[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>