A decade in the making, the legislation pushed by Sen. Steve Geller of Cooper City was the last bill to pass the 2008 lawmaking session, in which $4 billion budget cuts pitted the have-nots against the have-a-littles.
And no proposal did that like the Steven A. Geller Autism Coverage Act.
House Speaker Marco Rubio and his entire chamber liked the act. But they said it wasn't enough because it only helped kids with autism, not those with Down syndrome, spina bifida or any other developmental disability.
But the Senate objected that the House didn't spend enough time studying how much the coverage for the additional disabilities would cost and what effect they would have on insurance premiums. So the Senate kicked an autism-only proposal back to the House with less than an hour left in the 60-day session. The message: Take it or leave it.
Rubio didn't know what to do. With time running out, dozens of lawmakers -- first Republicans, then Democrats -- huddled with him at the dais. They were torn. So was Rubio. He spoke twice with Gov. Charlie Crist by phone and asked him if he would be willing to call a special session on the developmentally disabled.
'He said, `Yes, but let's pass this and then do it,' '' Rubio recalled.
Finally, with less than 10 minutes left, Rubio sounded as if he were about to say no, saying he feared the appetite for a meaningful fix would be lost if he settled for less.
Outside the chamber, a hushed crowd of hundreds watched TV monitors in near silence. And then Rubio surprised them.
'If this issue is about anything else, anything else -- taxes, anything -- I would tell you: `Don't do it. Let's give it back and do it right and get it completely right.' But it has to do with children and with families,'' Rubio said. ``I think we need to take a step forward.''
The proposal requires health insurance companies to cover $36,000 a year in autism treatment -- up to $200,000 over a lifetime. It also asks the Office of Insurance Regulation to work out an agreement with insurance companies to cover other developmental disabilities.
The changes might not cover a child's entire therapy bill. Therapy for autism -- a range of disorders that inhibit communication and social interaction -- can cost more than $40,000 a year. But supporters say it's a start.
Under an earlier House plan pushed by Republican Rep. Andy Gardiner of Orlando, Florida's children's health insurance program would have been expanded. It also required health insurance companies to cover $36,000 a year in therapy for all children with disabilities, up to $108,000 a child.
Gardiner, whose son has Down syndrome, visibly struggled with supporting the autism-only Senate plan. Geller, too, said he liked the House plan. But his Republican colleagues in the Senate wouldn't take it. And Geller didn't want to end up with nothing by wanting everything.
''Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good,'' Geller said later.
Geller joined the rest of the Capitol watchers in cheering when the House passed his plan 117-0. Four parents of kids with autism openly cried in relief and thanked lobbyist Ron Book, who has lobbied the issue without pay for a decade.
Inside, the chamber was silent.
When session ended, Democratic Rep. Loranne Ausley of Tallahassee left the chamber with tears running down her face.
''It's hard for those of us who are leaving not to be able to get it all done,'' Ausley said. ``We're tired. We've been here until midnight every night, and you get emotional about the things that are important to you. And here we are in a take-it-or-leave-it deal and you have to make a decision.''
Crist vowed to take up the House issue next year. But he said Friday's vote was about families. And about Geller, who is leaving the Legislature due to term limits.
''That is your swan song, a lasting legacy for a great public servant,'' Crist said.
As for a special session? Rubio, whose term expires in November, answered: ``It's probably best for the next leadership.''
Miami Herald staff writer Marc Caputo contributed to this report.
