House Subcommittee Passes FY 2002 Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill, Increases Ryan White Funding By $112 Million

A House Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday marked up and passed the $123.1 billion FY 2002 Labor-HHS appropriations bill, including a $112 million increase in Ryan White CARE Act funding -- more than President Bush's funding request -- bringing total Ryan White funding for FY 2002 to $1.9 billion, according to a House Appropriations Committee release (House Appropriations Committee release, 10/3). The mark up includes a $15 million increase for Title I of the CARE Act, which provides emergency relief funding to the 51 most affected metropolitan areas, and $60 million in additional funds for the Title II AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. In addition, the bill provides a $41 million increase for CDC domestic HIV/AIDS prevention efforts (AIDS Foundation of Chicago release, 10/4). AIDS advocates had feared that AIDS was "not a priority" for the Bush administration after its budget proposal suggested flat funding the CARE Act (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/13). The bill now awaits the approval of the full House and Senate (AFC release, 10/4).