Van Dyk to Carry Brandon’s Bill in House
ByAfter passing with bipartisan support on a 36-14 vote in the State Senate Thursday, SB 234, known as Brandon’s bill will head to the State House. SB 234 is named for Brandon Simonsen, a 5 year old autistic boy from Billings.
SB 234, sponsored by Senator Kim Gillan (D-Billings) and carried by Rep. Kendall Van Dyk (D-Billings) in the House, requires insurance companies cover Autism Spectrum Disorder in children under age 18. 1 out of every 150 Montana children will be diagnosed with autism. The families of these children face annual costs of up to $75,000 to treat the disease. “I’m carrying this bill because Brandon lives in my district and he deserves the same opportunity other children have to live a normal, productive life,” said Van Dyk. “I’ve heard from parents across Montana who are going into debt trying to treat this disease.”
Brandon’s bill will require insurance companies to cover $50,000 per year in autism treatment for children 8 years and younger and $20,000 per year for children ages 9 to 18. Studies show that early diagnosis and treatment in children can significantly increase the child’s ability to succeed later in life1.
“Every parent wants the best life for their child, but when insurance companies refuse to cover Autism, families have to first ask, can we afford to treat this disease and secondly, to what level can we afford to treat this disease? Treatment should always be about what your doctor says is best, not what you can afford,” Van Dyk said.
Although carried by Democrats, Brandon’s Bill is cosponsored by three Republicans and passed with bipartisan support on the floor. The bill will now move on to the House.
For more information on Autism and statistics relating to the disease, see the following websites: Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!): http://www.defeatautismnow.com/ Autism Speaks!: http://www.autismspeaks.org Easter Seals Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain: http://www.esgw-nrm.com Brandon’s Bill: http://www.brandonsbill.com/
"I think that it’s going to all work out, with the changes that we have agreed to. It’s not as much (spending for some programs) as I would’ve hoped, but apparently it’s more than other people wanted. As usual, we are trying to find the middle.” 
"[On term limits:] You empower the executive, you empower the lobbyists and that's not good for the system because then we lose what the citizen Legislature brings.” 