Advocacy
We're working together to create change for our autism community.
The ASCV partners with several fellow advocacy organizations across Virginia, including the Virginia Autism Project (VAP), Virginia Autism Foundation (VAF), Commonwealth Autism Services, Autism Societies of Northern Virginia & Tidewater, Charlottesville Region Autism Action Group (CRAAG), Autism Speaks, The Arc of Virginia, and many others. Our goal is to improve services and strengthen protections for autistic individuals. We strive to unify the voice of the autism community and integrate legislation in a coordinated manner.
2025 Legislative Priorities
Legislative Agenda:
- HB1772 (Hope) / SB1232 (Aird) – We thank Delegate Hope and Senator Aird for patroning bills to create a staffed Autism Commission in the legislative branch of state government. Both of these bills were unanimously approved by their respective Rules committees, but lost funding for staffing in Senate Finance and House Appropriations.
- HB2285 (Coyner) – Many thanks to Delegate Coyner for supporting the creation of an Autism Data Dashboard to collect and monitor data to identify gaps and better drive policy and access to supports across Virginia. Unfortunately this bill did not make it to the House Rules Committee’s docket before crossover and essentially died in committee.
- SB1293 (Stanley) – Thank you to Senator Stanley for addressing a need for high-quality professional development for school employees and medical professionals to better understand autistic traits and communicate with ASD individuals. This bill unanimously passed the Senate’s Education and Health and Finance committees and unanimously passed the Senate floor. It is now under consideration in the House.
Support Agenda Updates:
- HB1762 (Morefield) – This bill would have expanded Medicaid coverage to SSDI recipients not yet eligible for Medicare. It was approved by the House Committee on Health and Human Services but was laid on the table in House Appropriations.
- HB1804 (Cohen) – This bill expands access to Medicaid Works by raising income limits and enhancing services that support sustained employment. It was approved unanimously by the Health and Human Services Committee, Appropriations, and full House vote and is making its way through the Senate.
- HB2160 (Carr) – This bill provides for compensation for direct support professionals to support DD Waiver recipients during acute care hospital stays. It was approved unanimously by the Health and Human Services Committee, Appropriations, and full House vote and is making its way through the Senate.
- HB2219 (Tran) – This bill to require IEP documentation and staff training to support students who use augmentative and alternative communication devices was unanimously approved by the House Education Committee and House floor votes. It is currently in the Senate Committee of Education and Health.
- HB2501 (Rasoul) / SB1265 (DeSteph) – These bills bring the Blue Envelope Program to Virginia to help autistic drivers and law enforcement communicate more effectively during traffic stops. They both passed unanimously out of their respective Transportation committees and continue to make their way to Finance and floor votes.
- SB765 (Favola) / HB2746 (Tran) – These bills ensure a person’s right to vote is not automatically removed when they have a guardian and have both been engrossed by the House and Senate.
Budget Item Updates:
- Infrastructure Development: Item 297 #3s (Deeds), 297 #5h (Sickles)
- Funding for State Rental Assistance Program: Item 297 #3h (Willett), 297 #2s (Boysko)
- Develop Plan for Core Services: Item 292 #8s (Boysko), 292 #5h (Sickles)
- Provider Development Incubator: Item 296 #5s (Boysko)
- Increase Medicaid and CHIP Dental Rates: Item 288 #33h (McQuinn)
- Support for Families of Those with Extraordinary Care Needs: Item 288 #48h (Shin)
- Increase Funding for I/DD Waiver Services: Item 288 #46s (Deeds), 288 #43h (Sickles)
Autism Advocacy Day: Monday, January 27, 2025
More than 80 advocates and partnering autism organizations from around the state joined us for Autism Advocacy Day! Our teams filled the hallways of the Virginia General Assembly, bouncing from office to office to meet with legislators and staff members.
Our advocates – Autistic self-advocates, parents and caregivers of Autistic children, medical professionals and more – shared their powerful, personal experiences with Autism and information on several critical pieces of legislation that have the potential to improve the lives of countless Autistic individuals in Virginia. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to our advocates who came from near and far, our community partners as well as all of the legislators who took time out of their busy schedules to meet.
How to Advocate Effectively
- Visit this site frequently to stay up-to-date on bills related to our legislative agenda.
- Visit Virginia’s Legislative Information System (LIS) to search and track bills that are important to you. Familiarize yourself with the details and status of each, and be sure to check back in regularly to track.
- Testify in committee hearings. Please let us know if there’s an item you’d like to speak to, and we will do our best to notify you as soon as the committee meeting is announced. Virtual testimony is allowed!
- Visit the Who’s My Legislator website and enter your address to find your Delegate and Senator. Reach out to your Delegate and Senator via phone or email to request their support of specific bills, including WHY issues are so important to you. Before you reach out, be sure to note if your legislator is already a Patron of the bill so you can either thank them or request their support.
- Participate in 2025 Autism Advocacy Day on Monday, January 27th at the General Assembly to meet with your legislators and be part of a powerful day to make our voices heard!
Helpful Links
- Virginia House of Delegates Listing – Search for members, filter by committee, build your own list, and more
- Senate of Virginia Member Listing – View members & contact information
- Legislative Committees – To reach out to members of specific committees
ASCV's Approach to Advocacy
The ASCV team is dedicated to sharing information with our families and educating policymakers on current priorities that impact our local autism community. The ASCV is proud to represent a very diverse community of individuals across the entire autism spectrum and their families. We strive to empower autistic individuals and their families to advocate for the best possible services and support structures for themselves and/or their loved ones. Our team is committed to our ASCV Options Policy, and we believe that successful programs and services vary depending on individuals’ level of support needs.
We believe that effectively advocating at local, state, and national levels is imperative to improving services and strengthening protections. This requires unifying the voice of the autism community and integrating legislation priorities across federal, state, and local levels in a coordinated manner. Thank you for joining our efforts!