The Arkansas Autism Legislative Task Force was initially created by Act 1016 of 2007 (D. Johnson) and was extended by Act 1272 of 2009 (D. Johnson, M. Salmon, U. Lindsey). The Task Force is made up of members of the Arkansas General Assembly, members of the autism community, and representatives from various state agencies and organizations, and is co-chaired by Senator Keith Ingram (West Memphis) and Representative Justin Boyd (Fort Smith). The purpose of the Task Force is to:
- Examine how the State of Arkansas responds to autism and autism spectrum disorders;
- Determine the best practices to treat autism and autism spectrum disorders;
- Recommend more efficient methods for treating autism and autism spectrum disorders;
- Recommend how to obtain more federal funds for treating autism and autism spectrum disorders and provide special education to children with autism and autism spectrum disorders; and
- Recommend to the General Assembly specific changes to the law that will improve treatment of autism and autism spectrum disorders and improve the provision of special education to children with autism and autism spectrum disorders.
The Task Force is required to meet once every three (3) months but usually meets each month at the Arkansas state capitol. More information about the Task Force can be found using the links below.