S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5222
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 26, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. PARKER, BAILEY, KENNEDY, PERSAUD -- read twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law and the state finance law, in relation
   to creating the New York state autism council

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new  article  19-E
 to read as follows:
                               ARTICLE 19-E
                       NEW YORK STATE AUTISM COUNCIL
 SECTION 460. DEFINITIONS.
         461. NEW YORK STATE AUTISM COUNCIL.
   § 460. DEFINITIONS. AS USED IN THIS ARTICLE, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL
 HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   1.  "AUTISM AWARENESS PROJECT" MEANS A PROJECT APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL
 AIMED TOWARD EDUCATING THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE SYMPTOMS AND  TREAT-
 MENTS OF AUTISM;
   2.  "COUNCIL"  MEANS  THE  NEW  YORK  STATE AUTISM COUNCIL ESTABLISHED
 PURSUANT TO SECTION FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF THIS ARTICLE; AND
   3. "PROGRAM AND SERVICES ENHANCEMENTS" MEANS ANY SUPPLEMENTAL  PROGRAM
 OR  SERVICE  THAT WILL ASSIST IN POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS DIAG-
 NOSED WITH AUTISM AND THEIR FAMILIES THAT ARE APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL.
   § 461. NEW YORK STATE AUTISM COUNCIL. 1. THERE IS ESTABLISHED,  WITHIN
 THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, THE NEW YORK STATE AUTISM COUNCIL.  THE GOVER-
 NOR  SHALL  DESIGNATE ONE OF THE APPOINTED MEMBERS TO SERVE AS THE CHAIR
 OF THE COUNCIL.  THE COUNCIL SHALL BE COMPOSED  OF  SIXTEEN  MEMBERS  AS
 FOLLOWS:
   A. A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH;
   B. A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION;

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09276-01-1
              

 S. 5222                             2
 
   C.  A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISA-
 BILITIES;
   D. A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES;
   E. A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES;
   F.  A  REPRESENTATIVE  FROM  NEW  YORK  FAMILIES FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN
 (NYFAC);
   G. TWO MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, ONE
 OF WHOM SHALL BE THE PARENT OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM;
   H. TWO MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, ONE  OF  WHOM
 SHALL BE THE PARENT OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM; AND
   I.  SIX  MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR: (I) ONE OF WHOM SHALL BE A
 REPRESENTATIVE FROM AN  INSTITUTION  OF  HIGHER  LEARNING  WHERE  AUTISM
 EDUCATION  CURRICULUM IS CURRENTLY BEING OFFERED; (II) ONE OF WHOM SHALL
 BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE; (III) ONE OF WHOM
 SHALL BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE; (IV) ONE OF
 WHOM SHALL BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE; (V) ONE
 OF WHOM SHALL BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE;  AND
 (VI)  ONE OF WHOM SHALL BE A MEMBER OF THE MEDICAL FIELD SPECIALIZING IN
 RESEARCH WITHIN THE FIELD OF AUTISM.
   2. APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL SHALL SERVE TERMS OF  THREE  YEARS
 EACH, EXCEPT THAT:
   A. ONE MEMBER INITIALLY APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, ONE MEMBER INITIAL-
 LY  APPOINTED  BY  THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, AND ONE MEMBER
 INITIALLY APPOINTED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY  SHALL  SERVE  A  ONE
 YEAR TERM; AND
   B.  A  SECOND  MEMBER  INITIALLY APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE SECOND
 MEMBER INITIALLY APPOINTED BY THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, AND
 THE SECOND MEMBER INITIALLY APPOINTED BY THE  SPEAKER  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY
 SHALL SERVE A TWO YEAR TERM.
   3.  ALL  VACANCIES  SHALL BE FILLED IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE ORIGINAL
 APPOINTMENT. ALL VACANCIES MUST BE FILLED WITHIN NINETY DAYS,  OTHERWISE
 THE COUNCIL SHALL DETERMINE, BY MAJORITY VOTE, WHO SHALL FILL THE VACAN-
 CY.  MEMBERS APPOINTED TO FILL A VACANCY OCCURRING FOR REASON OTHER THAN
 AN EXPIRATION OF A TERM SHALL SERVE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TERM OF THE
 PERSON WHOM HE OR SHE IS REPLACING. MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR  REAPPOINT-
 MENT.
   4.  MEMBERS SHALL SERVE WITHOUT COMPENSATION, BUT SHALL BE ENTITLED TO
 ACTUAL, NECESSARY EXPENSES INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR BUSINESS
 AS MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
   5. A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL SHALL CONSTITUTE A QUORUM.
 A MAJORITY VOTE OF A QUORUM SHALL BE REQUIRED FOR ANY OFFICIAL ACTION OF
 THE COUNCIL.
   6. THE COUNCIL SHALL MEET AT THE CALL OF THE CHAIR, BUT NOT LESS  THAN
 FOUR TIMES PER YEAR.
   7. THE COUNCIL SHALL:
   A. APPROVE AUTISM AWARENESS PROGRAMS;
   B. CARRY OUT A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND EDUCATION ON PROGRAM
 AND  SERVICES ENHANCEMENTS TO FAMILIES IN THE STATE WITH MEMBERS SUFFER-
 ING FROM AUTISM;
   C. ESTABLISH THE MECHANISMS TO USE THE RESULTS OF BIOMEDICAL  RESEARCH
 ON AUTISM AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS;
   D.  ESTABLISH  A  MECHANISM  FOR  THE  SHARING  OF  INFORMATION  AMONG
 RESEARCHERS AND CLINICIANS IN THE STATE CONDUCTING  BIOMEDICAL  RESEARCH
 ON AUTISM AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS;
   E.  PROVIDE  FOR  A  MECHANISM  THAT WOULD PERMIT THE PUBLIC TO OBTAIN
 INFORMATION ON THE EXISTING AND PLANNED PROGRAMS  AND  ACTIVITIES  BEING

 S. 5222                             3
 
 CONDUCTED  RELATED TO AUTISM, INCLUDING ANY PILOT STUDIES, AND THE COUN-
 CIL TO RECEIVE COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC  REGARDING  THESE  PROGRAMS  AND
 ACTIVITIES; AND
   F.  PROVIDE AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR WITH THE COUNCIL'S RECOM-
 MENDATIONS AND EXAMINING THE CREATION OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR INDI-
 VIDUALS WITH AUTISM.
   § 2. Subdivision 3 of section  95-e  of  the  state  finance  law,  as
 amended  by  section  7 of part AA of chapter 56 of the laws of 2020, is
 amended to read as follows:
   3. (a) Monies of the fund shall  be  expended  only  for  PROGRAM  AND
 SERVICE  ENHANCEMENTS  FOR INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH AN AUTISM SPECTRUM
 DISORDER, autism awareness projects or autism research projects approved
 by the office for people with developmental disabilities [in]  CONDUCTED
 WITHIN  THE  BORDERS  OF  New York state provided, however, that no more
 than ten percent of monies from such  fund  shall  be  expended  on  the
 aggregate number of autism research projects approved in a fiscal year.
   (b)  As used in this section, the term "autism research project" means
 scientific research RECOMMENDED BY THE NEW YORK STATE AUTISM COUNCIL AND
 approved by the office for people with developmental  disabilities  into
 the  causes  and/or  treatment of autism, THE TERM "PROGRAM AND SERVICES
 ENHANCEMENTS" MEANS ANY SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAM OR SERVICE THAT WILL ASSIST
 IN POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED  WITH  AUTISM  AND  THEIR
 FAMILIES  THAT  ARE APPROVED BY THE NEW YORK STATE AUTISM COUNCIL ESTAB-
 LISHED IN SECTION FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE  LAW  and  the
 term  "autism awareness project" means a project approved by the [office
 for people with developmental disabilities aimed] NEW YORK STATE  AUTISM
 COUNCIL  toward  educating  the general public about [the causes,] symp-
 toms[,] and treatments of autism.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
 before such date.