Schumer Announces Congressional Passage Of Landmark Autism Legislation

Schumer Announces Congressional Passage Of Landmark Autism Legislation

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced Congressional approval of the Combating Autism Act, which would authorize $945 million over five years to increase and coordinate federal research and education about autism. Nationwide, autism has a tremendous impact on children and the lives of their families, with the rate of autism growing to 1 out of every 166 children now being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

"Autism is a nationwide epidemic that has lived in the shadows for far too long," said Senator Schumer. "This legislation will have a great impact on New York City and Long Island families affected by autism by improving immediate counseling and education while bolstering longer-term efforts to find a cure."

The Combating Autism Act creates a national education program for doctors and the public about autism, provides grants for statewide autism screening, and creates a nationwide data clearinghouse. Additionally, the bill increases the collaboration of individuals and groups who are working on autism, reconstitutes the activities of the Autism Coordinating Committee that brings together the efforts of various federal agencies and empowers it to develop a strategic plan for the conduct and support of autism research, with budgetary recommendations. In August while traveling across New York State, Schumer called on the leadership in the House of Representatives to pass the legislation. The House finally passed the bill on Wednesday with some modifications, and the Senate approved the final bill Thursday afternoon. The bill now goes to President George W. Bush for his signature.

Studies by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention suggest that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has significantly increased, from approximately four in 10,000 in the early 1990s to as many as one in every 166 births today. Despite strikingly high prevalence, autism research remains one of the lowest funded areas of medical research by both public and private sources. Currently, the causes of autism are unknown and there are no specific medical treatments or cure. Physicians have no blood test or diagnostic scan that can definitively diagnose the disorder.

This year, Senator Schumer toured the Center for Discovery, a world-class facility for autism education, services and research and announced a new push for passing the Combating Autism Act to increase and coordinate federal research and education about autism. While the Center for Discovery is located in Sullivan, New York, the majority of children who attend the center come from Long Island, NYC, and Westchester.

In New York State, there is a lack of services for children with special needs. 1700 children a year are placed at facilities outside New York State, at an estimated annual cost of $2 million to $3 million.

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=266823&&year=2006&