The Millstone Times August 2019

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Landmark Autism CARES Act Passes House Smith’s Bill Provides over $1.8B for NIH, CDC & HRSA autism programs

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation to powerfully support and aggres- sively pursue durable remedies and effective interventions for the 1.5 million children with autism was approved unanimously today by the U.S. House of Representatives. Authored by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), with chief Democrat cospon- sor, Rep. Mike Doyle (PA-14), The Autism CARES Act of 2019 pro- vides slightly more than $1.8 billion over five years “for America’s whole-of-government Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) initiative” lead by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Smith’s bill also helps adults with autism who he said are “are often misdiagnosed, underdiagnosed and overlooked. Language through- out the bill emphasizes that causes, diagnosis, detection, prevention

and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) must be throughout the lifespan of a person. According to Drexel University’s AJ Drexel Autism Cen- ter, about fifty to sixty thousand children “age out” to adulthood each year creating challenges for education, housing, employment and access to health care,” he said. Smith thanked the more than 35 non-governmental organizations that have endorsed his legislation and called on the Senate for speedy passage.

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