NCADD - Action Alert

Dateline: 10/01/99

The following is Action Alert #60 issued by the NCADD, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependance, Inc. concerning Congressional funding for various drug and alcohol prevention and treatment programs.

Congressional Update: Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriations

Congress is deciding the funding levels for prevention, treatment and research funding for Fiscal Year 2000 (FY 2000).

Background: During the past week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and the full Senate Appropriations Committee each passed FY 2000 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bills.

The House Subcommittee allocated $1.585 billion, or FY 99 level funding, to the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, while the Senate Appropriations Committee increased the SAPT Block Grant by $30 million for FY 2000, and advance funded another $100 million that would become available during FY 2001.

The House Subcommittee cut funding for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) by $34 million and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) by $37 million, and eliminated CSAP's High Risk Youth Grant program. These cuts are in stark contrast to the increase the Senate allocated, including a $55 million increase for CSAT and a $4 million increase for CSAP. The Senate also funded CSAP's High Risk Youth Grant program at $7 million, the FY 99 funding level.

The House Subcommitee allocated $566 million, or FY 99 level funding, for the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act program, with $441 million for the State Grants portion of the program, which supports local prevention activities; $90 million for the competitive National Program; and $35 million for the Coordinator Initiative. The Senate Committee allocated $451 million to the State Grants program, a $10 million increase; $100 million for the National Program, a $10 million increase; and $60 milliom for the Coordinator Initiative, a $25 million increase.

Research programs received increases from both the House and Senate committees, with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) receiving a $49 million increase from the House Subcommittee and a $75 million increase from the Senate Committee. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) received a $21 million increase from the House Subcommittee and a $32 million increase from the Senate committee.

What You Need To Know

The House Appropriations Subcommittee has cut funding for alcohol and drug treatment and prevention programs, while the Senate Appropriations Committee has increased funding for treatment and prevention. The House and Senate will be finalizing these funding levels during the next couple of weeks!

What You Can Do

Call, write or visit your Representative and Senators or their staff!

To reach your members of Congress in Washington, D.C., call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

To reach your Senators on-line, click here.

To reach your Representative on-line, click here.

Send this alert out to your network and have as many people as possible call and/or write their members of Congress!

What You Need To Say

Urge your members of Congress to adopt the Senate funding increases for alcohol and drug treatment, prevention and education programs!

Thank your Senators for supporting funding increases for these programs!

If you have any questions, please contact the Public Policy Office via e-mail at publicpolicy@ncadd.org.

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