In Congress:
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) has introduced HR 2229, the "Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2011." The "findings" section of the bill mentions autism: "A recent study indicated that from 2002 to 2008, the percentage of children in special education with health impairments, due to chronic or acute health problems, increased 60 percent. Within this group, the rate of autism has doubled since 2002."
On June 9, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported S 76, by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the "Strengthening Protections for Children and Communities From Disease Clusters Act." During a hearing on the bill, Dr. Gina Solomon of the Natural Resources Defense Council testified to a rise in autism diagnoses, but did not present any evidence linking it to pollutants.
In the Pennsylvania Legislature, an interview with state Rep. James Roebuck:
