Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, lauded the passage of his amendment to the FY2009 Budget Resolution that increases funding for autism research, education, and early detection by $197 million.  This increase brings autism funding up to its authorized level and then provides for a doubling of funding research into the causes of and treatments for autism. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) joined Dodd as the lead co-sponsor of the amendment.

“At a time when the number of children and families living with autism has grown exponentially, the President’s budget proposes to freeze federal spending on autism at levels that are insufficient to realize the type of scientific breakthroughs in autism that are needed,” said Dodd. “I applaud my colleagues for passing this amendment, which redoubles our federal commitment to funding autism, the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S.”

Dodd, along with former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), authored the Combating Autism Act which was enacted into law in December of 2006.  This initiative was the largest federal expansion of funding and programs for children and families with autism.

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