One of my favorite sites to peruse is Library of Congress Thomas Guide - http://thomas.loc.gov/. The search function is fairly easy to use and it also has a thorough archives section allowing you to search for earlier versions of legislation.
Right now I'm following the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act (HB 2413, S 819). The first bill is sponsored by Rep. Michael Doyle, the second by Sen. Richard Durbin. When I first visited the site on May 15, very little information was available other than the title and that the bill had been read. Since that time quite a bit is available and the bill appears to be quite ambitious.
If passed it will provide for a national network allowing access by parents, medical practitioners, educators and other professionals in the field. It will provide for comprehensive services for school age and adult children as well as training opportunities parents and service providers. Finally it will also supplanting state insurance legislation by requiring coverage for ASD nationally.
In fact both the House and Senate versions of this legislation describes a perfect world for parents of school age and adult children with autism. The one line that is the fly in the ointment is the most important section on appropriations - which we all know is the lifeblood of any legislation - There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act. Herein lies the rub. If passed without an actual dollar amount or if the dollar amount is woefully inadequate, then this idyllic world crashes and burns and morphs into wishful thinking and feel good legislation - designed solely to make us believe that our legislators feel our pain, just not enough to spend any money on.
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