FY 1997 Appropriations in Final Stretch: Senate Subcommittee Acts on Prevention, Care, Training & Research

The Senate Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee voted on its FY '97 bill yesterday. AIDS programs were funded as follows in the bill:

• a $10.0 million increase over FY '96 levels for Title I; $7 million increase for Title II (non-ADAP); $5 million increase each for Titles IIIb and IV of the RW Care Act; a $4.3 million increase for the AIDS Education & Training Centers; and a $0.6 million increase for the Dental Reimbursement Program under Title V -- the same increases these programs received in the House bill;
  
• the $65.0 million increase over the specific FY '96 level for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (in Title II of the Ryan White CARE Act) requested by the President -- $42.0 million more than the increase proposed by the House;
  
• a consolidated appropriation for the NIH Office of AIDS Research that provides an increase of $52.5 million over FY '96 levels for AIDS research. The House did not provide a consolidated AIDS research appropriation through the OAR. However, the House bill provides more money for NIH overall, and would make $39.0m more available for AIDS research than the Senate subcommittee did.
  
• a $5.0 million increase for CDC HIV prevention programs--$10.0m less than the increase provided by the House.

The full Senate Appropriations committee will vote on this bill tomorrow, but no changes are expected in AIDS program funding levels. The Senate bill is not likely to go to the Senate floor, however, because there are so many contentious issues in the bill that it could get mired in endless debate. Given that FY 1996 funding expires on September 30th House, Senate and Administration negotiators will instead start crafting a year-long continuing resolution (CR) that funds L/H programs through the end of FY '97.

Issues of concern for CR negotiations:

• increasing funding for HIV prevention programs to the President's requested level of $616.5m ($32.5m over FY '96)
  
• preserving the consolidated appropriation for the Office of AIDS Research at NIH,
  
• increasing funding for the 4 titles of the Ryan White CARE Act to at least the President's request ($69.1m over FY '96), and
  
• obtaining the $190 million for ADAP necessary to prevent programs across the nation from having to shut down mid-year ($138m over FY '96).

Stay tuned for further Action Alerts and information!

AIDS Action Council
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