Bill Text: MI HR0241 | 2009-2010 | 95th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to recognize April 2010 as Autism Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-11)
Status: (Passed) 2010-03-25 - Adopted [HR0241 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2009-HR0241-Introduced.html
Reps. Angerer, Ball, Lisa Brown, Terry Brown, Byrnes, Byrum, Crawford, Daley, Ebli, Espinoza, Hansen, Hildenbrand, Robert Jones, Knollenberg, LeBlanc, Liss, Lori, Lund, Marleau, Miller, Neumann, Pearce, Roberts, Scripps, Segal, Tyler, Valentine and Warren offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 241.
A resolution to recognize April 2010 as Autism Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.
Whereas, Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others; and
Whereas, In the decades since being discovered, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become the country's fastest-growing developmental disorder; and
Whereas, Today, autism affects one in 110 children, and one in 70 boys; and
Whereas, In Michigan, nearly 14,000 children of all racial, ethnic, and social groups have ASD, and that number is rising dramatically; and
Whereas, There is no known cure for autism, however, medically proven treatments recommended by credible public health experts like the US Surgeon General can, in many cases, enable a child with autism to grow into a self-sufficient member of society; and
Whereas, On average, it costs $3.2 million to provide care for an untreated person with autism over his or her lifetime, however, treatment can cut that lifetime cost by more than half; and
Whereas, Michigan spends $100 million each year for classroom aides, speech therapy, and other services to help children with autism, and every taxpayer in Michigan pays the price when a child with autism cannot access effective, intensive treatment through his or her doctors and therapists; and
Whereas, On December 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 62/139, declaring April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day in perpetuity and this UN resolution is one of only three official disease-specific United Nations Days; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body recognize April 2010 as Autism Awareness Month in the state of Michigan. We express our support for the thousands of Michigan families living with autism each day, and for the proactive leadership of Autism Speaks, the Autism Society of America, and others committed to fighting this disorder; and be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Michigan Chapter of Autism Speaks as a token of our highest esteem.
