An Act Ensuring High-Quality and Transparent ABA Care
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a vital intervention for children with autism and Down syndrome, but rapid acquisition and consolidation by private equity (PE) firms have degraded quality of care. Driven by profit-maximizing models, PE-owned practices cut costs, reduce staffing ratios, and experience high clinician turnover.
This bill regulates the ABA sector by prohibiting clinics from requiring arbitrary minimum weekly hours (e.g., 30-40 hours) as a condition of treatment, banning noncompete agreements for ABA therapists, and applying the state's 2025 healthcare PE transparency law (H.5159) to decentralized ABA practices. The Attorney General is authorized to levy civil penalties up to $10,000/day and establish a confidential whistleblower reporting channel.