Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation providing insurance coverage for families with autistic children, after a similar bill passed in 2011 was deemed to contain imprecise language by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

The bill requires Virginia health insurance providers to pay for occupational, speech and other therapies for children ages 2 to 6, and to cover the cost of applied behavioral analysis, up to an annual cap of $35,000, according to The Washington Post.

The bill allows 280 days for state officials to write regulations for those teaching applied behavioral analysis, which, the source notes, means coverage could begin before the end of this year. Given that the original bill failed to pass for 11 consecutive years, proponents of the legislation are likely pleased to see this version pass so quickly in comparison.

This may help many families in the state, according to the source, which has an estimated 11,700 autistic children currently attending school and others who are unable to do so or too young. Data from the National Conference of State Legislatures indicates that 34 states have laws concerning autism and insurance, with 29 requiring coverage for autism treatment and others mandating limited coverage.