L. 113–157 (text) (PDF)) is a United States federal law that amended the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize research, surveillance, and education activities related to autism spectrum disorders (autism) conducted by various agencies within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

[3] These disorders are characterized by social deficits and communication difficulties, stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and interests, and in some cases, cognitive delays.

[4] The law reauthorizes for five years existing federal autism research and assistance programs that would otherwise expire on October 1, 2014.

[2] This provision was written in reaction to a "Government Accountability Office finding last year that 84 percent of current autism research projects have potential to overlap.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that it would cost $1.1 billion over the 2015–2019 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.

[1] The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2014 was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on May 9, 2014, by Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R, NJ-4).

"[2] Rep. Chris Smith, who introduced the bill, argued that "this is a critical investment that is working to determine the cause of ASD, identify autistic children as early as possible to begin treatment, and producing better awareness, new therapies and effective services.

[7] Posey argued that, after a federal program spent eight years and $1.7 billion trying to address the autism crisis and failed to do so, Washington was "on a path to rush through a five-year reauthorization, raise spending 20 percent and hope for better results without addressing fundamental structural flaws in the current program.

"[7] According to Posey, one flaw with the current system is that while the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee is charged with writing a strategic plan for organizing the research and spending on autism, the federal government ignores that strategy to have the National Institutes of Health instead, resulting in money being spend in a disjointed manner.