Arkansas Legislators Ask Congressional Delegation to Help on Lost AIDS Grant

A pair of legislative panels in Little Rock has agreed to ask Arkansas' members of Congress to help learn why the state lost a $725,760 federal grant for medicines for low-income AIDS patients. After reports that the state health department failed to meet a deadline to complete an application for the money, state health officials said the state would not have qualified for the grant anyway. On Thursday, legislators said they want to learn what they can do to qualify for the grant next year.

The state health department had misplaced a letter regarding the grant, but Donnie Smith, Bureau of Public Health Programs associate director, has maintained that the late letter had no impact on the failure to get the grant. A state appeal of the rejected application was denied. "I wonder if we shouldn't interact with some of our federal elected officials on this issue to try to get some more information on what really happened, so we can properly structure for the future," said state Rep. Jay Bradford, (D-White Hall). However, state Rep. Tracy Steele, (D- North Little Rock), said the health department should be able to provide all the information that is needed. But Steele said it would be appropriate to seek information from Washington if legislators get the sense they are getting incomplete information from the department.

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