The commission will liaise with local and federal authorities to develop programs that help autistic persons and their families.
Acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez signed House Bill 16-135, or the Commonwealth Autism Commission Act of 2008, on Feb. 18.
Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, R-Saipan, sponsored the bill, which is now Public Law 16-28.
According to the new law, the autism commission will have 15 members from various sectors in the community, which will include the chair of the legislative committees on health, education and welfare.
The members will serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses they incurred while performing their duties.
Studies show autism is typically diagnosed during the first three years of life and is four times more likely to occur among males than females.
The U.S. is believed to spend more than $90 billion annually for the medical care and special needs of autistic children and the amount is expected to double in the next decade.
Experts estimate that two to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism in the U.S.
“In the commonwealth, during the 2007-2008 school-year, the Public School System had enrolled 58 students with autism from ages 3-21,” the new law stated.
The commission’s main job is to develop a comprehensive plan to carry out an early detection of autism among children as well as help those diagnosed with the disease and their families.
These include providing state-of-the-art clinical services, professional development, conducting research, among other projects.
