Legislators say support for autism bill cost them BCA conference invites

Montgomery Advertiser - 7/21/2017

July 21--Two senators said Thursday the Business Council of Alabama froze them out of an annual governmental affairs conference because of their support for legislation mandating coverage of autism therapies.

The House sponsor of the legislation and another senator who supported it said they also weren't invited, though they were not entirely certain why.

Sens. Dick Brewbaker, R-Pike Road and Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, who pushed hard for the legislation last spring, said in separate interviews they believed their support meant invitations to an annual summer conference hosted by BCA in Point Clear were withheld this year.

"I was viewed as the face of that bill," Ward said. "That created some ill feelings with them and leadership."

Nancy Hewston, a spokeswoman for BCA, strongly denied Thursday that the autism bill -- which BCA opposed -- was the reason they were not on the guest list, though a statement from Hewston did not give another reason.

"The implication that our guest list was developed solely on one issue is false, and anyone who writes that is promoting fake news," Hewston said in a statement. "133 out of 137 lawmakers voted for this particular issue, and the vast majority of them will be attending this year's conference. Let me be clear -- no one was uninvited from this event."

All four legislators are Republicans who stressed Thursday they are generally supportive of the organization's agenda. Only one senator -- Trip Pittman, R-Montrose -- voted against the legislation in that chamber, and a number of House and Senate legislators were not on an invitation list submitted to the Alabama Ethics Commission by BCA.

But Brewbaker and Ward had been extended invitations in the past, and were prominent in the battle for the bill. They played key roles in getting the legislation to the floor for a vote.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jim Patterson, R-Meridianville, requires coverage of therapies for children with autism. Alabama was one of a handful of states prior to the Legislature's action that did not mandate those treatments, which have positive effects on autistic children's development but which can cost $120 an hour out of pocket.

Patterson did not receive an invitation and said Thursday he had not been given a reason, though he said his work on the legislation was the likely reason.

"I hate to speculate, but I think that's a pretty good speculation," he said. "I was pretty disappointed. I'm a small businessman. I'm very pro-business."

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama said the cost of coverage would be too expensive, and BCA criticized the measure as an "Obamacare-style tax hike" after it passed the Senate in May. But grassroots organizations, led by parents of autistic children, pushed strongly for the bill.

Those parents found allies in the Senate. Brewbaker threatened to slow down the session if the bill did not come to the floor for a vote, a move backed by Ward and Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison.

All four legislators Thursday they would not waver in their support for the legislation. Patterson said it would help those affected by autism and help schools educating those affected.

"It's going to change education and lives in Alabama," he said. "It's proven to work."

Brewbaker said he would do it all again.

"I've told my colleagues many times in discussions that if you get beat casting that kind of vote, at least you'll have made an honorable exit from the Legislature," he said. "And the flip side of that is, you're not going to get beat on that."

Ward agreed.

"I'll keep doing what I'm doing and run on my record," he said. "If the autism issue is the one that gets you beat, that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Holtzclaw said his constituents urged him to vote for the bill.

"So many people reached out to me in support of that legislation," he said. "It was an easy support for me, beyond the fact it was the right thing to do."

Holtzclaw also said he didn't know why he didn't get an invitation, but that he wasn't torn up about it.

"I know where the beach is," he said. "If I want to go, I'll go."

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