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May 12, 2004 NORA Releases 13th Annual
Appropriations Recommendations: (Washington, D.C.) The National Organizations Responding to AIDS (NORA) coalition today released its annual federal appropriations recommendations in Washington, D.C. Fiscal Year 2006 HIV/AIDS Appropriations Recommendations, which provides Members of Congress, the Bush Administration, and public health advocates with an overview of federal programs that serve individuals and communities living with, and at risk for, HIV infection. The book also includes recommended fiscal year (FY) 2006 funding levels for these programs, as determined by a consensus of NORA’s broad-based membership. This year’s book is subtitled Recognizing the Challenges and Looking to the Future, reflecting the coalition’s belief that, “Despite all the progress that has been made, from the development of new treatments and therapies to increased availability of testing and counseling services, the epidemic here at home is still far from over.” “Today roughly half of the one million people estimated to be living with HIV in the United States are not accessing regular medical care. NORA believes that Congress must recommit itself to adequately addressing the domestic HIV epidemic, which includes providing funding for research, prevention, housing, medical care, and related treatment and support services,” observed Jim Harvey of the NORA Executive Committee. “2005 is a particularly important year to both reflect back and look forward because the Ryan White CARE Act is due to be reauthorized by Congress this year.” The CARE Act is the largest source of federal discretionary funding devoted solely to providing care and treatment for people living with HIV and other impacted individuals. Each year the CARE Act provides medical care and support services to over 500,000 Americans. “The NORA appropriations recommendations are intended to provide Members of Congress and their staffers with the tools they need to adequately address the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” noted Donna Crews, government affairs director at AIDS Action and a member of the NORA Executive Committee. “Congressional staff continue to tell us that the coalition’s annual appropriations work is an important resource for them and is one of the most comprehensive examinations of the needs of the federal HIV/AIDS portfolio.” Each year, the coalition examines funding allocations and provides recommendations for all of the major federal programs that provide critical funding for HIV/AIDS related services – including care, treatment, research, prevention, housing, substance abuse and mental health treatment and services, and other medical and social support services. While the focus is on domestic programs, the coalition also makes recommendations regarding funding for the President’s global AIDS initiative. FY 2006 is the second year in which NORA has included recommended “need” appropriation numbers in addition to the coalition’s appropriations requests. While the request number takes into account budgetary and political considerations, the need number works as a companion number, showing the amount of funds necessary in FY 2006 to address the true need in all HIV programs. For FY 2006, NORA has calculated that the funding needs for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV prevention programs is $2.33 billion, for the Ryan White CARE Act program (which provides funding for treatment, care, and medications) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is $3.2 billion, and for AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is $3.327 billion. “While we appreciate that all federal programs are operating under serious fiscal constraints, the fact remains that there are one million people living with HIV in the U.S. today – with 40,000 more becoming infected each year,” stated Peg Willingham, senior director for Public Sector Development at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and a member of the NORA Executive Committee. “Therefore, we feel that NORA is obligated to present numbers that reflect the true needs of the individuals and communities impacted by HIV, in addition to our annual request numbers.” To view a copy of the FY 2006 NORA recommendations, visit here. (PDF Format)
National Organizations Responding to AIDS (NORA) is a diverse coalition of national organizations responding to the AIDS epidemic. NORA's mission is to engage in concerted federal advocacy on national public policy on HIV and AIDS. The Coalition provides a forum for the discussion of emerging legislative, policy and programmatic issues surrounding the AIDS epidemic and for the comprehensive analysis of pending legislation and regulation for the purpose of determining priorities for legislative and administrative action. For more information about NORA, visit, http://www.aidsaction.org/legislation/nora.htm. |
