House
Appropriations Committee Approves Spending Bill for Programs in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and
Education
On June 13th, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the FY
07 spending bill for programs in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS). Programs
providing drug and alcohol education, prevention, and treatment services and conducting scientific research on alcoholism and drug addiction, would
receive the following appropriations under the House Appropriations Committee-approved bill, which are unchanged from the House Labor HHS
Subcommittee-approved spending bill:
Additionally, funding through the Department of Labor for the President's
Prisoner Reentry Initiative would be completely eliminated under the House Appropriations Committee-approved Labor HHS spending bill.
The Department of Labor had received $19.6 million last year, the same amount the President requested for the program to receive in his FY
2007 budget. The House Labor HHS spending bill did not include any funding for this program through the Department of
Labor. The Department of Justice, which received $5 million for the President's Prisoner Reentry Initiative last year, is a part
of a different spending bill that has not yet been approved by the Appropriations Committee.
Under the House Appropriations Committee-approved Labor HHS spending bill, the
Ryan White Care Act, which funds health and supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS, would receive a $70 million increase over last
year's funding. The additional funding is intended to help States provide medications to individuals with HIV/AIDS.
In addition, the House Labor HHS spending bill would also provide $63 million for a new HIV testing initiative at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
It is unclear when the Full House will consider the Labor-HHS spending bill.
Although a vote in the House was scheduled for the week of June 19th, the vote was delayed and it has been reported that the vote may not
occur until after the November mid-term elections. Additional information about funding amounts in the Labor HHS spending bill
approved by the House Appropriations Committee can be found at: http://appropriations.house.gov/_files/LH_Detail_FCWEB.pdf.
Congressional Briefing Focuses on Science of Drug Use and Addiction Prevention; Presenters Emphasize Addiction as a Chronic Disease and
Importance of Early Intervention Efforts
On June 12th, the Friends of the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) held a congressional briefing entitled "Preventing Drug Abuse: Putting Science to Practice." Speakers at the briefing included Dr. Nora
Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; Richard Spoth, PhD, Director of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa
State University; Ms. Diane Eckert, Prevention Specialist for the Fairfax County, Virginia Safe and Drug-Free Schools Section and Anna Freund, a 12th
grade student in Fairfax, Virginia.
During the briefing, Dr. Volkow discussed the science of drug abuse and
addiction, focusing on the importance of preventing young people from using drugs, and also preventing relapse in adults. In her
discussion about youth drug prevention efforts, Dr. Volkow spoke about how knowledge of brain development in young people can inform prevention
efforts; Dr. Volkow suggested that children and adolescents should be the target of drug use prevention efforts and that early intervention works
best because drug experimentation is most prevalent during adolescence. Dr. Volkow cited research findings that teenagers between
14 and 18 years of age may be the most vulnerable to beginning drug use because of the developmental stage these teenagers are in.
Dr. Volkow explained that the last part of the brain that develops is the prefrontal cortex, which is the area that governs judgment and
decision-making functions. As adults have a fully developed prefrontal cortex, it is easier for adults than teenagers to exercise
more self-control and avoid risky behaviors.
Dr. Volkow also spoke about relapse prevention and about the importance of
viewing and treating addiction as a chronic disease. In her comments, Dr. Volkow emphasized that, as with other chronic diseases,
relapse is a part of the disease. Dr. Volkow spoke about how the rate of relapse with addiction is similar to that of other
chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma. Dr. Volkow explained that relapse occurs with the introduction of
certain environmental cues and stress and that therefore drug addiction requires continuous care to help prevent a relapse. Dr.
Volkow further stressed the need for comprehensive care that involves other aspects of a person's life such as education and job
training.
Dr. Richard Spoth spoke about partnerships and evidence-based interventions
for youth, families and communities, focusing on his research goal of identifying and implementing evidence-based prevention programs into public
school systems. Dr. Spoth detailed the IMPACT prevention framework and cited the program's successful outcomes including reduced
methamphetamine and marijuana use among students exposed to the program, an increase in parent and youth skill-building, and a reduction of alcohol
and other drug use, aggression and other behavioral disorders. Dr. Spoth also spoke about the cost effectiveness of prevention
programming such as the program he helped to develop; Dr. Spoth estimated that $9.60 was returned for each dollar that was invested in the IMPACT
program.
Diane Eckert, Prevention Specialist for the Fairfax County, Virginia,
discussed how evidence-based practices have been effective within Fairfax County to help prevent drug abuse. Ms. Eckert spoke
about Fairfax County's Drug Free Community coalition that seeks to "enhance the well-being and resilience of youth and families in Fairfax County by
preventing or reducing violence, alcohol and other drug use by youth through comprehensive prevention planning and collaborative community-wide
action." Ms. Eckert further spoke about the coalition's use of multiple strategies such as increasing community awareness,
reducing access to alcohol and other drugs, helping to change individual attitudes, beliefs and behavior in a positive way, and providing
alternatives such as after-school and community services programs to youth. Ms. Eckert was accompanied by Anna Freund, a 12th
grade student in Fairfax who leads her school's chapter of Students Against Destructive Decision Making (SADD). Ms. Freund spoke
about the impact of peer pressure in her high school and about the need for prevention messages that resonate with young people.
Legislation to Improve Access to Drug Addiction Treatment Services for Pregnant and Parenting Women with Addiction to Methamphetamine
and Other Drugs Introduced in the House and the Senate
On May 25th, the "Family-Based Meth Treatment Access Act of
2006" was introduced in both the House and the Senate. The legislation, introduced in the Senate by Senator Jim Talent
(R-MO) and in the House by Representative Barbara Cubin (R-WY), would amend the Pregnant and Postpartum Women's program authorized under the Public
Health Service Act to improve access to residential drug addiction treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women who are addicted to
methamphetamine or other drugs, and would provide grants aimed at reducing drug use and addiction among nonviolent parent offenders.
The Family-Based Meth Treatment Access Act would authorize the Director of the
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to award grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to public and nonprofit private entities to provide
drug addiction treatment services, including treatment for addiction to methamphetamine, to parenting women through residential or outpatient
treatment services. This legislation would authorize $70 million per year for four years for these grants; programs that serve
pregnant and parenting women who are members of "health disparity populations" and who are low-income individuals would be eligible to apply for
grant funds. Priority for the grants would be given to entities that serve rural areas, areas determined by the Director to have a
shortage of family-based substance abuse treatment options or areas that the Director determines have high rates of addiction to methamphetamine or
other drugs.
S.3055/H.R. 5493 would also authorize SAMHSA to make awards of grants,
cooperative agreements or contracts to public and nonprofit private entities to help local jails and detention facilities in providing comprehensive
family-based substance abuse treatment services, including treatment for addiction to methamphetamine, to pregnant and parenting adults who are
considered to be nonviolent offenders. Priority for these grants would be given to entities which are in rural areas with a shortage of staff or are
in an area with a high rate of addiction to methamphetamine or other drugs. This legislation would authorize $40 million for the
2007, 2008 and 2009 fiscal years and $50 million for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for family treatment alternatives to incarceration.
Following introduction of the "Family-Based Meth Treatment Access Act of 2006,"
the Senate version of the legislation, S.3055, was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee where it awaits
review. The House version of the legislation, H.R. 5493, was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee after its
introduction where the legislation awaits review. Additional information about the legislation can be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov/.
