WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28), co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus, helped pass the Senate-amended Autism CARES Act of 2024. Congressman Cuellar helped introduce the bill with Representative Chris Smith, which will reauthorize several programs that support autism education, research, and resources.

“I am pleased to help pass this bipartisan legislation, a bill I championed alongside Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4), and send it to the President's desk. I especially appreciate Congressman Smith’s leadership in pushing this bipartisan bill, which will provide vital funding to expand research and care for Americans with autism,” said Dr. Cuellar, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Through this bill, we continue important work in understanding the causes of autism, the best ways to treat autism, and incorporate the voices of those previously missed by research, including those in my own district. I would like to thank Representative Chris Smith (NJ-4), Energy and Commerce Chair Rodgers (WA-5), and Ranking Member Pallone (NJ-6) for their leadership on this important legislation.”

“As the prime author of the Autism Cares Act of 2024 and previous iterations of the law in 2011, 2014, and 2019, I know this legislation will help make a huge difference in the lives of the millions of Americans with autism by providing robust funding for durable remedies as well as effective early detection and intervention services to allow them the highest quality of life possible,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). “At CDC, the funding will support ongoing developmental disability surveillance and research; at HRSA, the funding will cover education, early detection and intervention services; at NIH, the funding will drive research as well as the coordination of autism-related activities, including the Inter Agency Coordinating Committee (IACC).”

“We greatly appreciate Rep. Cuellar’s leadership in championing the Autism CARES Act of 2024 and for stepping up this Congress to join Rep. Chris Smith as co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus,” said Keith Wargo, President and CEO, of Autism Speaks. “Families have benefited enormously from the transformative impact of the Autism CARES Act over the past two decades, and the 2024 reauthorization that Rep. Cuellar authored with Rep. Smith represents a forward-looking approach to driving progress in research, supports, and services for the autism community for years to come.”

This bill reauthorizes several programs that support autism education, research, and resources, which include programs across South Texas.

Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through Fiscal Year 2029 the Developmental Disabilities Surveillance and Research Program that is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, activities administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support autism education, early detection, and intervention, and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee in HHS.

It also updates and establishes various related reporting requirements, including requiring the Government Accountability Office to report on how to increase the number of developmental-behavioral pediatricians through certain training programs.

The Senate amended and passed the Autism CARES Act by voice vote on November 21, 2024.

The House passed the Senate-amended Autism CARES Act on December 16, 2024. It is now on its way to the President.

Hard work produces real results.

###