President Bush signed into law the following three health care bills that were enacted during the recent lame duck session of the 109th Congress:

• The Combating Autism Act of 2006 — significantly increases funding for autism research and treatment and public education about autism
• Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 — “creates a new agency within the Health and Human Services Department to oversee the development of medicine and equipment to respond to a bird flu pandemic or a bioterrorism attack.”
• Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 — renews law and shifts funding to rural areas and the South.