January 29, 2009

House and Senate Include HIV Prevention in Stimulus Bills

Both the House and Senate versions of the economic stimulus bill allot millions to preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), The Washington Times reports.

The Senate’s economic stimulus bill provides $400 million to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “for the screening and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.” Floor debate on the Senate bill will begin next week; on Wednesday, January 28, House members voted 244 to 188 for their bill, which included $335 million of STI prevention funding.

According to the article, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health, said the STI provision is one of the significant achievements of the bill. House Republicans, however, disapproved of including funds for STI prevention in the $819 billion stimulus bill, stating that it would do nothing to revive the economy or generate jobs.

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