Esta ley enmienda la Ley de Vehículos y Tránsito de Puerto Rico para incluir los Trastornos Generalizados del Desarrollo, como el Autismo, entre las condiciones permanentes que no requieren un nuevo certificado médico para la renovación de los rótulos removibles para personas con discapacidad. Esto facilita el proceso de renovación para individuos con estas condiciones.
(Approved January 23, 2006)
To amend subsection
(c) of Section 2.22 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, known as the "Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act," for the purpose of including Pervasive Developmental Disorders such as Autism Disorder, Rett Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified known as PDDNOS, among the conditions that do not require a new medical certificate at the time of renewal of the removable placards for disabled persons; for other related purposes.
Autism is a severe and chronic developmental disability, which usually appears during the first three (3) years of life. It occurs approximately in fifteen (15) out every ten thousand $(10,000)$ births and is four (4) times more common in boys than in girls. It is found in all types of races, ethnicities and social classes in the world. Any factor in the psychological environment of the child as a direct cause of autism is not known. The symptoms caused by brain disorders include difficulties in the normal development of physical, social and language activities, as well as a abnormal response to stimuli. Other characteristic indications of this condition are: impaired vision and hearing, lack of balance, and limitations in managing the body. A delay in speech and language development also tends to occur even when the child has an average intellectual level.
The House of Representatives, through the Committee on Social Welfare studied and approved the House Bill No. 2066, which became Act No. 227 of September 11, 2002, which unified the application, processing, and issue system of removable disabled persons placards in a single presentation before the Department of Transportation and Public Works. With this action, the practice in the United States jurisdictions to create a uniform system which guarantees access and security to persons with disabilities was incorporated. With this act justice was done to persons who suffer from autism so that they are able to apply for the removable placard issued pursuant to Act No. 22, supra.
The Legislature deems it necessary to amend subsection
(c) of Section 2.22 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, in order to include autism among the conditions that do not need a new medical certificate at the time of the renewal of the removable placard, since it is a permanent condition and its cure is at present, unknown.
Section 1.- Subsection
(c) of Section 2.22 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, known as the "Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 22.- Applications for the issue of removable placards that authorize parking in restricted areas
Any disabled person, who applies for a removable parking placard, as established in Sections 2.21 and 2.21(a) of this Act, must meet the following requirements:
(a) $\ldots$
(b) $\ldots$
(c) A new medical certificate shall not be necessary when the
removable placard is renewed in the following permanent conditions:
(d) ...
(e) ...'
Section 2.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 23 (H.B.495) of the $\underline{3}^{ ext {rd }}$ Session of the $\underline{15}^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT amend subsection
(c) of Section 2.22 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, known as the "Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act," for the purpose of including Pervasive Developmental Disorders such as Autism Disorder, Rett Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified known as PDDNOS, among the conditions that do not require a new medical certificate at the time of renewal of the removable placards for disabled persons; for other related purposes, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $16^{ ext {th }}$ of August of 2006.
Francisco J. Domenech Director