| Health-related Bill name | Autism CARES Act of 2019 (Autism collaboration, accountability, research, education, and support Act of 2019) |
| Description | The Bill has been presented as a legislative requirement to reauthorize the Autism CARES Act by 30th September 2019. Its legislative history dates back to 2006 when President George W. Bush signed it into law as Combating Autism Act (P.L. 109-416). The intention of the law was to offer coordinated federal response to the dramatic increase in persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the country. It increased public investment to address the growing needs of persons diagnosed with autism spectrum of disorders, while authorizing the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate federal efforts targeted at the disorder. The legislation was reauthorized in 2014 as the Autism CARES Act (P.L. 113-157). It must be reauthorized by September 2019 for the Federal activities conducted under the legislation to continue (Autism Society, 2019). |
| Federal or State? | Federal |
| Legislative intent | The Bill was introduced into the House of Representatives as House Bill (H.R. 1058) by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Mike Doyle. The Bill was introduced into Senate as Senate Bill (S. 427) by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ_ and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY).
Legislative discussions are still ongoing for the Bill with proposals to expand and intensify the current format of the legislation. The intention is to enhance the activities of the National Institutes of Health with a focus on the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284g) to support research on autism spectrum disorders, and reduce care gaps (Autism Society, 2019). NURS 6050 Week 4 assignment: Legislation Comparison Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement Example |
| Target population | The target population is persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The intention is to improve their care quality and outcomes through supporting research activities that improve understanding of the disorder. |
| Status of the bill (is it in hearings or committees? Is it receiving press coverage?) | The Bill was introduced in the 1st session of the 116th Congress and discussions are currently ongoing with focus on amending the Public Health Service Act to enhance the activities of the National Institutes of Health with the intention of supporting research activities on autism spectrum disorder and enhancing health care programs.
It was introduced to the Senate by Mr. Menendez and Mr. Enzi, read twice and referred to the health committee. The Bill is receiving press coverage with legislators brining public attention to its content and intentions. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Senator Mike Enzi (R- WY), and Senator Bob Menedez (D- NJ) made press releases to drum up public support for the Bill. In April 2019, Congressman Smith wrote a letter to support full funding for the Bill. In addition, other organizations that focus on improving autism care are brining attention to the Bill. In May 2019, 35 national organizations wrote a coalition in support of the Bill. An updated letter was written later in the same month to ask for expedited consideration of the Bill (Autism Society, 2019). |
| General notes/comments | The Bill seeks to provide comprehensive attention to the care of persons with autism spectrum disorder. Still, there is a concern that the deadline for reauthorizing the Bill is 30th September 2019 and yet legislative debate is still ongoing to imply that the Bill may not be reauthorized by 30th September.
Should the Bill be reauthorized in its current form, there substantive advances will be realized in the care of persons with autism spectrum disorders. It would improve infrastructure and surveillance, inform on lifespan issues, identify helpful treatments and interventions, identify risk factors, inform on the biology, and determining diagnosis and screening concerns NURS 6050 Week 4 assignment: Legislation Comparison Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement Example. Overall, the Bill seeks to make substantive improvements in the care of persons with autism spectrum disorders, and these benefits can only be realized if the Bill is reauthorized before the 30th September deadline (Autism Society, 2019). |
Part 2. Legislation testimony/advocacy statement
The
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