Congress Completes Labor/HHS Appropriations Bill -- Finally!
November 11, 1997
This article is part of TheBody.com's archive. Because it contains information that may no longer be accurate, this article should only be considered a historical document.
The conference committee for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
(Labor/HHS) FY 98 appropriations bill completed its work on the bill Friday,
November 7, and its report was passed overwhelmingly by both the House and
Senate. It appears likely that President Clinton will sign the bill when it
reaches his desk.
Syringe Exchange:
As reported in our last alert, the bill contains new language on restricting
federal funding for syringe exchange programs. The bill does allow the
secretary of health and human services to retain the authority to lift the
funding ban if she determines that syringe exchange programs prevent the spread
of HIV and do not encourage the use of illegal drugs. However, there is a
moratorium (through March 31, 1998) on her ability to exercise this authority.
In addition, the bill requires that a federally funded syringe exchange program
be "operated in accordance with criteria established by the Secretary for
preventing the spread of HIV and for ensuring that the project does not
encourage the use of illegal drugs." The conference report for the bill
recommends the following criteria:
"a program for preventing HIV transmission is operating in the community,"
the State or local health officer has determined that an exchange project is
likely to be an effective component of such a prevention program,"
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the exchange project provides referrals for treatment of drug abuse and for
other appropriate health and social services,"
such project provides information on reducing the risk of transmission of
HIV,"
"the project complies with established standards for the disposal of
hazardous medical waste," and
"the State or local health officer agrees that, as needs are identified by
the Secretary, the officer will collaborate with federally supported programs of
research and evaluation that relate to exchange projects."
AIDS Action will be encouraging the secretary to make a determination regarding
this issue immediately and to lift the funding ban as soon as the moratorium is
over. Meanwhile, we will continue to assist in laying the groundwork necessary
for her to do so. An upcoming AIDS Action Network Alert will provide more
details about this process and actions our Network members may take to support
this initiative.
Funding for Federal HIV/AIDS Programs:
Now that the Labor/HHS appropriations bill has been completed by Congress,
funding levels for all federal HIV/AIDS programs are now set for FY 98.
Included in this Network Alert is an updated chart of FY 98 appropriations for
these programs.
** AIDS Action: **
Please take a moment to write a letter of gratitude to the members of Congress
who were instrumental in securing strong funding (in the Labor/HHS
appropriations bill) for HIV/AIDS-related federal programs. Thank them for
their hard work, remind them how crucial this funding is to helping communities
respond to the epidemic, and let them know how vital it is that they continue
their leadership on this issue. Members to thank include:
Senators:
Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Representatives:
John Porter (R-IL), Rep. David Obey (D-WI), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Address your letters:
The Honorable _____
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator _____:
OR
The Honorable _____
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative _____:
In addition, please send a thank-you note to Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) for his
tireless and successful efforts to preserve the authority of the secretary of
health and human services to lift the ban on federal funding for syringe
exchange programs.
[If you can, please also send a copy of your letters to AIDS Action.]
* * * * *
FY 1998 Appropriations Levels For Federal AIDS Programs
(as of November 11, 1997; increases or decreases from the FY 97 numbers are
shown in parentheses)
*** Total funding for NIH research was increased by 7.5% in the Senate bill,
although no funding level was specified for AIDS research.
**** VA/HUD programs were funded through H.R. 2158, which was signed into law on
10/27/97. HOPWA received $204 million.
***** Funding for prevention, the Ryan White CARE Act, research, and SAMHSA is
included in the Labor/HHS conference report. The report was passed by the House
and Senate (on 11/7//97 and 11/8/97, respectively) and awaits President
Clinton's signature.
****** This total includes $1,595 million specified for the Office of AIDS
Research and $13 million specified for the development of an AIDS vaccine
research facility.
* * * * *
Don't Forget the E-March!
Coming December 1. For more information on the Until It's Over E-March,
visit www.aidsaction.org.
For more information, contact:
AIDS Action
Kurt Schade, Network Correspondent
1875 Connecticut Ave., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20009
phone: (202) 986-1300, ext. 3060
fax: (202) 986-1345
e-mail: network@aidsaction.org
This article is part of TheBody.com's archive. Because it contains information that may no longer be accurate, this article should only be considered a historical document.
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