| June
2, 2006
This Week in Washington
1. ANSA Board of Directors thanks AIDS Action for their support
on nutrition services
2. Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Update
Announcements
1. Kaiser Family Foundation releases New Report
2. Organizations mark the 25th Milestone of first known case of
AIDS – June 5th
This Week in Washington
1. ANSA Board of Directors thanks AIDS Action for their support
on nutrition services
The Executive Director of the Association of Nutrition Services
Agencies (ANSA), Frank Abdale asked members of his board of directors
to join him in thanking Rebecca Haag, the new Executive Director
of AIDS Action, Ed Cooney, Executive Director at Congressional
Hunger Center and political consultant Tim Westmoreland for all
their efforts on ANSA’s behalf at last week’s meeting of the House
Energy and Commerce Committee.
Rebecca had a very limited time to respond to questions posed
during the Energy and Commerce committee stakeholder meeting last
week (see May 26 CARE Act in Brief) and could have spoken on a
wide range of issues, yet she mentioned nutrition services as
vitally important during her statement. This was a great gift.
Ed was very instrumental in having Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA)
call ANSA to answer a question about nutrition that allowed Mr.
Abdale to speak to the importance of nutrition issues before the
committee and then have a statement for distribution on key points
in nutrition services.
Tim Westmoreland was also very helpful with Representative Waxman’s
office and provided us with invaluable counsel and strategy.
The Association of Nutrition Services Agencies is the agency that
focuses on nutrition for the critically ill.
2. Fiscal Year 2007 Budget
Update
AIDS Action staff has learned that there will be no budget resolution
conference on the fiscal year 2007 bill. There will, instead,
be a deeming resolution to establish the 302a amount the total
discretionary spending level, which will be enacted as part of
the supplemental appropriations bill. While this is not needed
in the House for them to act on the appropriations bills, it is
needed in the Senate.
Despite the 73-27 vote on the Specter-Harkin amendment to the
Senate Budget Resolution to increase funding for health and education
programs by $7 billion, the Senate deeming resolution will not
exceed $873 billion for the overall amount provided for all discretionary
spending for FY 2007. This is the same amount as in the President's
budget request and matches what the House is already using as
its 302a.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Cochran is planning to shift funding
from defense and foreign operations accounts to Labor-HHS-Education
and increase the 302b allocation for the Subcommittee somewhat
higher than the House Subcommittee allocation, which provides
$4.1 billion more than the President's budget request. However,
the Senate will not provide the full $7 billion increase that
was passed in the Senate and advocacy groups have been requesting.
Unlike last year, there will be earmarks (Member special district
projects) in the Senate and the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
bill this year. This amounts to about $1 billion that will come
out of the allocation for programs. However, in the Senate, these
earmarks will be made public during the Committee phase of the
bill to assist Senators in their re-election bids. It is not known
when House projects will be revealed.
Timing: The House will pass the supplemental appropriations bill
next Thursday (6/8), the Senate will act on the supplemental the
week of June 12th and will work out its 302b allocations (each
subcommittees spending amount). Those allocations will be formally
agreed to in the Senate with the mark up in full committee of
the first appropriations bill, probably Agriculture, during the
week of June 19th.
Announcements
1. Kaiser Family Foundation releases New Report
The complete GMAI report which finds unprecedented
mobilization of Global Media on AIDS by more Than 130 companies
in 69 countries with further action needed to support HIV prevention
can be found from today on the newly launched Web site: http://www.thegmai.org.
About The Global
Media AIDS Initiative
The Global Media AIDS Initiative aims to mobilize the media industry
globally in the fight against the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Its strategy
is to gain the commitment of media leaders in integrating HIV
and AIDS messaging across programming (including: soap operas,
talk shows, news, phone-ins and public service announcements),
to give air time and page space to the issue, to put in place
policies and training for staff on HIV and AIDS and to establish
a formal corporate position on these commitments. Over 130 companies
from 69 countries have become involved. The Kaiser Family Foundation,
UNAIDS and MTV amongst many others have been key players in supporting
and mobilizing the media industry to increase their efforts on
the issue of HIV and AIDS. For more information, please visit:
http://www.thegmai.org.
Additional information about the initiative is available at http://www.kff.org/hivaids/gmai.cfm
.
2. Organizations mark the 25th Milestone of first
know case of AIDS – June 5th
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
release MMWR Twenty-Five Years of HIV/AIDS --- United States,
1981—2006
Today the Centers for Disease control and
Prevention released an MMWR that marks the milestone of June
5, 1981 when “MMWR published a report of Pneumocystis
carinii pneumonia in five previously healthy young men
in Los Angeles, California (Figure)
(1).
These cases of pneumonia were later recognized as the first
reported cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
in the United States”, according to the article. To access this
article please follow the link listed below.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5521a1.htm
Department of Health, Administration for HIV Policy and Programs
(AHPP) commemorates 25th Milestone
Robert C. Gallo, MD renowned for his work
in identifying HIV and its link to AIDS, and as the developer
of the life-saving HIV blood test, is a special speaker at a
ground-breaking conference on “HIV in America’s Capital
City: A Clinical Update” sponsored by the Department of
Health, Administration for HIV Policy and Programs (AHPP) on
Monday, June 5, 2006 from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm (registration and
continental breakfast beginning at 7:15 am) at George Washington
University, Marvin Center, 800 21st Street, NW, Washington,
DC. To register please contact the AHPP office at (202) 671-4900.
Black AIDS Institute& BET Networks
unveil -- AIDS in Black Face: 25 Years of an Epidemic
Black Entertainment Television Networks,
the Black AIDS Institute, and a long list of committed key Black
leaders and celebrities are banding together to issue a new
call-to-action with the release of AIDS in Black Face: 25
Years of an Epidemic at a press conference unveiling in
New York City. New mobilization and call-to-action to address
On-Going Issues of HIV/AIDS will also be announced. For further
information please contact BET -- (202) 608-2003
For more information please review
website: http://www.blackaids.org/
The AIDS Action Weekly Update
The Weekly Update is written
with a mind toward the interests of our members. If you are interested
in membership with AIDS Action, we invite you to contact members@aidsaction.org.
AIDS Action works
to end the HIV epidemic by advancing public policies that
prevent new infections, provide care for people living with
HIV, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action serves
as the national voice for people living with HIV and represents
AIDS service organizations, health departments, and a diverse
network of community-based organizations across the country. |
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