Call to Barton to Restore Environmental Funding to CAA

December 1, 2006
The Honorable Joe Barton
2109 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4306
By FAX: 202-225-3052

Re: Restoration of vaccine and environmental research to the Combating Autism Act

Dear Chairman Barton,

In 2005 Senators Santorum and Dodd requested the diversity of groups that represent the autism community to work together to help draft the language that became the Combating Autism Act. After much toil and deliberation a draft that reflected the consensus of the autism community emerged. This draft had nearly universal support in the autism community.

The consensus bill included statutory language requiring research on the possible association between vaccines and autism, and statutory language requiring research on possible environmental factors in causing autism. For many individuals and organizations within the autism community these were the most important provisions in the bill.

As you know, the final version of S. 843 that was voted on and passed by the Senate did not include the statutory language for vaccine research. We are concerned that the statutory language requiring environmental research may not be included in the final version of the bill that may be voted upon by the House of Representatives.

We urge you to restore the statutory provisions for vaccine and environmental research to,H.R. 2421, the Combating Autism Act, as originally conceived in the consensus bill. Restoring these key elements would assure the support for this legislation by a large section of the autism community who believe that this research will be key to the eventual discovery of the causes of autism, the development of safe and effective treatments, and ultimately finding a cure for autism.

Respectfully,

Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury,Poisoning – A–CHAMP
Adventures in Autism, California
Alan D. Clark, M.D. Memorial Research Fund, Missouri
Angels Wings for Autism, New York
Approaching Autism with Advocacy, Recovery & Education, Vermont
Autism and Vaccination, Pennsylvania
Autism Healing Network, Washington
Autism in Nebraska, Nebraska
Autism Recovery Network, Florida
Autism Recovery Resources of Washington
Autism Solution Center, Tennessee
Autism Support Daily Vermont
AutismFacts.com, Pennsylvania
Biological Education for Autism Treatments, Iowa
Biological Education for Autism Treatments, Minnesota
Brenen Hornstein Autism Research and Education Foundation, Illinois
Coalition for Mercury Free Nebraska, Nebraska
Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs, Virginia
DAVID&SAM, Maryland
Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome, Inc., Minnesota
Developmental Delay Resources, Pennsylvania
FAIR Autism Media, Illinois
Foundation for Mercury-Injured Children, Missouri
Heal Autism Now Delaware, Delaware
Healing Every Autistic Life Foundation, Florida
International Hyperbaric Medicine Association, New Mexico
Moms Against Mercury, North Carolina
National Autism Association, Long Island New York
National Autism Association, New York City New York
National Autism Association, Ohio
National Autism Recovery Foundation, Missouri
No Mercury, Missouri
North East Louisiana Chapter, Autism Society of America, Louisiana
Parents for Autism Autoimmune and Vaccine Education, New Jersey
Patient Resource Center, Maryland
Research, Education, and Action for Autism Spectrum Children, Massachusetts
Schafer Autism Report, California
Tennesseeans for Safer Vaccines, Tennessee