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This
Week in Washington
1. Advocates
Celebrate Lifting of the DC Syringe Exchange Ban
2. Chairman
Lantos Dies, PEPFAR Reauthorization Update
Announcements
1. House and Senate Recess for
President’s Day Holiday
2. Upcoming Connecting to Care
Trainings
3. Black Church
Week of Prayer Begins March 2nd
4. SAMHSA Accepting Applications for
HIV/AIDS Grants
5. Registration
Open for AIDSWatch 2008
This Week in Washington
1. Advocates Celebrate Lifting of the
DC Syringe Exchange Ban
On Wednesday,
February 13th, AIDS Action collaborated with several partners to
sponsor an event celebrating the lifting of the ban which has restricted the District of Columbia
from spending its own local funding on syringe exchange. The celebration was
held to honor many advocates, policymakers, and financial supporters who have
fought long and hard to end the D.C. ban. Washington,
D.C. has the highest HIV rates in
the country, and much of the city’s epidemic is contributed to injection drug
use. The rider containing the ban was lifted from the FY 2008 Financial
Services Appropriations bill. On December 27, 2007 the President signed the FY
2008 appropriations omnibus bill, which included the Financial Services
appropriations, and ended the ban that has been in effect for the past decade.
The
celebration was sponsored by AIDS Action, amfAR, DC Appleseed, Drug Policy
Alliance, Harm Reduction Coalition, Human Rights Campaign, Physicians for Human
Rights, Prevention Works!, The AIDS Institute, the Washington AIDS Partnership,
and The Whitman Walker Clinic. The event was a large success, with over 100
attendees.
Honorees
included Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Representative Jose
Serrano (D-NY), Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, the Washington, D.C. City
Council, Paola Barahono, former Executive Director of Prevention Works!, J.
Channing Wickam of the Washington AIDS Partnership, Carl Schmid of The AIDS
Institute, and Jane Silver or the Irene Diamond Fund.
In accepting
her award Representative Holmes Norton had the honor of pinning a red ribbon
over the District of Columbia on a map of the United States
to represent DC as the next city to use local funding on syringe exchange. She
thanked everyone present for their tireless work on this issue and she also
thanked Representative Serrano for making this a priority of his committee.
During his
speech, Representative Serrano expressed gratitude for the first award he
received as Chairman of the Financial Services and General Government
Appropriations Subcommittee, one that he would not forget. He promised, as Chair of the subcommittee,
that the DC ban would not be reinserted into the bill, as the president has
submitted in his FY2009 budget request and he would fight as an appropriator to
lift the ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange.
Dr. Shannon
Hader, head of the DC HIV/AIDS Administration, accepted an award on behalf of
Mayor Adrian Fenty. She said that the HIV/AIDS Administration looks forward to
implementing this political victory. She told the crowd that Mayor Fenty has
already announced an allocation of $650,000 for syringe exchange programs in
the District, and the first check for $300,000 has been sent to Prevention
Works!, the District’s only syringe exchange program.
On Thursday
February 14th, Rep Serrano issued a press release of the event. It
can be read at http://serrano.house.gov/PressRelease.aspx?NewsID=1520
In the
release, Rep. Serrano said, ““When I realized that I would oversee D.C.’s
budget, I immediately decided to take out as many restrictions on their home
rule as I could. The ban on needle exchange programs was the most egregious of
these restrictions—because it truly was killing people. In the end I was able
to free the hands of D.C. to implement these programs, which was a great
victory for public health. I could not have done this without the groundwork
laid by many organizations and individuals in the years preceding my
chairmanship. They paved the way for this and I applaud them for their hard
work. Last night they gave me an award, but in reality, they too deserved to be
recognized, because I could not have done it without their efforts.”
AIDS Action
Executive Director Rebecca Haag was also quoted in the Press Release saying,
“Representative Serrano’s award, jointly given by more than 11 national and
local Washington, D.C. HIV/AIDS, drug policy and GLBT organizations is richly
deserved. He understands that the scientific evidence shows that syringe
exchange programs reduce HIV/AIDS, do not increase drug abuse, help to connect
people who are living with addiction to alcohol and drug treatment programs and
save lives. Representative Serrano took a truly courageous step by
bringing this issue to the floor and we look forward to working with him to end
the ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange at the earliest
possible moment.”
Rep. Holmes
Norton issued a Press release announcing the event. It can be found at http://www.norton.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=733&Itemid=0.
2. Chairman Lantos Dies, PEPFAR
Reauthorization Update
A bill to
reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, was
scheduled to be marked up by the House Foreign Affairs committee on Thursday,
February 14th. The mark up was postponed due to the death of House
Foreign Affairs Chairman, Tom Lantos (D-CA). The Honorable Tom Lantos was a
Congressional human rights leader and a true HIV/AIDS Advocate. He passed on
Monday February, 11th after a struggle with esophageal cancer. His
memorial service took place in the Capitol on Thursday morning.
The House
Majority staff, under the new leadership of acting Chairman Howard Berman
(D-CA), circulated a third and final draft of the reauthorization legislation
on Wednesday, February 13th. Committee Republicans and Democrats
negotiated the draft on Tuesday February 12th. This draft is very
different from the original version. There are still no earmarks in the bill;
most notably the abstinence-only-until-marriage requirement has been lifted.
The prostitution pledge is not contained in the draft. However, the latest
draft removes language lifting the HIV entry ban and removes the majority of
the microbicide research provisions. The strong language linking HIV/AIDS
services and reproductive health and family planning has been weakened in this
draft and in some instances removed. The
Republican Minority is currently circulating a substitute reauthorization bill
that includes an abstinence-only-until-marriage earmark, and decreases the
reauthorization funding level from $50 billion to $30 billion.
The majority
staff is no longer accepting edits to the draft at this point. All changes must
now come in the form of amendments at the mark up, currently scheduled for the
week of February 25th. House majority staff are asking that
amendments be limited unless they are major changes.
Announcements
1. House and Senate
Recess for President’s Day Holiday
Both the
House and the Senate will recess for the President’s Day holiday next
week. They will be in their district and
state offices during this period. It
would be an excellent opportunity for you to visist their offices to discuss
HIVand AIDS issues. It would also be an
excellent time to invite them to your facility to see the inner workings of
your organizations. It is always helpful
for Member to see the impact of the tax dollars in their districts. Congress
will return to session on Monday February 25, 2008. Their next recess will be
March 17-31.
2.
Upcoming Connecting to Care Trainings
AIDS Action
is accepting registrations for two upcoming Connecting to Care trainings.
Participants in the two-day sessions have an opportunity to review agency
programs with the specific objective of evaluating how successful these
activities are in addressing “unmet need.” Additionally, hands-on group
exercises are provided in a stimulating and creative environment that will help
the participants build the skills necessary to strengthen existing activities
and create new ones that connect HIV+ people to care. Limited financial support
is available to participants needing to travel to attend the sessions. Dates: Nashville, TN February
27-28 and Dallas, TX March 26-27. For registration
information, please email Dea Varsovczky, dvarsovczky@aidsaction.org.
3. Black Church Week of
Prayer Begins March 2nd
The Balm in Gilead’s Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of
AIDS will take place from Sunday, March 2 – Saturday March 8, 2008. The Black
Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is a week long education and
awareness campaign highlighting the role of the Black Church
in addressing the AIDS crisis. This campaign serves to pave the way for the
continuous delivery of prevention education and services to the African
American community via faith communities. Church leaders and congregations
across the county will unite during the Black Church Week of Prayer for the
healing and eradication of HIV/AIDS.
To learn more about
the event, registration, or how your church can participate, please visit http://www.balmingilead.org/programs/weekofprayer2008/.
4. SAMHSA Accepting
Applications for HIV/AIDS Grants
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for grants for their Fiscal
Year (FY) 2008 Targeted Capacity Expansion Program for Substance Abuse and
HIV/AIDS services. The program is focused on substance abuse treatment programs
servicing people with HIV/AIDS in the African American, Latino/Hispanic and
Other Minority Communities.
This program aims to enhance
and expand substance abuse treatment and/or outreach and prevention services
that are provided in conjunction with HIV/AIDS services in the African
American, Latino/Hispanic, and other racial and ethnic communities highly
affected by the epidemics of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.
Public and private non profit
organizations are encouraged to apply. Grantees must ensure that they will use
methods to reach out to high-risk substance abusers in racial and ethnic
communities and will launch efforts to address the needs of one or more of the
following populations:
Women, including mothers
and their children,
Adolescents (ages 12-17)
and/or young adults (ages 18-24),
Injecting and at-risk
non-injecting drug (including alcohol) users and their partners, including men
who have sex with men, and
Individuals released from
incarceration within the past two years.
It is expected that $19.8
million in grants will be available to fund up to 50 grants. The average annual
award amount is expected to be up to $450,000 per year for grantees providing
treatment services, and up to $350,000 a year for grantees providing outreach
and pretreatment services. Grants for both types of services could last
up to 5 years.
Applications are available by
calling SAMHSA’s Information Line at 1-877-SAMHSA7 [TDD: 1 800-487-4889] or
by downloading at http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/ti_08_006.aspx
. Applicants are encouraged to apply online using www.grants.gov.
Applicants with questions
about program issues should contact David C. Thompson at 240-276-1623 or david.thompson@samhsa.hhs.gov.
For questions on grants management issues, contact Kathleen Sample at
240-276-140 7 or kathleen.sample@samhsa.hhs.gov
Applications
are due on March
27, 2008.
5. Registration Open for AIDSWatch
2008
Registration
is now open for AIDSWatch 2008, taking place in Washington DC
from April 28-30, 2008. AIDSWatch is a grassroots advocacy program, organized
by the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA), which brings HIV
positive people and their supporters to Washington
DC to meet their elected Members
of Congress. AIDSWatch participants are given the opportunity to educate their
legislators on the need for an improved governmental response to the domestic
HIV epidemic. This year’s AIDSWatch will focus on the need for improved
treatment accessibility, science and evidence based prevention, and increased
appropriations for HIV/AIDS programs.
NAPWA says,
"We invite all persons infected and affected by HIV in America to join us in 2008 to allow
your voice to be heard in our nation's capital. Please revisit the website
frequently for updates about the 2008 program and registration."
To learn more and to register, please visit: http://napwa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19.
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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