Legislative Efforts and The Autism Community (#6649)


Saturday, July 13, 2013: 9:30 AM-11:00 AM
Ballroom A (David L. Lawrence Convention Center)

This session will include a discussion with Representatives Mike Doyle (PA) and Chris Smith (NJ), co-chairs of the Coalition on Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E). They will speak on the role of the federal government in addressing the growing needs of autism and how government can best address more funding and support for autism services and particularly adult services. Richard Wolff, USAToday’s Supreme Court Reporter, and former White House and Congress Reporter, in his role as the conference facilitator will help us to challenge our approach to how we can best help an individual with autism achieve a higher quality of life.
Presenters:

Chris Smith
Representative
United States Congress
Rep. Chris Smith is currently in his 17th term in the U.S. House of Representatives and currently serves as a senior member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and is chairman of its Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organization Subcommittee. Representative Smith has long chaired a number of bipartisan congressional caucuses (working groups) including the Pro-life (30 years), Autism (14 years), Alzheimer’s (12 years), Lyme Disease (eight years), Spina Bifida (eight years), Human Trafficking (eight years), Refugees (eight years), and Combating Anti-Semitism caucuses, and serves on caucuses on Bosnia, Uganda and Vietnam.

Mike Doyle
Representative
United States Congress
Mike Doyle is currently serving his tenth term in Congress representing the 14th District of Pennsylvania, which includes the city of Pittsburgh. His top priorities include revitalizing communities through economic development and high-tech initiatives, creating jobs, reforming health care, providing better public education, establishing a comprehensive long-term national energy strategy that creates green jobs and addresses global warming, and fostering a better climate for our high-tech community. Congressman Doyle serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee which is one of only four exclusive committees in the House. There he sits on the subcommittees on: 1) Energy and Power and 2) Communications and Technology. Congressman Doyle is a member in the House Democratic Caucus and the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus, also known as the Coalition for Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.).