Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. Green, for yielding and for your support of the Autism CARES Act. First off, I want to thank my good friend and Autism Caucus cochair Chris Smith for his leadership and work on this critical legislation over the past 11 years. It has been a real pleasure and a labor of love to work with Chris on these issues. He is truly a champion in the autism community. I look forward to continuing that great working relationship with him. Mr. Chairman, it seems that every time new data is released on autism spectrum disorders, the numbers become more and more troubling. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control's most recent data show a continued rise in autism prevalence rates: 1 in every 68 American children. That is 1 in 189 girls and 1 in 42 boys. These are staggering numbers with serious implications for many aspects of American life. That is why passage of the Autism CARES Act today is so important: to continue research into the causes of autism, to educate health care providers and the public, to improve early diagnosis and intervention, to identify effective treatments, and to evaluate the types of services available to young adults with ASD. We can and must do better for the millions of Americans living with ASD and their families. Many Federal autism programs were first authorized by the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which has made a huge difference in the lives of autistic Americans and their families.…”