Asbury Park (NJ) Press on US House bill; $1B for autistic young adults

Feb 8, 2019, Asbury Park Press: In Congress, $1 billion autism funding bill would bolster support for those who 'age out' https://www.app.com/story/news/health/2019/02/08/autism-funding/2810292002/ 'It's so needed,' said one Monmouth County mom of an 18-year-old with autism who is trying to find a job. Over the past several years, as diagnoses mushroomed, society has developed an increasing amount of resources to help children with autism and their families. Once those children become adults, however, the resources become scarce. A $1 billion bill introduced in the House of Representatives Thursday seeks to, among other things, remedy that drop-off in support. The bipartisan bill, named the Autism CARES Act of 2019 (HR 1058) is sponsored by Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey, whose 4th congressional district includes much of Monmouth County, and Democrat Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania. “Our new legislation will reauthorize vital federal research on earlier interventions for children with autism and expands funding for critical research, education, housing, and other programs that assist the countless children and adults on the spectrum, and their families,” Smith said in a statement. “The bill will also help ensure that the estimated 50,000 persons with autism each year who ‘age out’ of critical assistance programs and enter adulthood are supported, as many individuals and communities are unprepared for this transition.” … The bill would authorize funding for programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) over five years, re-authorizing a similar bill from 2014. It would fund a combination of research, detection and intervention programs, and cover the expansion of autism-related activities. …