Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio Announces the Creation of the House Select Committee on Autism and Developmental Disorders

(Tallahassee, FL - April 4, 2008)  Today Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio announced the creation of a special committee, the House Select Committee on Autism and Developmental Disorders.  The Committee is tasked with considering ways to best utilize public and private resources to assist families in Florida with children coping with autism spectrum disorders or other developmental disabilities. 

State Representative Andy Gardiner has been appointed to chair the Committee.  In his letter to Representative Gardiner, Speaker Rubio suggests that the current bill before the House, which requires private insurance companies to provide coverage of autism-related services, should be reviewed as one solution.

The Committee's first meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 8 and a final report of the Committee's findings and recommendations will be submitted no later than April 15, 2008.  Recommendations for legislation that are made by the Committee will be taken up by the Health Care Council, chaired by Representative Aaron Bean.

Other members appointed to the Special Committee include: