Congressman Pete King

Autism

I am a member of the bipartisan Autism Caucus, which works to enact federal legislation and ensure adequate funding for federal programs that support and benefit individuals and families affected by autism.

Funding

As a member of the caucus, I have consistently supported increased funding for federal activities relating to autism.

For the 2010 fiscal year, I requested a 7% increase in funding for the National Institute of Health (NIH). Last year, NIH devoted $118 million to the research of autism. It is imperative that NIH continues to receive sufficient funding to further these efforts.

Also, for the upcoming fiscal year I requested a total of $211 million for critical autism activities in the department of Health and Human Services. These programs were all authorized by the Combating Autism Act of 2006. I was a cosponsor of the House version of this legislation, which established a program to provide information and education on autism and its risk factors to health professionals and the general public. The legislation also established the Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate autism related activities within the Department.

Specifically, I requested the following amounts: $20.5 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct its Developmental Disabilities Surveillance and Research program; $47 million for the Secretary to carry out autism education, early detection, and intervention programs; and $143.5 million for the Secretary to expand research of autism spectrum disorders and to and fund and review autism centers of excellence.

Finally, I requested $15 million for the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program on Autism. Based on current prevalence rates, as many as 12,000 children in military families may have autism. These families are dramatically affected by the financial and emotional costs of raising a child with autism and care for these dependents is a significant direct cost to the DoD.

Legislation

I am a cosponsor of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2009 (H.R. 1205). The ABLE Act of 2009 is an important piece of legislation that would establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts for persons with disabilities to help them pay certain expenses such as education, housing, transportation, employment support, medical care, and other life necessities. In addition, this will allow individual taxpayers to take a deduction of up to $2,000 per year for contributions to an ABLE account. This legislation will be a significant help to families of children with autism, as well as other physical and intellectual disabilities.

I have also cosponsored the Helping HANDS for Autism Act of 2009 (H.R. 1707). This critical legislation would establish a grant program to provide “autism navigator” services to help families with children newly diagnosed with autism to explore their options for care and other services. These services include health, education, housing, and social services that are often available to parents with autistic children. The bill would ultimately help families to take advantage of treatment options, identify education options, and help coordinate individuals’ care and community support.