Congress Authorizes Nearly $2 Billion for Autism

With no time to spare, federal lawmakers approved a renewal of the nation’s primary autism law, paving with the way for over $1.95 billion in spending to address the developmental disability in the coming years.

President Joe Biden signed a five-year extension of the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support, or Autism CARES, Act late last month. The move came days after the measure, which originated in 2006, expired.

The law allocates federal funding for research, prevalence tracking, screening, professional training and other government activities related to autism. The renewal, which garnered overwhelming bipartisan support, ensures that a myriad of federal autism activities will continue while also adding some new priorities. Specifically, the law directs the National Institutes of Health to back research that reflects the full range of people on the autism spectrum including those with co-occurring conditions and various needs for support and it adds an emphasis on studying autism and aging. The number of NIH Centers of Excellence will increase and the agency will be required to produce an annual budget plan for autism research for the first time.