Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi

GOP Crafted Labor-HHS Bill Hurts America's Working Families

June 23, 1998

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a Member of the House Appropriations Labor-HHS and Education Subcommittee, today criticized the Republican leadership's spending priorities as detailed in the subcommittee's bill. "This bill is bad for our children, bad for the most vulnerable in our nation, and bad for American workers," Pelosi said.

"We need a skilled workforce for the 21st century," Pelosi said. "We need to give workers the tools to do the job. A commitment to American workers includes investment in education, training, fair wages and workplace health and safety. This bill makes no such investment. Instead it undermines our commitment to America's workers and their children."

The FY99 Labor Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill:

• Cuts labor by $1.5 billion below the President's request;
• Eliminates summer youth employment and youth opportunities;
• Cuts OSHA workplace safety enforcement;
• Attempts to delay new OSHA safety regulations;
• Freezes funding for dislocated worker assistance;
• Freezes funding for the NLRB;
• Requires a duplicative study on ergonomics, further delaying issuance of a standard (in 1996, 64% of workplace illnesses were ergonomic-related);
• Cuts the President's request for Goals 2000 by $255 million (50% reduction);
• Provides no funding for the President's new education initiatives to improve education, install technology in schools, improve teacher training, reduce class size, enhance anti-drug and violence programs and provide more college opportunity for at risk youth;
• Cuts $140 million in new funds for After School Learning Centers;
• Eliminates the America Reads program.

The bill also eliminates the Child Abuse Discretionary Grant and the Community Based Resource Centers programs. "This bill inexcusably abandons the most vulnerable children in our country. Thousands of children are victims of child abuse and neglect every year -- nearly 1000 die of maltreatment. This bill deserts these children desperately in need of protection," Pelosi said.

On HIV/AIDS:

"I commend subcommittee Chairman John Porter (R-IL) for including our requests for increases in the Ryan White Care Program and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). However, I am disappointed that AIDS prevention did not receive a significant increase," Pelosi said.

				1998		1999 		Change

Ryan White Program
 Emergency Assistance		$464.7		$500.2		 +$35.4    
 AIDS Drug Assistance Program	$285.0		$385.5           +$100.0

Total Ryan White AIDS Programs	$1,149.5	$1,330.6	 +$181.0

CDC HIV Prevention		$624.9		$625.4		 +$.5    

The bill also includes a one year ban on needle exchange programs.

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