Autism CARES Act: Advocacy Needed Now for Reauthorization!
The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (also known as the Autism CARES Act) will sunset (expire) on September 30, 2019, if it is not renewed (reauthorized) by Congress by then. The current Autism CARES Act (S. 427/H.R. 1058) 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.