Bipartisan legislation invests in prevention strategies and treatment options for families with children who have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

Klobuchar also recently backed bipartisan legislation through Congress to help people with disabilities, including FASD, and their families save for their futures

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is championing bipartisan legislation to combat Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The bipartisan Advancing FASD Research, Prevention, and Services Act invests in prevention strategies and treatment options for families with children who have FASD. Klobuchar recently backed bipartisan legislation through Congress to help people with disabilities, including FASD, and their families save for their futures.

“I saw the effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders firsthand during my eight years as Hennepin County Attorney,” Klobuchar said. “From aggression to hyperactivity to impulse control, many of the kids involved in juvenile cases exhibited signs of FASD. This has far-reaching consequences for our education system, public safety, and our economy—and most importantly, it has far-reaching consequences for affected families. This bipartisan legislation would support people with FASD and their families while working to help prevent FASD in the first place.”

Klobuchar joined Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in supporting the Advancing FASD Research, Prevention, and Services Act, which would establish a research agenda for FASD focused on diagnosis, intervention, and prevention. The bill would also help improve identification of the disease and better deploy public health resources. In addition, the bill provides grants for states to create statewide FASD systems, develop prevention programs, and train health care providers.

Klobuchar also championed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which establishes new tax-advantaged savings accounts to allow people with disabilities and their families to save for their futures and help cover important expenses like education, housing, and wellness. It was signed into law last year. Without the ABLE Act, individuals with disabilities faced barriers to finding and holding employment and living independently because their access to certain safety-net programs could be lost once they establish a minimum level of savings and income.