Trump signs Smith’s Autism CARES Bill into law

Today, I was proud to sign the Autism CARES Bill! We support research for Americans with Autism and their families. You are not forgotten, we are fighting for you! pic.twitter.com/syyaLR0sNq

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2019

President Donald J. Trump signed the Autism CARES Act of 2019 into law today. The new law, which was sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith and and Rep Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, provides $1.8 billion in federal funding over five years to help children and adults with Autism and their families.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Sheriff’s Officers, Middletown PD, Locate Missing Middletown Man With Project Lifesaver Technology

Monmouth County Sheriff’s Officers and Middletown Police Officers located an elderly Middletown man who wandered from home last night through the use of the Sheriff’s Office’s Project Lifesaver technology, according to an announcement by Sheriff Shaun Golden.

The 69 year old man was located and returned to safety by Sheriff’s Officers Kurt Kroeper and Ralph Irizzary as well as Detective Al Scott and Sgt. CJ Higgins of the Middletown PD.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Congressman Chris Smith Recognized For Leadership Impacting Autism

Mike DiMauro, Geri Sabasko, Rep. Smith, Autism Speaks CEO Angela Geiger, Rana Corandan, Shane Lilliston, Fay Painter

Congressman Chris Smith  received the Congressional Leadership Award on Wednesday on Capitol Hill from the group Autism Speaks, a national advocacy group that promotes awareness of and research and solutions for autism spectrum disorder. Smith was awarded at the 2018 World Autism Month Champions Luncheon, capping off a month of significant activity on behalf of children with autism and their caregivers.

“I want to thank the leaders at Autism Speaks for their incredible work raising awareness on this invisible crisis,” said Smith, co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus, at the Hill Day event held during World Autism Month. The luncheon was attended by autism advocates from all over the U.S., many of who have children with autism. Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

The Arnone Report: Addressing the needs of autistic children and adults

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

As I have mentioned before, one of the most rewarding organizations I am involved in is the Monmouth Ocean Foundation for Children (MOFFC).  I share this honor with our Monmouth County Sheriff, Shaun Golden, as we are both members of the board of directors.  As the vice chairman of the board, I am working with MOFFC leadership to develop a facility for adults with autism because they “age out” of the current services available within our county at 21 years of age.  This facility would provide programming, services, therapies, and life skills training. These adults with special needs deserve a safe environment where they can continue to thrive and learn.

I am pleased to say we are extremely close to making this program a reality and I am currently working on the funding sources for it. I hope to have more specific details on this important and exciting project in the weeks to come.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

SHERIFF’S OFFICE IN THE FOREFRONT AS AUTISM AWARNESS MONTH GETS UNDERWAY

Freehold: Sheriff Shaun Golden is committed to having law enforcement remain in the forefront when it comes to autism awareness. He was pleased to welcome Fran Hines, an autism awareness trainer with the New Jersey Department of Health, and, a parent of an autistic child, to the Monmouth County Police Academy, on April 1, which marks the beginning of Autism Awareness Month.  Hines held a training session for the 43 recruits from the 88^th Basic Course for Police Officers on autism awareness.

“As we recognize April as Autism Awareness Month, it’s vital to note that the law enforcement community is dedicated to acknowledging this disorder throughout the year,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden, a trustee of the Monmouth Ocean Foundation for Children. “Through attentive training, it’s vital that law enforcement officers become equipped with information and understand the problems associated with autism to effectively assist an individual who needs help.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Two Smith Laws Signed Into Law On The Same Day

In Dec 2013, left-behind parents, Captain Paul Toland whose daughter was kidnapped in Japan; Bindu Philips of Plainsboro, N.J., whose two sons were abducted to India, and David Goldman whose son was abducted to Brazil and returned after a five year ordeal, joined Rep. Chris Smith in calling for passage of legislation, dubbed the Goldman Act (HR 3212) to help families who have been victimized by international abductions

It is rare for most congressmen to get one of there bills signed into law. Frank Pallone, for example, has only had 6 bills, two naming post offices, become law in his entire 26 year career in congress.

Congressman Chris Smith is #4 of all members of the 435 member House of Representatives in getting their bills through both houses and signed by the president.  On Friday, two more of Smith’s bills became the law of the land. Families and children are better off because of Smith’s new laws.

Between ordering airstrikes in Iraq and flying off to vacation in Martha’s Vineyard on Friday, President Obama signed two separate bills sponsored by Smith. One to help prevent international child abduction and return American children now held overseas, and the other targeting $1.3 billion in federal funds to assist families touched by autism.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Smith’s Autism Bill Passes House Energy and Commerce Committee

Congressman Chris Smith

Bi-partisan legislation authored by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ4) that provides $260 million per year over five years to fund research into autism and that urges federal agencies to examine and anticipate needs for autistic children who are “aging out” of current programs and need different assistance as adults, the “Autism CARES (Combating Autism Authorization) Act”, HR 4631, passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday on a voice vote and is headed to the full House.

“My bill begins the conversation on how we as a society can best address the aging out crisis—that every year 50,000 youths with autism enter into adulthood and communities unprepared to support them—which will be augmented by a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the efficacy of the services landscape,” said Smith who, along with the bill’s Democrat cosponsor Rep. Mike Doyle, founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Coalition on Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.). “The research authorized in this bill through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is helping families better understand and assist children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

The Arnone Report

ZERO PERCENT TAX INCREASE

Freeholder Director Tom Arone

By Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

For the fourth straight year in a row The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders has had a 0% tax increase. I am pleased that I have been able to be a part of this budget especially in the hard economic times we are faced with. It has been and always will be a priority of mine as well as the entire Board of Chosen Freeholders to continue this trend of savings to our Monmouth County residents.

Additionally, The Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to report we have collected over $1 Million (Actual is $1,022,976.56) in revenues at this early stage in the year from our 911 communications shared service. This amount is based on revenue received from 21 towns. This is a vast increase from prior years where the invoice and revenue collection process typically began in April. This year, the Freeholders in conjunction with the Sheriff through the Office of Shared Services began the process at a much earlier date. The result has been beneficial to all parties as the county has earlier use of funds to help offset our expenses which allows for efficient budgeting for the county as well as for our municipalities. The Board of Chosen Freeholders is extremely pleased with these figures and anticipates the numbers to continue to increase as we receive revenue from the remaining municipalities. The revenue the County receives that is generated through shared services offers relief to the municipalities that translates to lower costs for the services being performed.

April is Autism Awareness Month, and at the last meeting of The Board of Chosen Freeholders a Proclamation was presented to Dr. David Abbott, Superintendent of Schools, for The Shore Center for Students with Autism located in Tinton Falls,. The Proclamation was presented to commemorate Autism Awareness Month in hopes of raising awareness of Autism.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Marlboro Teen Is Reunited With Parents

Karwan family photo via News12’s facebook page.

Michael Karwan, the missing autistic teenage who was located in Cleveland, Ohio last night, has been reunited with his parents, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Grammiccioni.

Grammiccioni said that Karwan, 19, was reported missing from his parents’ home on Tuesday, Nov. 19, sparking an intensive search of the region that spread into upstate New York. Over the next week, Karwan traveled by bus from Monmouth County to Manhattan and from New York via Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before arriving in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon his arrival in Cleveland on Saturday, Karwan attempted to check-in to an overcrowded men’s shelter run by Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries (LMM), but was referred to the Volunteers of America (VoA) shelter.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Casagrande’s bill will thwart “Piggish” school superintendents

Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande, left, and Mary Pat Angelini, in Long Branch this morning for Mayor Schneider’s endorsement of Gov Christie

While touring  Oakwood School, a non-profit, non-sectarian New Jersey Private School for the Disabled that serves adolescents with Asperger/Autism in Tinton Falls last March, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande learned that the school’s enrollment had declined after the State instituted its cap on school superintendents’ salaries.

One of the exceptions to the superintendents’ salary cap are bonuses awarded for academic excellence. An administrator at Oakwood tipped Casagrande to the notion that superintendents could be keeping special needs students in their schools, to the academic and social detriment of the special needs and ‘normal’ students, in order to snag those $25,000 bonuses.

Freehold Regional High School District earned unwelcome notoriety for its largess with its previous superintendent, the phony Doctor H. James Wasser.  Wasser’s replacement Charles Sampson, has a clause in his contract rewarding him for reducing the number of special needs students assigned to out-of-district schools like Oakwood, according to a December 2012 article in the News Transcript, a weekly newspaper serving Colts Neck, Englishtown, Freehold Borough and Township, Manalapan and Marlboro.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet