CARA Bill News:
December 31 Update
NPR: CARA Passage One of Few 'Bold' Actions Taken by Congress in 2011
In a year-end review of Congress, NPR correspondent Tamara Keith reported on a professor's finding that the current Congress is on pace to be the least productive since the 1880s. The renewal of the 2006 Combating Autism Act, signed into law September 30 by President Obama, was singled out as one of the few significant achievements.
The NPR report said Tobin Grant, an associate professor of political science at Southern Illinois University, concluded that very few of the 80 bills signed into law in 2011 were major legislation.
"Multiple bills continue funding that had already been ongoing," according to NPR. "Others, (Grant) says, include 'taking a bold stance in favor of 9/11 heroes and autism' with the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act and the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act."
Reflecting on the current Congress, Rutgers Political Science Professor Ross Baker told NPR, "When you're dealing at this level with issues that are so polarizing, they will basically suck all the oxygen out of both chambers." Read the full report here.
President Obama Signs Budget Bill Appropriating First $230 Million Authorized by CARA
WASHINGTON, DC (December 23, 2011) -- President Obama today signed into law an omnibus budget bill that includes an estimated $230 million in new federal funding for autism research and services, the first of three annual appropriations authorized under the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act.
The funding includes $47.7 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), $21.38 million for the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and funding to be allocated through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The portion NIH designates for autism research is expected to be close to the prior level of $161 million. Congress also approved a $5.1 million appropriation to continue autism research within the U.S. Department of Defense.
“We're seeing significant appropriations under the CAA in a most difficult fiscal climate, showing bipartisan understanding within Congress of the national public health importance of autism,” said Peter Bell, executive vice president for programs and services. “The funding through the Defense Department is also gratifying, raising the total allocated to this vital program over $35 million.”
The CAA was reauthorized for another three years by Congress and signed by President Obama on Sept. 30. The funding approved by Congress and President Obama maintains the new appropriations for HRSA and CDC at their FY2011 levels, withstanding cuts that affected many other federal programs. Both the HRSA and CDC appropriations could be subject later in the year to an across-the-board 0.189 percent reduction affecting all health programs.
The appropriation for the Defense Department’s Autism Research Program (DoD-ARP) for Fiscal Year 2012 was cut slightly from previous levels, but the program was continued as part of federal autism research efforts. DoD-ARP is administered as a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), similar to current programs for breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers. Research that is funded under CDMRP is peer-reviewed, benefits from the direct input of consumer advocates, and is targeted to the most innovative, promising research in the field.
AUTISM SPEAKS APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR SIGNING COMBATING AUTISM REAUTHORIZATION ACT
Suzanne, Bob Wright Attend White House Bill-Signing Extending Landmark Combating Autism Act Another Three Years
WASHINGTON, D.C. September 30, 2011 – Autism Speaks Co-founders Suzanne and Bob Wright today joined President Obama at a White House ceremony where the President signed crucial legislation renewing the landmark Combating Autism Act for another three years.
“Autism Speaks thanks President Obama and our Congressional leaders for telling the millions of families who deal with autism every day that America will not quit on them,” said Bob Wright. “We have come far since the historic Combating Autism Act was enacted in 2006, but we still have further to go to find answers. With autism rising at an alarming rate, America cannot afford to stand still.”
The Wrights were invited to the White House ceremony along with Autism Speaks Board Member Billy Mann.
Sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) in the House of Representatives and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) in the Senate, HR. 2005, the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 continues the federal commitment for autism research, services and treatment at current levels, authorizing $693 million over the next three years. The original act provided $945 million over five years.
Since the 2006 act became law, the prevalence of autism has risen to 1 in 110, including 1 in 70 boys, prompting the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to call autism a public health emergency. Estimates of the annual cost of autism to the nation have ranged as high as $90 billion. Critical research now underway has made significant advances in determining potential causes for the developmental disorder as well as advancing promising new early intervention behavioral treatments.
The bill cleared the Senate Monday night after lawmakers agreed that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) will examine the use of federal funding for autism research. Autism Speaks has long supported such oversight to ensure that scarce federal resources are put to their best use in research.
“Our success in no small part was made possible by the tens of thousands of grassroots advocates who insisted that Congress hear their voices,” said Autism Speaks President Mark Roithmayr. “Congress listened.”
Other national advocacy organizations that worked closely in winning passage of the bill included the Autism Society of America, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, Easter Seals, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
Autism Speaks Hails Historic Senate Vote Renewing Combating Autism Act for Another Three Years
Bill Goes to President Obama for Signature
NEW YORK, N.Y. (September 27, 2011) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, today hailed the Senate for passing the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act (CARA) by unanimous consent and called on President Obama to fulfill his promise to sign the bill into law. Read more...
U.S. House votes to reauthorize federal autism funding; bill awaits Senate action
By Mari-Jane Williams
Mari-Jane Williams is a news design editor at The Washington Post and a regular guest contributor to On Parenting. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children, one of whom has special needs.
Money is tight in federal Washington these days, to say the least. But autism funding will remain at its current levels for the next three years if the Senate approves a bill that passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Read more....
© 2011 The Washington Post Company
NIMH Head Warns Autism Research Grants Would ‘Terminate’ Without CARA
NEW YORK (September 22, 2011) – The head of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has advised Congress that a critical source of federal funding for autism education, and early detection and intervention programs will “terminate” if the 2006 Combating Autism Act (CAA) is not renewed by the end of September. Read more...
Autism Speaks Enlists in Joint Appeal to Senate to Complete Action on CARA
WASHINGTON, DC (September 21, 2011) -- Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, joined with lawmakers and other leaders in the aut ism community at a Capitol Hill press conference today to urge the U.S. Senate to approve the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act as a critical September 30 deadline looms. The press conference was hosted by U.S. Reps. Chris Smith [R-NJ] (second from right) and Mike Doyle [D-PA] (second from left), the co-sponsors of the bill voted out of the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday. Peter Bell (center), Autism Speaks executive vice president of programs and services, joined with Scott Badesch (right), president of the Autism Society of America, and Dr. George Jesien (left), executive director of the University Centers on Disabilities, in urging the Senate to act quickly.
Read Congressman Smith's release here.
Read Washington Times coverage here.
Read Mr. Bell's remarks.
Autism Speaks Hails House Approval of Bill Renewing Combating Autism Act for Another Three Years
NEW YORK, N.Y. (September 20, 2011) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, hailed today’s voice vote by the U.S. House of Representatives approving the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, and urged the Senate to quickly complete congressional action on the bill and send it to President Obama. Read more...
Autism Speaks Lauds Senate HELP Committee for Moving Vital Autism Bill to Senate Floor
Combating Autism Reauthorization Act Clears First Step, Full Senate Urged to Act Immediately
NEW YORK, N.Y. (September 7, 2011) –The renewal of the Combating Autism Act took an important first step today as a Senate committee moved a reauthorization bill out of committee by unanimous voice vote and on to the Senate floor with just 23 days to go before the act expires. Read more...
Autism Speaks Urges Congress to Pass Vital Combating Autism Reauthorization Act
Bi-partisan Senate, House Bills Would Ensure Continued Federal Commitment to Address Nation's Growing Autism Health Crisis
NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 26, 2011) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, today urged Congress to act swiftly on newly introduced legislation that would reauthorize the Combating Autism Act (CAA) of 2006. Key components in the original landmark legislation will expire on September 30, threatening further federal support for critical research, services and treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), which affect a staggering 1 in 110 American children – including 1 in 70 boys. Read more....
Federal Report To Congress Confirms Urgent Need For Reauthorization Of The Combating Autism Act Of 2006 (Jan. 11, 2011)
Autism Speaks Calls For Swift Passage and Enactment
Of The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act (December 20, 2010)
Watch Our Presentation on the Autism Speaks Advocacy & Federal Law: A History of Combating Autism:
Summary of the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act (CARA):
- Sponsored in the Senate by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mike Enzi (R-WY), with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Scott Brown (R-MA) as original cosponsors; in the House of Representatives by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA).
- Extends Existing Authorizations - Ensures that the critical programs established under the Combating Autism Act of 2006 continue for another three years, including CDC surveillance programs, HRSA intervention and training programs, and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). Funding would be authorized at $693 million over the three-year life of the bill.
Advancements Under the Combating Autism Act of 2006:
- New prevalence studies published by the CDC reports that ASD now affects roughly 1% of children in the US (1 in 110) and an even higher percentage of boys.
- American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for autism at their 18- and 24-month checkups. Today, scientists are exploring ways to identify ASD in the first year of life.
- First randomized controlled trial of an intensive behavioral intervention for toddlers with ASD shows the intervention provided for 2 years resulted in significant increases in IQ, language ability, and adaptive behavior.
- The discovery of a specific autism susceptibility gene involved in brain development is heralded by TIME magazine as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2009. We now know that autism is related to genetic alterations which, either on their own or together with environmental factors, disrupt normal connectivity in the brain.
- New genetic findings prompt large pharmaceutical companies to seriously invest in autism drug discovery research. Pfizer announces a major investment in autism drug discovery which includes a dedicated autism neuroscience unit.
- Evidence-based guidelines for physicians are developed to screen, assess, and treat GI conditions in children with ASD.
- A study reports that children with ASD have decreased levels of a molecule that is involved in immune regulation, and that too little or too much immune activity during the prenatal period can impair development of neurons. ASD is associated with a maternal history of autoimmune disease, specifically, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease.
- The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee states the increase in prevalence should be taken very seriously, and that there is no question that there has to be an environmental component.
- We now know there are multiple causes that contribute to different forms of ASD. Some types of ASD are largely genetically determined, but we know that many forms of ASD involve environmental risk factors. Genetic research will help guide our search for environmental risk factors, and vice versa.
- CDC study shows close to 60% of children with ASD have IQs above 70 by age 8. Another study documented 167 cases of individuals with ASD who developed speech between 5 and 12 years of age.
History of Federal Autism Spending:
- Funding for NIH autism research increased fivefold since 1997, from $22 million to $108 million in 2006.
- Congressional Appropriations Committees have been remarkably responsive to the CAA authorization levels, with autism spending under the CAA totaling approximately $700 million from 2007-2010.
- The NIH received economic stimulus funds and invested an additional $89 million in ASD research on top of their regular autism research spending. Some of these funds were designed to address the gaps in our knowledge identified by the federal government’s first strategic plan for ASD research.
- Scientists note the landscape of autism research is changing because of the involvement of the private sector, placing advocates at the table of research priority decision-making.
- During his presidential campaign, then Senator Barack Obama acknowledged that the urgency and scale of the ASD public health crisis required an investment of at least $1 billion annually in ASD research and treatment, listing autism among the top three health priorities of the US, along with heart disease and cancer.
Breakdown of CAA Authorized Levels vs. Appropriated Amounts ($ in millions):
|
FISCAL YEAR
|
HRSA
|
CDC
|
NIH
|
TOTAL
APPROPS.
|
CAA
RECOMMENDED
|
|
2007
|
20
|
15
|
93
|
128
|
147
|
|
2008
|
36.354
|
16.212
|
119
|
171.566
|
168
|
|
2009
|
42
|
20.4
|
123
|
185.4
|
189
|
|
2010
|
48
|
22.061
|
141
|
211.061
|
210
|
|
Bill History:
Sept. 30, 2011: President Obama signs the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 into law
Statements by:
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sept. 27, 2011: CARA voted out of Senate by unanimous consent and sent President Obama
Senate vote
Statement from Sen. Menendez
Sept. 20, 2011: U.S. House of Representatives approves the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act by voice vote.
Statements by:
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Rep. Smith's floor remarks
Sept. 7, 2011: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee moves S.1094 out of committee by unanimous voice vote for Senate floor vote.
Statements by:
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
May 26, 2011: Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 introduced in the Senate (S-1094) and in the House (HR-2005.) S-1094 referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; HR 2005 referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Helpful Links:
Media:
Read Autism Law Needs Reauthorization - International Business Times (December 21, 2010)
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