June 8, 2007 Special Appropriations Report

June 8, 2007

 

Vol. VII, Issue 23

House of Representatives Fiscal Year 2008 Appropriations Update

The House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee on June 7 approved its FY 2008 spending bill. The subcommittee was working with an allocation of $151.1 billion, an increase of $6.6 billion (4.6 percent) over the current year's funding level. Below is a table summarizing appropriations for most of the programs monitored by AUCD compared to current year funding and the President's budget.

FY 08 House Subcommittee on L-HHS-ED
Compared to FY 07 A and the President's Request

Program	FY 07 Final	President's FY 08 Request	House Subcommittee	Difference from FY 07
UCEDDs	33.212	33.213	33.213	+0.01
DD Councils	71.7	71.7	76.7	+5.0
P & As	38.7	38.7	38.7	0.0
Family Support/PNS	11.4	11.4	11.4	0.0
Voter Access	15.7	15.7	15.7	0.0
MCH Block Grant	693.0	693.0	750.0	+57.0
CDC Center on Birth Defects/DD	124.5	124.5	NA
NIH	29,931.0	28,621.0	29.6	+750
NICHD	1,254.7	1,265.0	1,273.8	+19,156.0
CAPTA
Child Abuse State Grants	27.0	27.0	27.0	0.0
Discretionary Grants	25.7	25.7	36.0	+10.3
Community Based Resource Centers	42.0	42.0	42.0	42.0
Social Services SSBG	1,700.0	1,200.0	1,700.0	0.0
National Family Caregiver Support	156.0	154.0	156.0	0.0
IDEA Part B State Grants	10,782.9	10,481.9	10,957.4	+174.4
Part B Preschool Grants	380.7	380.7	380.7	0.0
Part C Infants and Toddlers	436.4	423.1	436.4	0.0
IDEA Part D				0.0
Personnel Development	50.7	0.0	NA	0.0
TA and Dissemination	48.9	48.9	48.9	0.0
Personnel Preparation	89.7	89.7	89.7	0.0
Parent Information Centers	25.7	25.7	25.7	0.0
Technology and Media	38.4	25.1	36.9	-1.5
Institute for Education Sciences
Research in Spec. Ed.	71.8	71.8	71.8	0.0
Studies and Evaluation	9.9	9.6	9.9	0.0
Higher Ed. Demonstration in Disabilities	6.8	0.0	6.8	0.0
NIDRR	106.7	106.7	106.7	0.0
VR State Grants	2,837.2	2,837.2	2,874.0	+36.8
VR Supported Employment	30.0	0.0	30.0	0.0
Assistive Technology	30.5	26.1	30.5	0.0
Lifespan Respite Care Act	New Law	0.0	0.0	NA

Department of Health and Human Services
Overall spending for the Department of Health and Human Services would total $68.2 billion, up $4.1 billion, or 6.5 percent, over fiscal 2007 and $5 billion more than President Bush's request.

DD Programs within the Administration on Children and Families
The House Subcommittee provides a $100,000 increase for the University Centers for Excellence at $33.23 million. AUCD is advocating for $37.6 million for the UCEDDs which would allow for all of the existing Centers to be fully funded at the authorized level of $500,000, provide a cost of living adjustment for the first time in four years to each Center, support additional training initiatives in emerging national needs, as well as to establish planning grants at Minority Serving Institutions. AUCD is now working with Senate staff on behalf of our request.

The House Subcommittee bill provides a $5 million increase for the DD Councils to $77.7 million. The Protection and Advocacy Systems are level funded in the bill at $38.7 million. Projects of National Significance (PNS), which includes the Family Support program, are also level-funded at $11.4 million.

NIH/NICHD
For the National Institutes of Health, the bill provides $29.650 billion, an increase of $750 million (2.6 percent) above the current year's funding level and $1.029 billion (3.6 percent) above the President's request. However, the bill also increases the amount of the transfer from NIH to the Global HIV/AIDS fund from the $99 million in FY 2007 to $300 million in FY 2008, which means the net increase in the NIH budget is $549 million (1.9 percent) over FY 2007. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) would receive an increase of 1.5% (+$19,156.0) to $1.273.8 billion. AUCD is advocating for an overall increase of 6.7% for NIH and urging Congress to provide NICHD at least the same percentage increase that NIH receives.

CDC
The House bill provides $6.4 billion for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, up $246 million, or 4 percent, and $466 million more than the President's budget. Within the agency, an additional $108 million would go to infectious disease programs and terrorism preparedness would see a $48 million boost. AUCD does not yet know how much of the total will be specifically appropriated for CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

HRSA - Maternal and Child Health
The good news is that the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant received a $57 million increase in the House bill to $750 million. Although the report language has not yet been made public, AUCD is hopeful that the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program will receive a significant increase as a result of funding authorized by the recently enacted Combating Autism Act. AUCD is advocating for an increase of at least $5.4 million for LEND programs in FY 08 to begin the expansion authorized in the law. This amount would allow for at least half (17) of the existing LENDs to receive an increase of $200,000 each and to provide $500,000 to start up 4 new programs in states that do not have a LEND.

Child Abuse Prevention
The House subcommittee bill would hold funding for Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) programs at the FY07 levels except for discretionary grants, which is increased by approximately $10 million to fund a new initiative concerning nursing home visitation services.

Administration on Aging/National Family Caregiver Support Program
Despite a recommendation from last year's White House Conference on Aging for increased funding of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the House subcommittee provides no increases for this program. The program is level-funded at $156 million. The President's budget request cuts the program by $2 million.

Lifespan Respite Care Act
AUCD is very disappointed to report that the House subcommittee bill provides no funding for the recently enacted Lifespan Respite Care Act. The President also provided zero funding for the law in his budget request. This is in spite of heavy advocacy efforts from the grassroots and the law's original co-sponsors. The Lifespan Respite Care Act would provide competitive grants for community-based respite care services for caregivers of individuals with special needs of all ages. AUCD will be working with the Lifespan Respite Coalition to urge the Senate to provide the full $40 million authorized by the law for FY 08.

Department of Education
Education Department funding would total $61.7 billion - a $4.2 billion, or 7.4 percent, increase over the current fiscal year and $5.5 billion, or 9.8 percent, more than the president's budget.

IDEA
The House subcommittee bill provides $10.9 billion for the Part B State Grant program, an increase of $174 million over FY 07 and $465 million more than the President's Budget request. However, this is the only IDEA program that would receive any increases. The Preschool Grants and the Part C Early Intervention programs and most of the Part D programs are level funded by the subcommittee.

Institute for Education Sciences
Special Education Research as well as the studies and evaluations within the Center for Special Education Research of the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) are level funded in the subcommittee bill, the same as the President's request.

Higher Education
AUCD is pleased to report that the House Appropriations Subcommittee provides $6.8 million for the Higher Education Demonstration for Students with Disabilities in its L-HHS-ED appropriations bills, in spite of the fact that the President's budget provided zero funding for this program.

Department of Labor
Labor Department funding would total $11.9 billion, up $209 million, or 1.8 percent, over fiscal 2007 and $931 million more than Bush's budget. It includes a $209 million increase for worker training and protection programs.

Rehabilitative Services, Research
The House subcommittee bill includes $2.874 billion for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants, an increase of $36.8 million. The subcommittee ignored the President's request to significantly cut the Office on Disability Employment (ODEP) programs. It also ignored the President's request to eliminate several programs within the DOL, including Supported Employment, Projects with Industry, Recreational Programs, and Migrant and the Seasonal Farmworkers programs. These programs all received level funding in the subcommittee bill. Funding for most other discretionary rehabilitation programs would be maintained at the 2007 level. The bill includes level funding of $107 million for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, the same as the President's request.

Assistive Technology
The Subcommittee also ignored the President's proposal to cut the Assistive Technology programs by $4.4 million. The Subcommittee provides level-funding at $30.4 million for the AT programs.

Next Steps
The full House Appropriations Committee is tentatively scheduled to consider the bill June 14, with House floor action the following week. The Senate hopes to consider their bill the week of June 18, but that date could easily slip. AUCD will continue to strongly advocate for the highest possible appropriations level for its network programs and all programs important to individuals with disabilities and families. Stay tuned for action alerts and further updates on appropriations in the coming weeks and months.