Pennsylvania will not comply with any requests from the federal government seeking personal information about individuals with autism, under an executive order signed Wednesday by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

The executive order was one of three signed by Shapiro aimed at improving the way the state responds to the needs of individuals with autism and other disabilities.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in May 2025 that the National Institutes of Health will work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to develop a national registry of people with autism.

Kennedy said the effort is aimed at identifying the cause of autism. Critics say the move to build an autism registry raises ethical and privacy concerns and fuels misinformation about vaccines.

“All across the country, we’ve seen the consequences of federal overreach, and I know many of you are worried that the administration in Washington is trying to create a national database of people with disabilities,” Shapiro said. “We will not let them get ahold of your private personal information and the action I am taking today helps protect against them.”

Shapiro said the administration of President Donald Trump has not sued for access to the information, but the governor pledged to fight any attempt to get the information.

In addition to barring the release of information that could be used to create a registry of people with autism, the order also directs state agencies to go beyond state and federal law to make the state government as accessible as possible to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities, Shapiro said.

As an example, Shapiro noted that as an historic building, the state Capitol is exempt from the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Even so, the state has made numerous improvements to make the building more accessible. Ongoing renovations to the East Wing rotunda include replacing the existing set of escalators with a 20-passenger ADA-compliant elevator.

A second executive order will create the Governor’s Advisory Commission on People with Disabilities, composed of individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. Shapiro said the commission “will have direct line to me and my senior staff” to weigh in on policies and legislation impacting those in the disabled community.

The third executive order updates a Developmental Disabilities Council within the Department of Human Services. That council advises agency staff but the council has not been modified in three decades, Shapiro said.

“It is long past time to modernize this approach and to ensure that the secretary has all the resources she needs,” Shapiro told reporters. “Today, we’re modernizing its structure. We’re putting more Pennsylvanians with actual lived experiences on the council and giving them a mandate to develop a meaningful plan for this important community. Taken together, all three of these executive orders will strengthen protections for people with disabilities.”

Sherri Landis, executive director of The ARC of Pennsylvania, said the executive orders will make important changes to the way state officials are informed about the needs and interests of people with disabilities.

“At its core, advisory, an advisory commission on people with disabilities is about representation, equity and voice,” Landis said. “For too long, people with disabilities have been left out of the conversations that directly impact their lives, whether those conversations are about housing, education, employment, or community access. Decisions have often been made about people with disabilities rather than with them.”

Shapiro said his administration has made improving services for people with disabilities a priority. He noted that at the urging of First Lady Lori Shapiro, the two convenience store chains battling for dominance in Pennsylvania — Sheetz and Wawa — have both begun working with the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide jobs for disabled individuals.

In addition, increased state funding has made historic dents in the waiting lists for services for people with autism and intellectual disabilities.

The 2024-25 state budget included $354.8 million in federal and state funding that helped cut the emergency waitlist by 31%. Approximately 42,000 Pennsylvanians currently receive services in their home and community related to autism or intellectual disabilities.