TheCombating Autism Act of 2006 (Public Law No: 109-416) is anAct of Congress public law that was passed by the109th United States Congress (Senate Bill 843) andwas signed into law byPresident of the United StatesGeorge W. Bush on December 19, 2006. It authorized nearly one billion dollars in expenditures over five years, starting in 2007, for screening, education, earlyintervention, prompt referrals for treatment and services, and research of theautism spectrum disorders ofautism,Asperger syndrome,Rett syndrome,childhood disintegrative disorder, andpervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (commonly referred to as PDD-NOS).
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| Long title | An Act to amend the Public Health Service Act to combat autism through research, screening, intervention and education. |
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| Enacted by | the109th United States Congress |
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| Public law | Pub. L. 109–416 (text)(PDF) |
| Statutes at Large | 120 Stat. 2821 |
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| Acts amended | Public Health Service Act |
| Legislative history | |
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The bill was introduced in the Senate by SenatorsRick Santorum,R-PA andChristopher Dodd,D-CT and passed the upper chamber unanimously in August 2006.
The House version, H.R. 2421, was introduced by CongresswomenMary Bono, R-CA andDiana DeGette, D-CO and was passed by the lower chamber on December 6, 2006. The House version differed slightly from the Senate version, directing funds for research to the Secretary ofHealth and Human Services, rather than directly to theNational Institutes of Health.
"By passing this landmark single-disease legislation, the House has recognized the daily plight of the thousands of families struggling every day with autism, and has once and for all acknowledged autism as a national healthcare crisis", saidBob Wright, co-founder ofAutism Speaks and chairman and CEO ofNBC Universal.[citation needed]
The House passed a version that would grant more authority to scientists to determine research priorities, whereas the Senate's original measure would have included funds for expansion of research into thecauses of autism. The revised bill, ultimately approved by the Senate, did not include the provisions that would have specified funding for investigating possible environmental causes.[1]
"This bill is a federal declaration of war on theepidemic of autism", said Jon Shestack, co-founder ofCure Autism Now. "It creates a congressionally mandated road map for a federal assault on autism, including requirements for strategic planning, budget transparency, Congressional oversight, and a substantial role for parents of children with autism in the federal decision-making process."[2]
The Act provides money for theCenters for Disease Control (CDC) to conduct epidemiological surveillance programs and would re-authorize theInteragency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) to coordinate all efforts within theDepartment of Health and Human Services concerning autism, including activities carried out through theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) and the CDC.
The Combating Autism Act allocates approximately $950 million in spending on autism over five years, approximately doubling expenditures on existing programs; this includes a significant increase in spending for biomedical research in autism.
The Act requires the director of NIH to develop and implement a strategic plan for autism research and a budget to fund this plan. The plan and budget would have to take into account recommendations of a public/private committee, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, which itself would have to include at least one-third public members, a person with autism, and a person who is the parent of a child with autism. The act provides grant programs for states to develop autism screening, early diagnosis, and intervention programs for children.
The act also authorizes:
The Act reauthorizes, for five years, the $12 million annual funding for the epidemiological surveillance program for autism, overseen by theCenters for Disease Control (CDC).
The final version of the Combating Autism Act passed by the House and Senate eliminated a provision, originally included in the Senate bill, that would have created a legal requirement forCenters of Excellence inEnvironmental Health andautism to research "a broad array of environmental factors that may have a possible role in autism spectrum disorders." These Centers would have authorized with funding of $45 million over the five-year life of the bill.
TheAutistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has criticized the bill. They think that the "'War on Autism' approach is not in the interests of people on the [autistic] spectrum" and that it "offends and alienates the autistic community". Instead of attempts to "cure" autism, ASAN advocates other methods to improve the quality of life of autistic people.[3]
