HELP Committee Approves Children’s Hospital Support Bill, Combating Autism Act

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) chaired an executive session in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to vote on the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act (CHGME), which provides critical resources to children’s hospitals for pediatric residency programs, and the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, which funds surveillance, screening, professional training, intervention and research programs to fight autism spectrum disorders. Both bills were reported out of the HELP Committee without amendments.

“Today we made important strides in strengthening the health of our nation’s children,” Harkin said. “The CHGME program has been successful in growing the number of doctors who choose to become pediatricians and pediatric specialists, improving access to life-saving medicine for kids across the country. Thanks to the Combating Autism Act, we have made great progress on autism surveillance and screening, have trained hundreds of new health care and service workers, and have developed promising new interventions, treatments, and clinical guidelines. For more than one million Americans living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, reauthorizing this bill provides hope for the future.”

Additionally, the committee approved 11 nominees, who will be sent to the full Senate for consideration:

Constance Smith Barker, to be a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity  Commission

Robert Zimmer andArnold Stancell, to be members of the National Science Board

Walter Barrows, to be a member of the Railroad Retirement Board

Charles Korsmo, John Yopp, Marcos Galindo, and Maria Rengifo-Ruess,  to be members of the Board of Trustees for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation

Robert Grangerand Anthony Bryk, to be a member of the National Board of Education Sciences

Matan Aryeh Koch, to be a member of the National Council on  Disability

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