FY2019 Appropriations

On July 11^th the House Appropriations Committee completed a marathon session to approve the FY2019 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) subcommittee’s funding levels, which determines federal spending levels for STDs. The session focused heavily on immigration and zero tolerance for separating families at the border.

The final approved FY2019 funding kept STD funding at $157.3 million, the same level as FY2018, but included $20 million for a new initiative to support efforts to eliminate new infections, particularly those that are related to drug use, including STDs.

You will remember that the Senate passed their LHHS bill on June 28^th, which also included an initiative to combat infectious diseases and drug use, but at $5 million. The two bills will need to be joined, and an agreed upon number reached, but this will not likely happen until this fall/winter.

NCSD on the hill

This week the 2019 policy academy participants convened in Washington this week to deliver their messages of support for reducing STD rates to congressional offices. A total of eight participants completed 17 meetings with congressional staff from five different states. To find out more about the policy academy, and how to join us next year, visit the Policy Academy page.