The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Autism CARES Act this week. The bill now heads to the Senate. (Thinkstock)
Congress is one step closer to renewing the nation’s flagship autism law, with time running out before it expires.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 402-13 on Wednesday to pass the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2024, or Autism CARES.
The bipartisan bill, which represents a compromise between House and Senate lawmakers, would allocate more than $1.95 billion over the next five years for autism-related research, prevalence monitoring, screening, professional training and other government activities.
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The law was passed in 2006, but the current version is set to expire on September 30.
“While significant progress has been made in understanding and accepting autism, there is still much work to be done to ensure that all autistic people have access to services and supports tailored to their specific needs,” said Christopher Banks, president and CEO of The Autism Society of America. “The Autism CARES Act of 2024 addresses key areas such as autism and aging research, services for those with more complex needs, communication challenges, and the shortage of developmental pediatricians – all of which are crucial steps toward improving the lives of autistic people.”
The bill passed by the House this week would revamp many existing autism-related programs and direct the National Institutes of Health to ensure that research reflects the full range of cognitive, communication, behavioral, and adaptive functioning needs of individuals with autism. It would increase the number of NIH Centers of Excellence, require NIH to develop an annual budget plan for autism research, and include efforts to promote the adoption of assisted communication.
The measure also calls for a government report on ways to increase the number of pediatricians specializing in developmental behavior, as well as another examining the aging of young people who drop out of school.
Even with House approval, the legislation still must be approved by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden to become law.
“Since the historic passage of the Autism CARES Act in 2006, families like mine have greatly benefited from the transformative impact of this law, which has increased our understanding of autism, expanded autism health care training, and led to the development of evidence-based services for individuals with autism across the spectrum and lifespan,” said Keith Wargo, President and CEO of Autism Speaks. “While we celebrate the House’s passage, we urge the Senate to quickly pass the Autism CARES Act and send it to the President’s desk before its expiration on September 30.”
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