Two Democratic state lawmakers are criticizing Governor Braun’s new working group on Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, calling the process secretive and unprecedented.
State Reps. Maureen Bauer (D-South Bend) and Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers), both members of the House Public Health Committee, said members of the governor’s ABA therapy group are being required to sign non-disclosure agreements – a move they say keeps families and legislators in the dark about decisions affecting autism services.
The group was created through Executive Order 25-31 to review rising Medicaid costs tied to autism therapy. Garcia Wilburn said her request to join the panel went unanswered.
“Families across Indiana depend on these services. They deserve transparency, not secrecy,” Bauer said. Garcia Wilburn added, “Autism services are too important for closed-door politics. Hoosiers deserve to know what’s at stake.”
Both lawmakers are urging Braun to lift the NDAs and open the process to bipartisan input.
