JEFFERSON CITY — House Republican leaders, who promised to come up with a bill improving treatment for autism, have finally scheduled a meeting of the committee set up to study the problem.

A public hearing is set for noon Tuesday in Hearing Room 7 in the Capitol basement. Legislators will be in town that day to prepare for the annual veto session on Wednesday. Rep. Dwight Scharnhorst, R-St. Louis County, chairs the panel.

Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, appointed the committee after Gov. Jay Nixon criticized the House for burying a Senate-passed autism bill last spring. The bill would have required insurers to cover autism treatment, including behavioral therapy.

The bill’s champions included Republican Sens. Scott Rupp of Wentzville and Eric Schmitt of Glendale. They’re working with supporters, who plan a rally on Sept. 20 in O’Fallon.

The insurance industry opposes a mandate, arguing that insurance premiums would rise for everybody and that behavioral therapy is a medically unproven treatment.