August 7, 2006 -- Senate Passes Bill to Encourage Autism Screening, Intervention

In its final session before recessing for the month of August, the United States Senate August 3 unanimously passed legislation amending the Public Health Service Act to step up federal support for autism research, screening, diagnosis, and intervention through federally supported "centers of excellence" and grants to states. The bill, S. 843, originally introduced in 2005 by Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), calls for the federal National Institute of Mental Health to spearhead research on autism and for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Disorders, to provide for "collaborative programs of excellence in autism." The bill also requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide information and education on autism to health professionals and the general public and for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award grants or cooperative agreements to states for statewide autism programs. The legislation must now be passed by the House of Representatives. Bills can be read and tracked on website http://thomas.loc.gov.