Senator Menendez Celebrates Signing Of Combating Autism Reauthorization Act

Act will provide necessary funding for research, screening, education, treatment

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez joined advocates, students, and teachers at the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act Celebration, an event to celebrate the President signing into law Senator Menendez’s legislation. The event was held at the Gerard J. Dynes Day School, a public school for autistic children in Jersey City, NJ. Other event participants included Jerramiah Healy, Jersey City Mayor; Colleen Henry, Principal, Gerard J. Dynes NJ Regional Day School ; Linda Fiddle, founder of the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation for adults living with autism; and Dr. Michael Knox, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics / Deputy Director The Boggs Center

“Sadly, nobody knows more about autism than families here in New Jersey. We have one of the highest rates of autism in the nation. One in every 94 children is diagnosed in our state, as compared to 1 in 110 children nationwide. The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act is a victory for every family and every child across New Jersey and across the country who knows what it is to live with autism every year,” said Senator Menendez. “I’m honored to have seen it through to passage and honored to have had it signed into law. This legislation auhorized $231 million a year for the next three years to ensure the programs so many New Jersey families have come to rely on continue to meet the needs of the children in this nation who are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder each year.”

Menendez created the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act to extend the benefits of the Combating Autism Act of 2006, maintaining authorized funding at the Centers for Disease Control, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health to spur research into more effective autism screenings and development of treatments. New Jersey has one of the highest rates of autism in the country, affecting 1 in 94 children versus the national average of 1 in 110.