II 

Calendar No. 504 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4762 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize programs and research 

relating to autism, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 24, 2024 

Mr. LUJA ́N (for himself and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported by Mr. SANDERS, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize programs and research relating to autism, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Autism Collaboration, 

5 Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 

6 2024’’ or the ‘‘Autism CARES Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROGRAMS RELATING TO AUTISM. 

2 (a) DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SURVEILLANCE

3 AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.—Section 399AA of the Public 

4 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘tribe, or 

6 a tribal’’ and inserting ‘‘Tribe, or a Tribal’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 

8 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

9 ‘‘TRIBE; TRIBAL’’ and inserting ‘‘TRIBE; TRIB10 AL’’; 

11 (B) by striking ‘‘tribe’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘Tribe’’; and 

13 (C) by striking ‘‘tribal’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘Tribal’’; and 

15 (3) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 (b) AUTISM EDUCATION, EARLY DETECTION, AND

18 INTERVENTION.—Section 399BB of the Public Health 

19 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i–1) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsections (b)(1) and (c), by striking 

21 ‘‘culturally competent’’ each place it appears and in22 serting ‘‘culturally and linguistically appropriate’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘screen25 ing’’ each place it appears and inserting 

26 ‘‘screening and diagnostic’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘higher 

2 risk’’ and inserting ‘‘increased likelihood’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘higher 

4 risk’’ and inserting ‘‘increased likelihood’’; 

5 (3) in subsection (e)(2), by adding at the end 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years 

8 after the date of enactment of the Autism 

9 CARES Act of 2024, the Secretary shall submit 

10 to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

11 and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 

12 on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep13 resentatives a report that examines the need for 

14 developmental-behavioral pediatricians and the 

15 feasibility of expanding the developmental-be16 havioral pediatrician training programs de17 scribed in subparagraph (A).’’; 

18 (4) by amending subsection (f) to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(f) INTERVENTION.—The Secretary shall promote 

21 research, through grants or contracts, which may include 

22 grants or contracts to research centers or networks, to— 

23 ‘‘(1) develop and evaluate evidence-based prac24 tices and interventions to improve outcomes for indi25 viduals with autism spectrum disorder or other deVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:06 Sep 13, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S4762.RS S4762

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1 velopmental disabilities by addressing physical and 

2 behavioral health and communication needs of such 

3 individuals across the lifespan; 

4 ‘‘(2) develop guidelines for such evidence-based 

5 interventions; and 

6 ‘‘(3) disseminate information related to such 

7 evidence-based practices and interventions and 

8 guidelines.’’; and 

9 (5) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 (c) INTERAGENCY AUTISM COORDINATING COM12 MITTEE.—Section 399CC of the Public Health Service Act 

13 (42 U.S.C. 280i–2) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (b)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘develop 

16 a summary of’’ and inserting ‘‘summarize, on 

17 an annual basis,’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking ‘‘pro19 posed budgetary requirements’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘a professional judgment of anticipated budg21 etary needs’’; and 

22 (C) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking ‘‘an 

23 annual’’ and inserting ‘‘a biennial’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and 

25 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 (d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Section 399DD of the 

2 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i–3) is amend3 ed— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘2019’’ each place it appears 

5 and inserting ‘‘2024’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (a)(1)— 

7 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

8 ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘IN GENERAL’’; 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, 

10 and Pensions Committee of the Senate and the 

11 Energy and Commerce Committee’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

13 and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 

14 on Energy and Commerce’’; and 

15 (C) by striking ‘‘Internet Web site’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘website’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(c) UPDATE ON YOUNG ADULTS AND YOUTH

19 TRANSITIONING TO ADULTHOOD.—Not later than 2 years 

20 after the date of enactment of the Autism CARES Act 

21 of 2024, the Secretary, in coordination with other Federal 

22 departments and agencies that serve individuals with au23 tism spectrum disorder, shall prepare and submit to the 

24 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 

25 the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 


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1 of the House of Representatives an update to the report 

2 required pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, as 

3 added by section 6 of the Autism CARES Act of 2014 

4 and in effect before the date of enactment of the Autism 

5 CARES Act of 2019, concerning young adults with autism 

6 spectrum disorder and the challenges related to the transi7 tion from existing school-based services to services avail8 able during adulthood.’’. 

9 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

10 399EE of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i– 

11 4) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘$23,100,000 

13 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024’’ and in14 serting ‘‘$28,100,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

15 through 2029’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘$50,599,000 

17 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024’’ and in18 serting ‘‘$56,344,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

19 through 2029’’; and 

20 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘$296,000,000 

21 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024’’ and in22 serting ‘‘$306,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

23 through 2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. EXPANSION, INTENSIFICATION, AND COORDINA2 TION OF ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL INSTI3 TUTES OF HEALTH WITH RESPECT TO RE4 SEARCH ON AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. 

5 Section 409C of the Public Health Service Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 284g) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘including pathology’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘such as pathology’’; and 

11 (ii) by inserting ‘‘psychiatry, psy12 chology, gerontology, developmental behav13 ioral pediatrics, audiology,’’ after ‘‘toxi14 cology,’’; and 

15 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(4) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out this 

17 section, the Director shall take into consideration 

18 the various needs of individuals with autism spec19 trum disorder with respect to services and supports 

20 and addressing co-occurring conditions.’’; and 

21 (2) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘geron23 tology,’’ after ‘‘behavioral psychology,’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ‘‘pe25 riod of’’ and inserting ‘‘period’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO 

2 COMMUNICATION TOOLS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

4 Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec5 retary’’) may, at the request of a State, Indian Tribe or 

6 Tribal organization, locality, or territory, provide training 

7 and technical assistance to such jurisdiction on the man8 ner in which Federal funding administered by the Sec9 retary may be used to provide individuals with autism 

10 spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities 

11 with access to evidence-based services, tools, and tech12 nologies that support communication needs. 

13 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall annually 

14 prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Edu15 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Com16 mittee on Education and the Workforce and the Com17 mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep18 resentatives a report summarizing any technical assistance 

19 provided by the Secretary in the preceding fiscal year 

20 under subsection (a) and any advancements in the devel21 opment or evaluation of such evidence-based services, 

22 tools, and technologies. 

23 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

24 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Autism Collaboration, 

25 Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 

26 2024’’ or the ‘‘Autism CARES Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROGRAMS RELATING TO AUTISM. 

2 (a) DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SURVEILLANCE

3 AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.—Section 399AA of the Public 

4 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘tribe, or a 

6 tribal’’ and inserting ‘‘Tribe, or a Tribal’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 

8 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

9 ‘‘TRIBE; TRIBAL’’ and inserting ‘‘TRIBE; TRIB10 AL’’; 

11 (B) by striking ‘‘tribe’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘Tribe’’; and 

13 (C) by striking ‘‘tribal’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘Tribal’’; and 

15 (3) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and in16 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 (b) AUTISM EDUCATION, EARLY DETECTION, AND

18 INTERVENTION.—Section 399BB of the Public Health Serv19 ice Act (42 U.S.C. 280i–1) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsections (b)(1) and (c), by striking 

21 ‘‘culturally competent’’ each place it appears and in22 serting ‘‘culturally and linguistically appropriate’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘screen25 ing’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘screen26 ing and diagnostic’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘higher 

2 risk’’ and inserting ‘‘increased likelihood’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘higher 

4 risk’’ and inserting ‘‘increased likelihood’’; 

5 (3) in subsection (e)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (i) in the matter preceding subpara8 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘and strengthen the 

9 capacity of’’ after ‘‘expand’’; 

10 (ii) in subparagraph (A)— 

11 (I) by striking ‘‘in States that do 

12 not have such a program;’’ and insert13 ing a semicolon; and 

14 (II) by striking ‘‘expand existing 

15 or develop new’’ and inserting ‘‘expand 

16 and strengthen the capacity of existing, 

17 or, in States that do not have such a 

18 program, develop new,’’; and 

19 (iii) in subparagraph (B)(v), by in20 serting ‘‘or other providers, as applicable’’ 

21 before the semicolon; and 

22 (iv) by amending subparagraph (C) to 

23 read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(C) program sites— 


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1 ‘‘(i) provide culturally and linguis2 tically appropriate services; 

3 ‘‘(ii) take a multidisciplinary ap4 proach and have experience working with 

5 underserved populations; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) identify opportunities to partner 

7 with community-based organizations to ex8 pand the capacity of communities to serve 

9 individuals with autism spectrum disorder 

10 or other developmental disabilities.’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 

14 the date of enactment of the Autism CARES Act 

15 of 2024, the Secretary shall submit to the Com16 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen17 sions of the Senate and the Committee on En18 ergy and Commerce of the House of Representa19 tives a report that examines the need for develop20 mental-behavioral pediatricians and the feasi21 bility of expanding the developmental-behavioral 

22 pediatrician training programs described in sub23 paragraph (A).’’; 

24 (4) by amending subsection (f) to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(f) INTERVENTION.—The Secretary shall promote re2 search, through grants or contracts, which may include 

3 grants or contracts to research centers or networks, to— 

4 ‘‘(1) develop and evaluate evidence-based prac5 tices and interventions to improve outcomes for indi6 viduals with autism spectrum disorder or other devel7 opmental disabilities by addressing physical and be8 havioral health and communication needs of such in9 dividuals across the lifespan; 

10 ‘‘(2) develop guidelines for such evidence-based 

11 interventions; and 

12 ‘‘(3) disseminate information related to such evi13 dence-based practices and interventions and guide14 lines.’’; and 

15 (5) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and in16 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 (c) INTERAGENCY AUTISM COORDINATING COM18 MITTEE.—Section 399CC of the Public Health Service Act 

19 (42 U.S.C. 280i–2) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (b)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘develop 

22 a summary of’’ and inserting ‘‘summarize, on an 

23 annual basis,’’; and 


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1 (B) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking ‘‘an 

2 annual update to’’ and inserting ‘‘a biennial up3 date on’’; and 

4 (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and in5 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 (d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Section 399DD of the 

7 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i–3) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking ‘‘2019’’ each place it appears and 

9 inserting ‘‘2024’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (a)(1)— 

11 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

12 ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘IN GENERAL’’; 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, 

14 and Pensions Committee of the Senate and the 

15 Energy and Commerce Committee’’ and insert16 ing ‘‘Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

17 and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 

18 on Energy and Commerce’’; and 

19 (C) by striking ‘‘Internet Web site’’ and in20 serting ‘‘website’’; 

21 (3) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

23 ‘‘HEALTH AND WELL-BEING’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘health 

2 and well-being’’ and inserting ‘‘mental health 

3 needs’’; and 

4 (C) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

5 follows: 

6 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under 

7 paragraph (1) shall contain— 

8 ‘‘(A) an overview of policies and programs 

9 relevant to the mental health of individuals with 

10 autism spectrum disorder across their lifespan, 

11 including an identification of existing Federal 

12 laws, regulations, policies, research, and pro13 grams; and 

14 ‘‘(B) recommendations to improve mental 

15 health outcomes and address related disparities 

16 in mental health care for individuals with au17 tism spectrum disorder, including prevention, 

18 care coordination, and community-based serv19 ices.’’; and 

20 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(c) UPDATE ON YOUNG ADULTS AND YOUTH

22 TRANSITIONING TO ADULTHOOD.—Not later than 2 years 

23 after the date of enactment of the Autism CARES Act of 

24 2024, the Secretary, in coordination with other Federal de25 partments and agencies that serve individuals with autism 


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1 spectrum disorder, shall prepare and submit to the Com2 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 

3 Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 

4 House of Representatives an update to the report required 

5 pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, as added by sec6 tion 6 of the Autism CARES Act of 2014 and in effect before 

7 the date of enactment of the Autism CARES Act of 2019, 

8 concerning young adults with autism spectrum disorder 

9 and the challenges related to the transition from existing 

10 school-based services to services available during adult11 hood.’’. 

12 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

13 399EE of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i– 

14 4) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘$23,100,000 

16 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024’’ and in17 serting ‘‘$28,100,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

18 through 2029’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘$50,599,000 

20 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024’’ and in21 serting ‘‘$56,344,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

22 through 2029’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘$296,000,000 

24 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024’’ and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:06 Sep 13, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S4762.RS S4762

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1 serting ‘‘$306,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

2 through 2029’’. 

3 SEC. 3. EXPANSION, INTENSIFICATION, AND COORDINA4 TION OF ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL INSTI5 TUTES OF HEALTH WITH RESPECT TO RE6 SEARCH ON AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. 

7 Section 409C of the Public Health Service Act (42 

8 U.S.C. 284g) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (i) by striking ‘‘including pathology’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘such as pathology’’; and 

13 (ii) by inserting ‘‘psychiatry, psy14 chology, gerontology, developmental behav15 ioral pediatrics, audiology,’’ after ‘‘toxi16 cology,’’; and 

17 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(4) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out this 

19 section, the Director shall take into consideration the 

20 various needs of individuals with autism spectrum 

21 disorder with respect to services and supports and ad22 dressing co-occurring conditions.’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘including the fields of’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘in fields such as’’; and 

3 (ii) by inserting ‘‘gerontology,’’ after 

4 ‘‘behavioral psychology,’’; and 

5 (B) in paragraph (5)— 

6 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

7 ‘‘five’’ and inserting ‘‘7’’; and 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

9 ‘‘period of’’ and inserting ‘‘period’’; and 

10 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(e) BUDGET ESTIMATE.—For each of fiscal years 

12 2026 through 2029, the Director shall prepare and submit, 

13 directly to the President for review and transmittal to Con14 gress, an annual budget estimate for the initiatives of the 

15 National Institutes of Health pursuant to the strategic plan 

16 developed under section 399CC(b)(5) and updated under 

17 section 399CC(b)(6)(B), after reasonable opportunity for 

18 comment (but without change) by the Secretary and the 

19 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee established 

20 under section 399CC.’’. 

21 SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO 

22 COMMUNICATION TOOLS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

24 Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec25 retary’’) may, at the request of a State, Indian Tribe or 


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1 Tribal organization, locality, or territory, provide training 

2 and technical assistance to such jurisdiction on the manner 

3 in which Federal funding administered by the Secretary 

4 may be used to provide individuals with autism spectrum 

5 disorder and other developmental disabilities with access to 

6 evidence-based services, tools, and technologies that support 

7 communication needs. 

8 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall annually 

9 prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Edu10 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Com11 mittee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee 

12 on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives 

13 a report summarizing any technical assistance provided by 

14 the Secretary in the preceding fiscal year under subsection 

15 (a) and any advancements in the development or evaluation 

16 of the evidence-based services, tools, and technologies de17 scribed in such subsection. 


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Calendar No. 504 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4762 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reautism, and for other purposes. thorize programs and research relating to auSEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported with an amendment 


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