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Mission

In the fall of 2007, Autism Speaks launched “Autism Votes,” a comprehensive grassroots advocacy program, coordinating activist efforts in support of federal and state autism-related legislative initiatives.

Programs

Autism Votes 2009 Legislative Agenda Includes:

Support the introduction of a federal autism insurance reform bill
President Obama has drafted comprehensive autism legislation, including a section addressing broad-based federal autism insurance reform that would require private insurance companies to provide coverage for medically-necessary, evidence-based autism treatments and therapies.
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Continue to undertake our multi-state autism insurance reform initiative
Autism Speaks is pursuing autism insurance reform bills in more than twenty states across the country in 2009. There are currently eight states that have passed comprehensive autism insurance reform bills, including – Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.
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Support a tax-preferred savings benefit for individuals with autism and other disabilities
This legislation is designed to encourage individuals with autism and other disabilities and their families to save for disability-related expenses, effectively creating disability savings accounts that are exempt from federal taxation if certain criteria are met.
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Support of the Expanding the Promise of Individuals with Autism Act (EPIAA)
This bill authorizes approximately $350 million in new federal money – over and above all existing federal spending on autism – for initiatives related to treatments, interventions, and services for children and adults with autism.
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Support full funding for the Combating Autism Act (CAA)
The CAA was signed into law in 2006 and authorizes $920 million in federal funding to fight autism through biomedical and environmental research, surveillance, awareness, and early identification over five years.
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To take action on these and other state and federal autism legislation, visit www.AutismVotes.org and sign up to receive our advocacy alerts!