WINTER 2017/SPRING 2018
House Bill 5580 was introduced and sponsored by Rep. Dan Brady. Rep. Deb Conroy joined as co-sponsor after it was initially introduced to the Healthcare Licenses Committee. Despite the compelling testimony of ILABA members and hundreds of witness slips that behavior analysts and ABA advocates filled out before the hearing, there was significant opposition to the bill. The Legislative Committee worked tirelessly with the opposition to craft language to address concerns. Additionally, at this time, discussions with IARF also occurred. Language was crafted to address the concerns from QIDP's, and that language is still in the bill today. Ultimately, discussions were stalled with the committee due to widespread misunderstandings about the science and practice of ABA. The Legislative Committee learned several lessons about the political landscape, the need to educate policy makers and the stakeholders involved.