Reprinted from National Down Syndrome Congress

NDSC is advocating for the reauthorization of the bipartisan Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (also known as the Autism CARES Act). The current Autism CARES Act (S. 427/H.R. 1058), set to expire on September 30, 2019, provides $260 million annually to autism research, surveillance, and education programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). These programs benefit all people with developmental disabilities, including all people with Down syndrome and especially the approximately 18% of people with Down syndrome who have a co-occurrence of autism.

On July 11, the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce unanimously voted to approve the Autism CARES Act (H.R. 1058); it then passed the full House Energy and Commerce Committee for approval on July 17. Time is running out for reauthorization though. Please contact your Members of Congress through our Action Alert and ask them to reauthorize Autism CARES before it expires on September 30!