Staff Report
Montgomery—The Alabama House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 13, sponsored by Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) today.
“Two years ago, my colleagues honored me by passing The Riley Ward Act which mandated that certain types of care for children on the Autism Spectrum were covered by insurance companies,” Ward said. “This legislation adds to that effectiveness by licensing the behavioral analysts – giving them the imprimatur of the state, and allowing the people to be confident in the care they receive.”
SB 13 was sponsored by Ward in the Senate, and carried by Reps. Farley and McCutcheon in the House at the request of both the behavioral analysts, and insurance companies asking for oversight and licensing to insure quality, licensed care through their services, and to make sure Alabama insurance providers could cover these much needed services.
“The creation of the Behavioral Analyst Licensure Board will make sure that children on the autism spectrum get care from an accredited and licensed behavioral analyst,” Paige McKerchar Executive Director of Alabama Association for Behavior Analysis said. “And more importantly to their parents – that this vital therapeutic treatment will be covered by their insurance.”
Senate Bill 13 now goes to Governor Bentley for his signature.
