Senate Throws Wrench in Effort to Lift the Syringe Exchange Funding Ban
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies approved a spending bill this week that maintains the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs nationwide.
Just last week the Subcommittee’s companion in the House approved a bill that strikes the ban, marking “the first time in 20 years that the federal government is on the verge of recognizing syringe exchange as an important, evidence-based tool in HIV prevention…,” said Rebecca Haag, AIDS Action Committee President & CEO and Executive Director of AIDS Action Council, the national advocacy group.
House and Senate leaders will determine the fate of the syringe exchange ban in conference, where both sides work to reconcile differences in their versions of the same appropriations bill. AAC and AIDS Action Council are monitoring developments closely and will keep the pressure on our legislative partners to ensure removal of the ban once and for all.
As action opportunities arise, we’ll let you know, so stay tuned. As with the removal of the ban from the House bill, action at the conference level could require quick and aggressive maneuvering.
