THE BILL ITSELF

HR 8067

Autism Awareness Month

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

1 House Resolution

2 A resolution designating April 2026 as "Autism

3 Awareness Month" in Florida.

5 WHEREAS, the symptoms of autism, also known as autism

6 spectrum disorder (ASD), typically appear in children before the

7 age of 3 and are often accompanied by abnormalities in cognitive

8 functioning, learning, attention, and sensory processing, and

9 WHEREAS, Florida has one of the highest rates of ASD in the

10 nation, with 329,131 of the state's population living with ASD,

11 and

12 WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

13 Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 36 children in the United

14 States is living with ASD, and

15 WHEREAS, the CDC reports that although ASD can affect

16 anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, or other factors, it is

17 four times more likely to occur in boys than in girls, and

18 WHEREAS, early intervention significantly improves outcomes

19 and reduces the level of funding and services needed to treat an

20 individual with ASD later in life, and

21 WHEREAS, parents and relatives of individuals with ASD

22 dedicate endless hours in providing for the special needs of

23 their loved ones, NOW, THEREFORE,

25 Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

26 Florida:

28 That April 2026 is designated as "Autism Awareness Month"

29 in Florida.