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Information
on the 1988 Health Omnibus Programs Extension Act of 1988 (HOPE)
Congress Targets AIDS in Omnibus Health Bill
1988
Congressional Quarterly Almanac
Congress Oct.
13 cleared for the president an omnibus health package that contained
the first significant federal policy outlines for dealing with the
deadly AIDS epidemic.
Despite reservations
about some of the items in the catchall bill, President Reagan signed
the measure into law on Nov. 4 (S 2889 -- PL 100-607).
In 1986, Reagan
reluctantly signed into law a six-title bill that included one measure
he wanted badly, allowing U.S. companies to export drugs not yet
approved for use in this country, and another he strongly opposed,
creating a compensation system for children injured by side-effects
from vaccines. (1986 Almanac p. 238)
The 100th Congress´
omnibus measure made that package look meager by comparison, folding
more than a dozen separate measures into a single nine-title bill
that was approved by both houses Oct. 13.
S 2889 included
two measures--reauthorizing federal aid for the training of nurses
and other health professionals -- that the president had earlier
threatened to veto. It contained three others -- reauthorizing programs
encouraging the donation and transplanting of human organs, providing
funds to states for preventive health services and reauthorizing
health programs for the homeless -- that included what the administration
considered objectionable language or excessive authorization totals.
AIDS Provisions
The AIDS portion
of the measure authorized a minimum of $270 million over three years
for AIDS education, and a total of $400 million over two years for
AIDS education, and a total of $400 million over two years for anonymous
blood testing and counseling, and for home and community-based health
services for AIDS patients. It also authorized $2 million for operating
costs for a new national AIDS commission.
The title expedited
federal AIDS research activities, ordered the hiring of 780 new
workers for the Public Health Service, and formally authorized several
elements of the federal government´s war on AIDS that had
already been launched.
At the insistence
of Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., who threatened to block the entire
package of otherwise, sponsors dropped some controversial elements
of an AIDS bill (HR 5142) passed overwhelmingly by the House in
September. Excluded were provisions authorizing $1.2 billion for
voluntary blood testing and counseling, with guaranteed confidentiality
of test results. Key backers of the excised provisions, led by Rep.
Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., insisted they would make the confidentiality
protections their top legislative priority in 1989, along with measures
to extend anti-discrimination protections to individuals who tested
positive for the virus that caused AIDS.
But sponsors
also expressed pride in their package. "I think this is not
only the best we could get out, it´s a darn fine bill and
it´s going to save a lot of lives," said Sen. Orrin Hatch,
R-Utah, who helped negotiate the final package. Hatch said he expected
Reagan to sign the measure and added, "I´ll do what I
can to get him to sign it."
Reagan signed
the bill into law on November 4, 1988.
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