Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education. and Support Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. DOYLE. Thank you, Mr. Green, for yielding and for your support of the Autism CARES Act.

First off, I want to thank my good friend and Autism Caucus cochair Chris Smith for his leadership and work on this critical legislation over the past 11 years. It has been a real pleasure and a labor of love to work with Chris on these issues. He is truly a champion in the autism community. I look forward to continuing that great working relationship with him.

Mr. Chairman, it seems that every time new data is released on autism spectrum disorders, the numbers become more and more troubling. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control's most recent data show a continued rise in autism prevalence rates: 1 in every 68 American children. That is 1 in 189 girls and 1 in 42 boys.

These are staggering numbers with serious implications for many aspects of American life. That is why passage of the Autism CARES Act today is so important: to continue research into the causes of autism, to educate health care providers and the public, to improve early diagnosis and intervention, to identify effective treatments, and to evaluate the types of services available to young adults with ASD. We can and must do better for the millions of Americans living with ASD and their families.

Many Federal autism programs were first authorized by the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which has made a huge difference in the lives of autistic Americans and their families. Since its inception, Congress has reauthorized these Federal autism programs twice. Without new legislation to reauthorize them, the funding for these important programs will expire on September 30 of this year.

We have made tremendous advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, but this progress will be lost if Congress allows these programs to expire. This is why it is so important that Congress pass this commonsense, bipartisan, bicameral legislation like the bill that is before us today.

The autism programs this legislation would reauthorize are vitally important to many families and individuals across the country. Early diagnosis and intervention can make a huge difference in an autistic individual's life and can have a dramatic impact on the individual's family and community as well.

With the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders much higher than we thought just a few years ago, inaction is simply not an option.

I urge my colleagues to support the Autism CARES legislation.

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