Dear John,
Autism Caucus Co-Chairs, Congressmen Mike Doyle and Chris Smith are requesting that their colleagues in the House of Representatives join them in asking for increased federal funding for autism research and services, and they need your help!
There is no shortage of challenges that are faced every day by autistic individuals and their families, and it is time for Congress to make the investments in research and services that we know are necessary! Whether it’s improving access to an autism diagnosis, access to interventions and services, personalized health care for co-occurring conditions or addressing the significant gap in services for transition-age youth and autistic adults – increasing the federal investment in autism research and services could go a long way to help address these challenges.
The time is now for Congress to step up to the plate and take action!
The federal advisory committee responsible for coordinating autism research and activities – the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) – has recommended increased investments in order to address some of the significant challenges faced by autistic individuals and their families. However, current federal funding is approximately $150 million short of the IACC’s recommendations.
The appropriation requests that Representatives Doyle and Smith are leading will help align the federal investment in autism with the IACC’s recommendations. The deadline is Monday, April 25 for House members to sign-on to Doyle and Smith’s appropriations request letter so WE MUST ACT NOW!
PLEASE take just two minutes and click the following link to contact your legislator. Ask your representative to sign-on in support of increased investment in autism research and services.
Thank you,
David Sitcovsky
Senior Director of Policy & Federal Government Affairs