August 19, 2003

To the Honorable Members of the

Illinois House of Representatives

93^rd General Assembly

Pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 684, entitled “AN ACT concerning disabled persons”, with the following specific recommendations for change:

on page 1, line 24, by deleting "or autism,"; and

on page 1, line 30, after the period, by inserting "For purposes of this Section, autism is considered a related condition.”; and

on page 2, line 11, after "(DSM-IV)", by inserting ", or its successor,”; and

on page 2, line 13, after "(ICD-9-CM)", by inserting ", or its successor,"; and

on page 3, line 5, by replacing "3 or more" with "any”; and

on page 4, line 7, after "with", by inserting "developmental”; and

on page 4, line 13, after "with", by inserting "developmental”; and

on page 5, line 15, by replacing "shall" with “may"; and

on page 7, below line 28, by inserting the following:

   “(10) Mental health supports.  Individuals with a disability must be provided needed mental health supports such as psychological rehabilitation, psychiatric and medication coverage, day treatment, care management, and crisis services.”; and

on page 7, line 29, by replacing "(10)" with “(11)"; and

on page 8, line 10, by replacing "(10)" with "(11)".

With these changes, House Bill 684 will have my approval.  I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH

Governor