Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 10, 2026 – Jalisco lawmakers have unanimously approved a new autism law that places the state’s public center network, including the planned Puerto Vallarta facility, within a permanent legal and budgetary framework rather than leaving it solely to the priorities of a single administration.
The state Congress confirmed the plenary vote on July 9. The change matters locally because Puerto Vallarta’s center has been announced and a site has been approved, yet construction has not publicly reached the groundbreaking stage.
The vote does not start construction in Vallarta, nor does it assign a project-specific peso amount. Its immediate local effect is narrower but significant. The full legislative text directs the governor to include sufficient resources each year in the proposed state spending plan to create, expand and operate the regional center network. DIF Jalisco will administer the network, while the authorized money may cover buildings, staffing, equipment, supplies, maintenance and specialist training.
That provision provides the Puerto Vallarta project with greater protection than a stand-alone announcement or a single annual appropriation. It does not guarantee a particular construction date or funding amount. The same text says spending remains subject to authorized budgets, state plans and public policy adopted by the executive branch.
The law also broadens government duties beyond therapy. State and municipal agencies must address access to health care, education, employment, social assistance and justice. Public institutions are directed to examine ways to include autistic applicants when their qualifications match the requirements of a position, while police and justice agencies must train personnel in appropriate treatment and reasonable adjustments.
The decision to keep DIF Jalisco at the center of the system was debated during consultations. Radio UdeG reported that the caregiver collective Cuidadoras en Resistencia had wanted the Health Secretariat to lead the policy, but lawmakers retained DIF as coordinator. That division of responsibility will matter in Vallarta because DIF will manage the center network, while Health will share oversight of the registry and sit on the commission.
A permanent intersectoral commission will bring together DIF Jalisco, the health, education, labor, and social assistance agencies, the Human Rights Commission, universities, civil society groups, autistic people, and parents or guardians. A state registry managed by DIF Jalisco and the Health Secretariat is also contemplated, with privacy safeguards and data intended to guide service planning.
The measure is not yet operational simply because lawmakers approved it. It will take effect one day after publication in the official state newspaper. The executive branch then has 90 days to issue regulations and 180 days to establish the intersectoral commission.
Puerto Vallarta has already completed a key local step. A municipal agreement approved in November 2025 authorized the donation of 5,190.02 square meters to DIF Jalisco. The land sits between Calle 21 de Marzo and Calle Guatemala in Coapinole’s La Lija area and is designated as the site of an autism and disability center. PVDN previously reported on the land donation and the city’s expected 2026 construction start.
Municipal DIF officials said in April that administrative work was nearing completion and that the first stone could be laid in 2026, with a possible opening in early 2027. The state and city materials reviewed by PVDN do not provide a public groundbreaking date, a construction award, a final project budget, or a binding opening schedule.
The center is expected to follow Jalisco’s regional model rather than operate as a small municipal therapy office. When DIF Jalisco opened the first regional center in Tepatitlán in May, the agency said it could serve up to 440 people each month and provide evaluation, diagnosis, specialized therapies and pre-employment workshops. The Tepatitlán complex also includes therapy rooms, workshops, multipurpose spaces, gardens and recreation areas. DIF Jalisco has identified Puerto Vallarta as the next center in its expansion, but it has not published a final service menu or monthly capacity specifically tied to the Vallarta site.
Even after the building opens, the new law does not promise immediate access to everyone seeking care. Article 47 says regional treatment will be assigned progressively, based on registration order and age range, with diagnoses confirmed through the state network and access tied to available funding. That language could become important in Puerto Vallarta, where the new facility is expected to draw families from elsewhere along the coast as well as the city itself.
