Status of Combating Autism Act

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Dear Friend of ASO:

Interesting article on the status of the Combating Autism Act. FYI - Please share.

Sincerely,

Barbara C. YavorcikPresidentAutism Society of Ohio701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311(330) 376-0211fax: (330) 376-1226email: askASO@...home: byavorcik@...web: www.autismohio.org-------------------

House control shift aids autism study; research bill expected topass under probable new head of committeeBy Randy Lee LoftisThe Dallas Morning NewsPosted Nov. 12th(MCT)DALLAS - Democratic control of the House if Representatives changesthe nation's environmental agenda and affects a related topic thathas stirred strong feelings: research on autism.Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, won his race, but with his party out ofpower, he will lose the chairmanship of the Energy and CommerceCommittee.That has raised hopes for those advocating House approval of a billthat Barton blocked this fall. His decision to prevent a vote on thenearly $1 billion autism package, which includes $45 million forresearch on possible environmental causes, infuriated parents ofautistic children nationwide.Rep. Dingell, D-Mich., who will probably be the new committeechairman when the Democrats take control of the House next year,wants a House vote on the autism legislation. But Mike Bernoski ofArlington, Texas, father of a 3-year-old with autism, said advocateswant action during the lame-duck congressional session before theyear's end."We feel very positive that next year we can get this done,"Bernoski said. "But this legislation's not going to be any different12 months from now. The difference is by then we'll have another36,000 kids with autism who won't have the benefit of the bill."The old and new chairmen have nearly opposite environmental votingrecords.In 2005, the League of Conservation Voters, the environmentalmovement's political arm, gave Barton a zero rating and Dingell 89out of a possible 100.The American Land Rights Association, which opposes restrictions onmining and other commercial activities on federal land, gave Bartona 100 in 2005 and Dingell a zero.Barton's record includes:_Pressing the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003 and 2004 toleave Ellis County out of a regional smog plan that requiredpollution cuts from North Texas' biggest industries. Mike Leavitt,then head of the EPA, rebuffed Barton and put Ellis County in theplan._Holding hearings this year challenging the scientific basis ofglobal warming._Seeking exemptions from environmental rules for refineries, limitson pollution lawsuits involving the gasoline additive MTBE, andextensions of federal deadlines for fighting urban smog. Eachattempt failed.Dingell's record includes:_Pushing tougher clean-water laws and protection for endangeredspecies and their habitats._Calling for an investigation of Vice President Dick Cheney's energytask force - the kind of probe that, as chairman, he could order.NOTE: Here is the full URL for the article on Dallas Morning News. Since it is a long url, you will need to copy (CTRL-C) and paste (CTRL-V)the entire URL into your browser. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-autism_09nat.ART.State.Edition1.3e01652.html