Senate Fully Funds the Combating Autism Act

From the ASA e-newsletter... I apologize for the lack of link.

Senate Fully Funds the Combating Autism Act

The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY 2008 spending bill, including a 52 percent increase for autism-related activities at the CDC and Health and Resources Services Administration. This is the full amount authorized for these programs under the Combating Autism Act.

Specifically, the bill provides $37 million for the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Residency Program and the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Training Program, which both provide long-term, graduate-level interdisciplinary training, as well as services and care for infants, children and adolescents with disabilities. The Committee also provided $16.5 million for CDC’s autism programs, which include the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology (CADDRE) and the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. The House also provided $16.5 million for these programs.

Because funding levels for autism are different in the House and Senate bills, they will need to be worked out in a conference committee. ASA will be working diligently to ensure that autism activities receive the resources they need.
Other Critical Programs Funded

The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill also included increases for other programs of interest to the autism community. The legislation provided $11.24 billion for Special Education State Grants, a 4.2 percent increase over FY 2007, and $540 million to Special Education Grants for Infants and Families, a 3.1 percent increase over last year.

Programs under the Developmental Disabilities Act also saw a significant increase of 11 percent in the FY 2008 bill. The legislation included $2 million in new funding to support a National Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance Center to promote leadership by families of children with disabilities in the design and improvement of family support services.

Unfortunately, neither the House nor the Senate included funding for the newly authorized Lifespan Respite Care Act. This is a great disappointment for the disability community, as the legislation has broad bipartisan support. While funding for this year is now unlikely, ASA will continue to work with its allies in the disability community to see that this important program receives the funding it needs.