Negotiations Underway On FY 1997 Funding Levels
For Prevention, Care & Research
$25.0 Million Increase For HOPWA In Sight!

As predicted, FY 97 funding for AIDS prevention, care and research programs will not be decided through the normal budget process. Rather, Congressional leaders and the Administration have begun drafting an omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 1997. The omnibus appropriations bill will include all remaining appropriations bills, including the Labor/HHS bill which funds HIV prevention, care and research.

The Administration continues to push for additional increases for AIDS programs along with increases for a number of other important education and health programs. Republican leaders are likely to accommodate many of the Administration and Democratic leadership requests so they can finish FY 97 appropriations and return home to campaign for reelection. However, negotiations on final FY 97 funding are going to be quick and complicated, and increases for AIDS programs could get lost in the mix. Your calls and faxes are needed to make sure that this does not happen.

AIDS ACTION: Call and fax your Senators, Representatives and the White House by Tuesday, September 24th! Tell them the FY 97 Omnibus Appropriations bill must provide the funding levels for federal AIDS programs necessary to meet the needs of all Americans at risk for or living with HIV and AIDS.

THE MESSAGE (at a minimum):

-- increase funding for HIV prevention to the President's requested level of $617.0m ($32.9m over FY 96);

• increase funding for the Ryan White CARE Act to at least the President's request of $895.0m ($138.0m over FY 96), a $32.2 million increase for Title I, a $24.2 million increase for Title II (non ADAP), a $7.7 million increase for Title IIIb (both House and Senate bills already fund Titles IV, the AETCs and HIV Dental Reimbursement programs at the President's requested level);
• provide the total of $190 million specifically for ADAP needed to prevent programs across the nation from having to shut down mid year. ($138m over FY 96); and
• preserve the consolidated appropriation for the Office of AIDS Research at NIH.

Who To Contact:

1. Congressional Leaders directly involved in negotiations of the Omnibus Appropriations bill: Senators Trent Lott (R-MS), Tom Daschle (D-SD), Mark Hatfield (R-OR), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Tom Harkin (D-IA). Representatives Dick Armey (R-TX), Bob Livingston (R-LA), John Porter (R-IL), Dick Gephardt (D-MO) and David Obey (D-WI).
2. Your Senators and Representatives (remember, this is an election year): tell them how important their leadership is to getting the increases needed for AIDS programs.
3. The Administration: insist that the President refuse to sign an FY 97 Omnibus Appropriations bill that fails to provide the necessary increases for AIDS programs.

The following summarizes funding levels contained in the House bill and in the bill approved by the Senate full Appropriations Committee:

FY 1997 Appropriations Levels For Federal Aids Programs
(increases or decreases from the FY 96 numbers are in parentheses)

CDC-Prevention

FY 96 Actuals: $584.1m
FY 97 President's Request: $617.0m (+32.9m)
FY 97 House Action: $599.1m (+15.0m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $589.1m (+5.0m)

RW CARE Total (combined programs)

FY 96 Actuals: $757.3m
FY 97 President's Request: $895.7m (+138.4m)
FY 97 House Action: $812.3m (+54.9m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $854.3m (+96.9m)

RW CARE Title I

FY 96 Actuals: $391.7m
FY 97 President's Request: $423.9m (+32.2m)
FY 97 House Action: $401.7m (+10.0m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $401.7m (+10.0m)

RW CARE Title II - Care

FY 96 Actuals: $208.8m
FY 97 President's Request: $233.0m (+24.2m)
FY 97 House Action: $215.8m (+7.0m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $215.8m (+7.0m)

RW CARE Title II - ADAP

FY 96 Actuals: $52.0m
FY 97 President's Request: $117.0m (+65.0m)
FY 97 House Action: $75.0m (+23.0m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $117.0m (+65.0m)

RW CARE Title IIIb

FY 96 Actuals: $ 56.9m
FY 97 President's Request: $ 64.6m (+7.7m)
FY 97 House Action: $ 61.9m (+5.0m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $61.9m (+5.0m)

RW CARE Title IV

FY 96 Actuals: $ 29.0m
FY 97 President's Request: $ 34.0m (+5.0m)
FY 97 House Action: $ 34.0m (+5.0m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $34.0m (+5.0m)

RW CARE Title V - AETCs

FY 96 Actuals: $12.0m
FY 97 President's Request: $ 16.3m (+4.3m)
FY 97 House Action: $16.3m (+4.3m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $16.3m (+4.3m)

RW CARE Title V - Dental

FY 96 Actuals: $ 6.9m
FY 97 President's Request: $ 6.9m (0.0m)
FY 97 House Action: $ 7.5m (+0.6m)
FY 97 Senate Action: $7.5m (+0.6m)

NIH-Research

FY 96 Actuals: $1,407.8m
FY 97 President's Request: $1,431.9m (+24.1m)
*FY 97 House Action: $1499.3m (+91.5m) -- see note, below
FY 97 Senate Action: $1,460.3m (+52.5m)

* The Consolidated Budget for AIDS Research and all marks for AIDS research within the Institutes was eliminated in the House bill. The report language, however, intends that funds allocated for AIDS should be spent in a manner fully consistent with the AIDS research plan developed by the OAR, and, relying on NIH's recommendations, includes a chart of AIDS funding by institute. NIH received an overall increase of 6.5% which translates into an FY 97 research funding level of $1,499.4m ($91.5 million over FY 96.)

HOPWA Update!!!

We have been told this evening that conferees have approved the inclusion of the $25 million increase for HOPWA in the FY '97 VA/HUD appropriations conference report! After weeks of intense advocacy and negotiations, conferees were reportedly able to find the $25 million offset needed for the increase from "recaptured" savings in another HUD account. Conferees have just finished work on other parts of the FY '97 VA/HUD conference report, so the conference report has not been printed yet, but we have been told that HOPWA will be funded at a total of $196 million for FY '97.

The additional $25 million will help to ensure that the housing needs of thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS can continue to be met, and that an additional 6,725 individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS will get the housing services they so desperately need.

Nothing is final until the conference report is printed and officially "filed", of course. As soon as that happens, we'll let you know! Once the conference report is filed, it will go to the House floor for a vote (probably next week). After the House passes the conference report, it will go to the Senate for a final vote and then sent to the President for his signature.

Important phone numbers:
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
White House: (202) 456-1414

[Paid for with contributions from AIDS Action Network Members]

For more information, contact:
Tracy Mickens-Hundley, Director of Community Outreach
AIDS Action Council
1875 Connecticut Avenue NW #700
Washington DC 20009
202-986-1300, extension 3053
202-986-1345 (fax)
202-332-9614 (tty)
E-Mail: aidsaction@aidsaction.org