|
News From Capitol Hill:
Legislative Update Later in June, the Senate Appropriations Committee earmarked $465 Million for international family planning for fiscal year 2007 – Thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who included an amendment to increase funding for international family planning from $342 million to $465. Without his help, we would not have seen this increase! The next step is for the full Senate to approve its version of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill and then for the Senate bill to be reconciled with the House version. In July, the Fiscal Year 2007 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Following the lead of the House, $176 million was set aside for abstinence-only-until-marriage funding streams. This is essentially level funding—the same amount as was granted in Fiscal Year 2006 —and means that the committees denied the President's request to increase funding for these programs. For Fiscal Year 2007, the President had originally proposed increasing funding for these programs by $26 million to $204 million. $283 million – also the same amount granted in FY 2006—was requested for Title X funding. The next step is for the full House and Senate to approve their versions of the Fiscal Year 2007 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill and then for the Senate bill to be reconciled with the House version. Both the House and Senate are on August recess and will not return until after Labor Day. Future Appropriations action is expected in September, but might be delayed until after the November 2006 elections. Program Update: One Voice- Reproductive Health and Population Summit a Huge Success!The Global Population and Environment Program had an exciting spring. From March 31st- April 3rd, over 140 activists from campuses and communities across the country came to DC for the One Voice: Reproductive Health and Population Summit. Sierra Club, Population Connection, Advocates For Youth, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) co-sponsored this incredibly successful event. Workshops and training sessions covered issues ranging from increasing access to emergency contraception (EC), to pharmacist refusal and the connections between population growth and the environment. One of the take-home messages of the Summit was the need for continued support of comprehensive sex education nationally and locally.
 Activists gather at the One Voice Summit (photo courtesy: Population Connection) Over one half of the participants at the Summit were college students. This strong youth presence helped to reinvigorate some of the more seasoned adult activists and gave them fresh perspectives on building youth/adult partnerships. We expanded our pool of training attendees and brought in four high school students through a student essay contest. The contest generated over 40 new total applicants with a wide range of life experiences and cultural backgrounds. According to one of the students from Ohio State University, "The One Voice Summit was amazing! I gained skills that I can use for the rest of my life."  New Jersey activist Bonnie Tillery presented at the Summit and shared her experiences from the Global Population and Environment Program study tour to Madagascar. One Voice Summit photo courtesy of Population Connection. Take Action today and help keep the momentum of the One Voice Summit going! Don't know who your members are? Go to www.house.gov (House) and www.senate.gov (Senate) to find out.
Up to Top |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
