April is Autism Awareness Month, a good time to make ourselves a bit more conscious about this disease and what we can do..As I have traveled throughout Iowa, I have met many families affected by autism and know that they worry about the challenges ahead for their child with a significant disability. But this does not mean that their lives will be unfulfilled. It is for this reason that funding for autism research, awareness and advocacy is so crucial. And that is why I worked as Chairman of the subcommittee that funds discretionary health programs to secure full funding for the Combating Autism Act every year since the bill was signed in 2006, a 33 percent increase in that time.
Harkin is sponsor of S. 1652, the IDEA Full Funding Act. Although Harkin chairs the HELP committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill, it has not yet advanced.
