September 7 was an important day for the nation’s autism community as Congress began the effort to renew the landmark 2006 Combating Autism Act. By unanimous voice vote, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee moved S.1094, a bill which would renew the act for another three years, out of committee and on to the full Senate for a floor vote.

With just a month to go, time is running short for Congress to renew the landmark Combating Autism Act of 2006. A critical first step arrives Wednesday September 7 when the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee takes up S.1094, the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011(CARA.)

In a single generation, autism has become one of the most common developmental disabilities, affecting an estimated 1.5 million Americans. With so many children diagnosed in the 1990s, over the next decade, hundreds of thousands of them will reach adulthood. How do we handle the upcoming needs of the adult autism community?

Tune in to PBS’s “Need to Know” for a segment on the challenges facing adults with autism and their families, as well as the desperate need for services that will help them live productive and fulfilling lives.

In 2006, The Combating Autism Act authorizing nearly $1 Billion was passed into law. Funding allocated and other provisions within that law will come to an end unless the bill is reauthorized before September 30th. Our community has $693 Million of dedicated autism research funding over the next three years at stake. We cannot lose the momentum we have gained since 2006.

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) recently released their annual report on the portfolio of autism research funding for 2009. The report reveals that over $314 million dollars was spent on autism research from both federal and private sources. This report comes at a crucial time when the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (CAA) is under consideration for renewal. The CAA instigated the formation of the IACC which helps guide the appropriate use of federal funds for autism research.

Dianna Varady is currently the Statewide Chapter Advocacy Chair for Autism Speaks in Arkansas, advocating for autism research and services at the federal level, as well as leading the grassroots effort that resulted in Arkansas becoming the 24th state to enact autism insurance reform in 2011.  Dianna has a son with autism.

The landmark Combating Autism Act (CAA), signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2006, gave all of us in the autism community a foundation on which to build. But key provisions in the law are scheduled to sunset September 30. Unless Congress acts quickly to renew the law, the funding we need to continue vital research will vanish. The progress we have made over the past five years will grind to a halt. There simply is no more important or immediate issue for us today at the national level.