I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1707 

To increase housing, awareness, and navigation demonstration services 

(HANDS) for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 25, 2009 

Ms. GRANGER (for herself, Mr. WOLF, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. KING of 

New York, Mr. CRENSHAW, and Mr. BURTON of Indiana) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To increase housing, awareness, and navigation demonstration services (HANDS) for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helping Housing, 

5 Awareness, and Navigation Demonstration Services for 

6 Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders Act of 

7 2009’’ or the ‘‘Helping HANDS for Autism Act of 2009’’. 


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1 TITLE I—AUTISM NAVIGATOR 

2 PROGRAM 

3 SEC. 101. AUTISM NAVIGATOR PROGRAM. 

4 Part R of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

5 (42 U.S.C. 280i et seq.) is amended by inserting after sec6 tion 399DD the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 399DD–1. AUTISM NAVIGATOR PROGRAM. 

8 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION OF GRANT PROGRAM.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordina10 tion with the Secretary of Housing and Urban De11 velopment and the Secretary of Education, shall es12 tablish a demonstration grant program to award 

13 grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to 

14 develop an autism navigator program to create a 

15 more efficient, effective, coordinated use of the 

16 health, housing, education, and social service sys17 tems for individuals with an autism spectrum dis18 order. 

19 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the 

21 term ‘eligible entity’ means subject to subpara22 graph (B), an entity that has— 

23 ‘‘(i) not less than 2 years experience 

24 serving the autism community in an advo25 cacy or service capacity; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) a— 

2 ‘‘(I) behaviorist with at least a 

3 master’s degree on staff or in a con4 sultation capacity who has experience 

5 in applied behavioral analysis; 

6 ‘‘(II) Board Certified Behavior 

7 Analyst on staff; 

8 ‘‘(III) special educator with 

9 training in autism spectrum disorders 

10 on staff; 

11 ‘‘(IV) rehabilitation professional 

12 with training in autism spectrum dis13 orders on staff; or 

14 ‘‘(V) master’s level professional 

15 with training in autism spectrum dis16 orders on staff. 

17 ‘‘(B) SECRETARY’S DETERMINATION.— 

18 Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Sec19 retary may determine who qualifies as an eligi20 ble entity under this section. 

21 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION FOR A GRANT.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that de23 sires a grant under this section shall submit an ap24 plication to the Secretary at such time, in such man25 ner and form, and containing such information, 


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1 agreements, and assurances as the Secretary deter2 mines to be necessary to carry out this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) OUTREACH SERVICES.—An application 

4 submitted under paragraph (1) shall contain an as5 surance that the applicant will provide ongoing out6 reach activities while receiving a grant under this 

7 section, in a manner that is culturally competent for 

8 the population served, to inform the public and the 

9 specific community that the autism navigator is 

10 serving, of the services under the grant. 

11 ‘‘(c) DEVELOPMENT OF AUTISM NAVIGATOR PRO12 GRAM.— 

13 ‘‘(1) AUTISM NAVIGATORS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

15 determine the functions of autism navigators 

16 under this section. 

17 ‘‘(B) TYPES OF FUNCTIONS.—The func18 tions of an autism navigator under this section 

19 may include— 

20 ‘‘(i) with respect to an individual with 

21 an autism spectrum disorder and such in22 dividual’s family— 

23 ‘‘(I) coordinating and scheduling 

24 appointments and referrals, commu25 nity outreach, assistance with transVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:15 Mar 26, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1707.IH H1707

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1 portation, housing or education ar2 rangements, and assistance with in3 surance issues and other barriers to 

4 care; 

5 ‘‘(II) case management and psy6 chosocial assessment and care or in7 formation and referral to such serv8 ices; 

9 ‘‘(III) contact and care coordina10 tion of health care, including psycho11 social assessment and care, and other 

12 community services, provider referrals, 

13 financial support and service coordi14 nation, including transportation, hous15 ing, and education; 

16 ‘‘(IV) determining coverage 

17 under health insurance and health 

18 plans for all services; 

19 ‘‘(V) aiding with health insurance 

20 coverage issues; and 

21 ‘‘(VI) ensuring the initiation, 

22 continuation, or sustained access to 

23 care prescribed by the individual’s 

24 health care providers; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) facilitating partnerships within 

2 the health care and advocacy community to 

3 assist outreach to the underserved autism 

4 community; 

5 ‘‘(iii) notifying individuals and their 

6 families as to autism clinical trials and, on 

7 request, facilitating enrollment of eligible 

8 individuals; 

9 ‘‘(iv) anticipating, identifying, and 

10 helping individuals with an autism spec11 trum disorder overcome barriers in access12 ing and securing appropriate services in a 

13 timely manner; 

14 ‘‘(v) coordinating with State depart15 ments responsible for human services, edu16 cation, health and senior services, housing, 

17 community affairs, and labor in providing 

18 services to individuals with an autism spec19 trum disorder and their families; 

20 ‘‘(vi) identifying caregiver supports 

21 for those caring for individuals with an au22 tism spectrum disorder, including men23 toring, support groups, community re24 sources, and legal consultation; 


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1 ‘‘(vii) identifying, mentoring, and sup2 porting culturally sensitive caregivers of in3 dividuals with an autism spectrum dis4 order; and 

5 ‘‘(viii) serving as a reliable, expert re6 source for advice, support, and direction to 

7 access early intervention services under 

8 part C of the Individuals with Disabilities 

9 Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), 

10 health insurance (public or private), hous11 ing programs, financial security programs, 

12 Medicare services under title XVIII of the 

13 Social Security Act, and Medicaid services 

14 under title XIX of the Social Security Act. 

15 ‘‘(2) DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAM.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 

17 receives a grant under this section shall develop 

18 an autism navigator program that will recruit, 

19 employ, train, assign, and supervise autism 

20 navigators. 

21 ‘‘(B) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant 

22 provided under this section shall be— 

23 ‘‘(i) for a period of not more than 5 

24 years; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) subject to annual approval by the 

2 Secretary and subject to the availability of 

3 appropriations for the fiscal year involved. 

4 ‘‘(C) NO LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF

5 GRANTS.—Nothing in this paragraph shall be 

6 construed to limit the number of grants that 

7 may be made to an eligible entity. 

8 ‘‘(3) OUTREACH.—An autism navigator pro9 gram developed under paragraph (2) shall reach out 

10 to appropriate physician offices and treatment cen11 ters to encourage such physicians and centers, re12 spectively, to refer individuals with an autism spec13 trum disorder to such program, which will offer au14 tism navigation services described in this subsection. 

15 ‘‘(4) TRAINING AND PREPARATION.—An autism 

16 navigator program developed under paragraph (2) 

17 shall train and prepare autism navigators as follows: 

18 ‘‘(A) Autism navigators shall have direct 

19 knowledge of the communities they serve and 

20 provide services to such communities in a cul21 turally competent manner. 

22 ‘‘(B) Autism navigators shall be informed 

23 about health insurance systems and other com24 munity services, and be able to aid individuals 

25 in resolving access issues. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Autism navigators shall have direct 

2 knowledge of the unique needs of individuals 

3 with an autism spectrum disorder and the cur4 rent evidence-based practices that are available 

5 to such individuals through Federal programs 

6 and in the State involved. 

7 ‘‘(5) MANAGING CARE.—An autism navigator 

8 program developed under paragraph (2) shall assign 

9 autism navigators, in accordance with applicable cri10 teria of the Secretary, for— 

11 ‘‘(A) managing the care of individuals with 

12 an autism spectrum disorder; and 

13 ‘‘(B) assisting such individuals and fami14 lies of such individuals with navigating the life 

15 service continuum. 

16 ‘‘(6) CENTRALIZED ACCESS.—An autism navi17 gator program developed under paragraph (2) shall 

18 provide centralized access for individuals with an au19 tism spectrum disorder to multiple Federal and 

20 State activities and programs related to autism spec21 trum disorders, including such activities and pro22 grams carried out by— 

23 ‘‘(A) the Administration for Children and 

24 Families; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the Centers for Disease Control and 

2 Prevention; 

3 ‘‘(C) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

4 Services; 

5 ‘‘(D) the Collaborative Programs of Excel6 lence in Autism; 

7 ‘‘(E) the Department of Health and 

8 Human Services; 

9 ‘‘(F) the Health Resources and Services 

10 Administration; 

11 ‘‘(G) the Interagency Autism Coordinating 

12 Committee; 

13 ‘‘(H) the National Institutes of Health; 

14 ‘‘(I) the National Institute of Mental 

15 Health; 

16 ‘‘(J) the Studies to Advance Autism Re17 search and Treatment; 

18 ‘‘(K) the Department of Housing and 

19 Urban Development; 

20 ‘‘(L) the Department of Education; and 

21 ‘‘(M) the Department of Labor. 

22 ‘‘(7) DATA COLLECTION AND REPORT.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each recipient of a 

24 grant under this section shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) collect specific autism data that 

2 records navigation services provided to 

3 each individual served by the autism navi4 gator program; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) establish and implement proce6 dures and protocols, consistent with appli7 cable Federal and State laws, to ensure the 

8 confidentiality of all information shared by 

9 a participant in the program, the partici10 pant’s personal representative, and the 

11 participant’s health care providers, group 

12 health plans, or health insurance insurers. 

13 ‘‘(B) DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.—A 

14 recipient of a grant under this section may, 

15 consistent with applicable Federal and State 

16 confidentiality laws, collect, use, or disclose ag17 gregate information that is not individually 

18 identifiable. 

19 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Each recipient of a grant 

20 under this section shall submit an annual report 

21 to the Secretary that— 

22 ‘‘(i) summarizes and analyzes the 

23 data collected under subparagraph (A)(i); 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) provides information on needs for 

2 navigation services, types of access difficul3 ties resolved, sources of repeated resolu4 tion, and flaws in the system of access, in5 cluding insurance barriers. 

6 ‘‘(d) EVALUATIONS.—The Secretary shall provide, di7 rectly or through grants or contracts, for evaluations to 

8 determine the effects of the services of autism navigators. 

9 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—The 

10 Secretary shall coordinate the demonstration grant pro11 gram authorized under this section with programs author12 ized under the Children’s Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 

13 106–310), the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (Public 

14 Law 109–416), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 

15 701 et seq.), the Medicaid home- and community-based 

16 service waivers program under section 1915(c) of the So17 cial Security Act, title XIX of the Social Security Act, and 

18 other appropriate programs. 

19 ‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec20 tion shall be construed to require payment for navigation 

21 services or to require payment for other services in cases 

22 where such other services are provided free of charge.’’. 


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1 TITLE II—AUTISM AWARENESS 

2 SEC. 201. TRAINING OF FIRST RESPONDERS IN THE REC3 OGNITION OF AUTISM. 

4 (a) DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM.—The Sec5 retary of Health and Human Services, in coordination 

6 with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 

7 Prevention and in consultation with the heads of other ap8 propriate Federal agencies, shall develop, demonstrate, 

9 and disseminate a standard curriculum for the training 

10 of first responders in assisting individuals (and their fami11 lies) with autism and other cognitive behavioral disabilities 

12 during potential and actual emergencies. 

13 (b) TRAINING GRANTS.—The Secretary of Health 

14 and Human Services, in coordination with the Director of 

15 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in 

16 consultation with the heads of other appropriate Federal 

17 agencies, shall award grants to States and local govern18 ments to train first responders (including the police, fire 

19 departments, emergency medical technicians, and other 

20 paid or volunteer first responders) in providing assistance 

21 to individuals with autism and other cognitive impair22 ments in potential and actual emergency situations. 

23 (c) REQUIREMENT.—Training carried out under this 

24 section shall inform first responders of the risks associated 

25 with autism and other cognitive behavioral disabilities, as 


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1 well as provide instruction in appropriate autism recogni2 tion and response techniques. 

3 TITLE III—HOME OF THEIR OWN 

4 SEC. 301. HOME OF THEIR OWN. 

5 (a) TASK FORCE.—Not later than 90 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Hous7 ing and Urban Development shall convene a task force 

8 comprised of appropriate national and State autism advo9 cacy groups, recipients of funds from the Department of 

10 Housing and Urban Development for housing for adults 

11 with an autism spectrum disorder, and community-based 

12 organizations that serve adults with an autism spectrum 

13 disorder. 

14 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.—The 

15 task force described in subsection (a) shall establish a 

16 housing demonstration grant program to award grants to 

17 entities (including States, localities, public and private 

18 partnerships, and community nonprofit and for-profit or19 ganizations) to enable such entities to provide a housing 

20 program for adults with an autism spectrum disorder, 

21 with the goal of providing individualized housing and serv22 ices to such adults. 

Æ 


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