JEFFERSON CITY—Senator Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, recently received the 2014 Easter Seals Outstanding Advocate Award for his tireless efforts to improve the lives of children and adults with disabilities in Missouri. Senator Schmitt was recognized at the Advocacy Summit Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. in late June, and was one of only four elected officials nationwide, including two governors, to receive the honor.

Easter Seals is a national nonprofit organization that for nearly 100 years has provided services to help children and adults with disabilities as well as supporting families for nearly 100 years. The group assists more than one million individuals and their families annually at more than 550 sites across the country.

“I’m truly honored to receive such a prestigious award from an organization that has changed the lives of millions of families across the country, mine included,” said Sen. Schmitt. “As a parent of a child with a developmental disability, I know firsthand the daily struggles families endure to give their children the best possible life they can. It was my desire to help families in similar situations that really propelled me into public office. We have a duty as a society to provide quality care and understanding to those with disabilities, and that’s always been, and will always be, one of my highest priorities.”

Senator Schmitt was recognized for a legislative career spent fighting for those with disabilities, highlighted in the Easter Seals release on the award, which can be viewed here. Over the last five years, Sen. Schmitt secured passage of legislation that requires insurance companies to cover services related to autism treatment, codified five statewide autism projects, sponsored legislation to remove the phrase “mental retardation” from state statutes, secured additional funding for disability services in the state, and annually sponsors the resolution allowing the use of the Missouri Senate Chamber by Youths with Disabilities for their yearly mock legislative session.

In addition, Sen. Schmitt was successful this year in passing legislation that allows children who suffer from intractable epilepsy to gain access to new medical treatments using CBD oil, which has been shown to drastically reduce the number of seizures. 

To read more about Sen. Schmitt’s legislative accomplishments on behalf of children and adults with disabilities, visit his Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/schmitt.