition Program; and SB 673 , sponsored by Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg), which would create the Office of Job Development and Training and would modify the reporting requirements for obtaining unemployment benefits.
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Watch a video clip of Sen. Pearce presenting SB 673.
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Other committee hearings included:
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- Senate Bill 692, sponsored by Sen. Yvonne Wilson (D-Kansas City), was heard in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and would criminalize displaying a noose for the purpose of intimidation. Watch a video clip of Sen. Wilson presenting SB 692.
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Also heard in that committee was SB 779, sponsored by Sen. Bartle, which would expand the state’s DNA profiling system to include samples of anyone arrested for robbery. Watch a video clip of Sen. Bartle presenting SB 779 to the committee.
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Senate Bill 627, sponsored by Sen. Jolie Justus (D-Kansas City), was heard in the Senate Health, Mental Health, Seniors and Families Committee and would provide information regarding immunization for the human papilloma virus (HPV) to public school sixth-graders at the option of a parent or guardian. Watch a video clip of Sen. Justus presenting SB 627 to the committee.
- Senate Bill 578, sponsored by Sen. Shields, was heard in the Senate Ways and Means Committee and would allow port authority boards to establish port improvement districts to fund projects with voter-approved sales taxes or property taxes.
- Senate Bill 647, sponsored by Sen. Joan Bray, was heard in the Senate Progress and Development Committee and would require equal pay for the same work regardless of gender and would establish a commission to study wage disparities.
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On the floor this week, Sen. Justus presented Senate Concurrent Resolution 44, which urges Congress to replace the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy with a law of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The measure is scheduled to receive a committee hearing next week.
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Click here to watch a video clip of Sen. Justus introducing SCR 44.
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On Wednesday, Feb. 3, senators gathered for a joint session with the House of Representatives to hear the chief justice give the annual State of the Judiciary address. Click here for the full text of the speech.
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The Missouri Senate reconvenes at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8. The Second Regular Session of the 95th Missouri General Assembly runs through Friday, May 14, 2010.
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This legislative update is written on a weekly basis. To follow these and other issues facing the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can track legislation as it passes through the General Assembly, learn more about their district, or listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom. There you will find various audio and video programs and other services, such as:
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- Missouri Legislative Update (MLU) – A video program produced periodically throughout the year that provides an overview of the news in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives. The program features news interviews with lawmakers and stories on issues concerning Missourians.
- Capital Dialogue – Missourinet's Bob Priddy hosts this monthly half-hour roundtable program bringing legislators together from the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives from different political parties to discuss their positions on specific issues and legislation.
- This Week in the Missouri Senate – A weekly five-minute audio program that wraps up the week’s news in the Missouri Senate. Programs are posted online every Friday in .mp3 format.
- Senate Minute – A condensed, one-minute audio report of current Senate news. Programs are posted in .mp3 format and are available through podcast. All four of these programs give listeners the option of subscribing via podcast.
- Daily Audio / Video Clips – Throughout the year, the Senate Newsroom posts broadcast-quality audio and video highlights from Senate committee hearings, floor debate, press conferences and other legislative events.
- Daily News Clips – The Senate Newsroom compiles daily news clips from various print and online publications that cover issues relating to the Legislature and state government. An archive of past clips is maintained online and is offered as a subscription service.
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