Navigating the Legislative Process in Analysis Autism as a Mental Disorder - Research Paper Example

Navigating the Legislative Process in Analysis Autism as a Mental Disorder There are several bureaucratic bottlenecks and processes that must take place before any tangible legislative agenda passes through. These are the procedures which the law or the statutes stipulates that must be passed so as to ensure that there is smooth transitioning and co-existence between the different arms of the government. A practical case and instance is navigating the legislative process. There are several steps and stages that a proposed bill or statute must pass before it is envisioned in the constitution as the law. Firstly, it requires patience before the whole process of legislation comes to fruition, especially if there are different majority control from different parties (Cross & Donovan, 2002). This is to say that if the different legislative houses are controlled by different parties then it would be require time and patience for any meaningful progress to be made. Similarly, it also requires that relationships and a good rapport is created before any meaningful progress is made. It also requires that one understands and respects the system because it is only through due diligence that the end result would be realized, and that is good legislative outcome or laws. This stems from the fact that autism is a lifelong disorder which has been subjected to misconceptions and stereotypes. As much as it is a pervasive disorder which affects the development of speech, movement and other functions of the body, autism is manageable and controllable. Thus, people with autism ay suffer from uncoordinated speech, movement and suffer a short memory span, if proper actions are taken accordingly. Conventionally, misconceptions and half-truth have always clouded the whole notion of autism thus hindering any genuine attempts to address autism holistically. The legislative process in its simplest aspect influences the legislators because it allows them to confine their reasoning’s and arguments within due process. This stems from the fact that there is acrimony in the legislative houses because different legislators represent different parties, interests and parties (Steuernagel, 2005). Thus, it is the irreducible minimum that each and every law is subjected under a thorough scrutiny before it is passed. This would only occur through patience and when the house would have conferred on the aptness of the laws. Thus, it requires the legislators to be patient and comply with the due process of law. Thus, the effort of the paper will advocate for a change at the state level so that the appropriate changes could be effected in the state of Connecticut. Raising a Concern over autism as a mental disorder This letter seeks to address and draw your attention to the grave issues pertaining to health of the State of Connecticut. In the recent past, empirical data and studies have pointed that the cases and instances of autism, which is a mental disorder are on the rise. From the outset, this is a mental disorder that has been clouded with a lot of misconception, stereotypes and half-truths. Thus, the members of the society do not get to enjoy the benefit of truth of information which would reach the population. On the other hand, it is a manageable disorder that could be tackled within the health parameters of the federal government. However, the slow process of legislation and the efforts it takes to navigate the legislative process slows down the efforts to combat autism, which is a mental ailment. It would be important if the legislative processes were speeded up to ensure more funds are released to the health facilities in good time for the same. Funds are necessary to sensitize the society on the whole concept of autism especially in Connecticut. As one of the supports of a better healthier societies, I am sure you will purpose to ensure the necessary legislations pass in good time so that the situation could be corrected. In case you need my assistance on the same, do not hesitate to contact me. I appreciate your commitment and your time to the health welfare of the state of Connecticut. Part 2 Freedom of information It is the constitutional right of each every citizen in the country to access information on the running of the country or on any state affair. This is not only a constitutional guarantee but it is also an act of openness and a show of transparency. This is the reason as to why the general Assembly at Connecticut has a reliable website where the citizens could obtain information pertaining to anything concerning the running of the State. It is worth to note that some information which are classified or sensitive to the security of the society are usually not available for the public, which is understandable. However, at times, a person of the state or just any ordinary citizen may be denied information by the relevant state agencies. It thus requires that the person files a complaint with the freedom of information commission and raises the complaint on the same after thirty days (Connecticut Health Policy, 2013). This means that it would take another month for filing before the commission would look at the query or complaint. Subsequently, actions and measures must be taken to address autism in length and principle. This notion stems from the reasoning that autism being a developmental disorder which inhibits the speech and movements of the human person, ought to be approached holistically. Autism is where the patient has short memory lapse, is unable to perform the seemingly normal things of life such as speech, movement or even feed himself. This is so because the brain of the autistic person never develops fully to perform functions such as speech or movement. The society has stereotyped autism with no proper and accurate facts to address the situation. However, the amount of time it requires for full information to be availed is long and thus, it would drag the time lag of policy formulation. Assume that a legislator needs information for urgent passage of a law and it takes more than a month including the time of complaining for the information to be made available (Daniel, Bernhardt & Eroglu, 2009). As much as there are efforts to ensure that information is free and available to the members of the public, it takes a considerable amount of time before critical information is accessed. Subsequently, the whole legislative process would be delayed due to the time lags. For instance, if a representative requires documents and information from the state on a sensitive matter for discussion, if it requires a lot of time to obtain the information, the whole delay would be useless. Thus, important legislations may be passed by time or events because the period of filing for a complaint due to delayed or denied information is much. Thus, the effort of the paper will advocate for a change at the state level so that the appropriate changes could be effected in the state of Connecticut. Opposing a proposal letter over autism as a mental disorder As a voter in this State, I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the amount of time it takes for a person to obtain information from state agencies in case of a complaint or a query against them. This is line with the proposed bill to set the time of complaint at thirty days after one is denied information. In light of the fact that the State has purposed to fight autism, which is a mental disorder, the amount of time is slightly in the high side before information is availed to the public. Information is power, and it requires a collective effort from all people in the state to fight the mental disorder. Thus, it would be beneficial if the thirty day period is reduced to three days so that aptness and urgency is introduced into the process of fighting the mental disorder. I am of the opinion that most people in Connecticut would agree that free information on autism cases, and the whole concept of autism as a mental ailment, would be proper to help demystify the question and misconceptions around autism. References Connecticut Health Policy. (2013). The health advocacy toolbox: Writing to policy makers. Retrieved October 1, 2013 fromhttp://www.cthealthpolicy.org/toolbox/legislative/writing_policymaker.htm Cross, C. T., & Donovan, M. S. (Eds.). (2002). Minority students in special and gifted education. National Academies Press. Daniel, K. L., Bernhardt, J. M., & Eroglu, D. (2009). Social marketing and health communication: From people to places. American Journal of Public Health, 99(12), 2120-2122. (Use Academic Search Complete search engine in the Library Portal) Steuernagel, T. (2005). Increases in Identified Cases of Autism Spectrum Disorders Policy Implications. Journal of disability policy studies, 16(3), 138-146. Read More