NJ Senate approves anti-discrimination law for people with autism

From The Star-Ledger in N.J.:

TRENTON -- New Jersey adults with autism would gain anti-discrimination rights and the ability to enroll in a statewide tracking registry under legislation approved in a Senate committee Dec. 7.

Both bills were endorsed by the state Adults with Autism Task Force, and they won support from an Assembly committee last month.

Autism is a neurological disorder that can cause behavioral, social and cognitive problems. Federal studies have shown it is more prevalent in New Jersey than in any other state.

The first measure would expand anti-discrimination laws to include people with autism and related developmental disorders. Such laws allow individuals with mental and physical handicaps equal access to housing, employment and public accommodations.

The other bill would allow people over age 18 to join a database designed to track autism cases and identify possible geographic or other trends.

The registry, which is voluntary, currently applies only to minors, whose information is submitted by health professionals.

They were approved unanimously this morning in the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, and the committee’s Assembly counterpart approved an identical version in November. To become law, the legislation must be considered before the Legislature and signed by the governor.

One in 94 New Jersey children has symptoms of autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national rate is one in 150.

The disorder has no known causes, although scientists believe it may have genetic and environmental components. A cure is elusive, but some symptoms appear to ease or disappear when treated with early, aggressive therapies. Autism cases are placed on a “spectrum,” from barely perceptible to devastatingly debilitating.

In recent years New Jersey lawmakers and Gov. Jon Corzine have made autism legislation a priority. They have approved a package of bills requiring insurers to cover promising treatments; expanding research funding; helping adults with housing and other issues; and encouraging schools to foster relationships between typical children and those with autism.