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U. S. House Passes
$1.2 Billion AIDS Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 367-13 September 23rd to pass the $1.2 billion
AIDS Federal Policy Act of 1988.
The bill provides money, over three years, for voluntary AIDS testing and counseling, and
establishes a federal commission to study and make policy recommendations regarding AIDS.
The bill does not, however, extend anti-discrimination laws to apply to people with AIDS and
people who test HIV-positive.
The house voted to reject amendments to the bill offered by Representatives William
Dannemeyer (R-Calif.) and Bill McCollum (R-Fla.) which included mandatory reporting of
names and addresses of people testing HIV-positive to state health officials; mandatory testing
of marriage license applicants in any state where one per cent or more of the population has
AIDS; and mandatory routine testing of hospital patients between the ages of 1549.
A Dannemeyer amendment asking for mandatory testing of all prisoners was changed to
provide mandatory testing of prisoners convicted of sex or drug-related crimes.
"We applaud the courage of the U.S. Congress for passing this historic legislation and for
rejecting amendments that would have undermined its effectiveness in fighting AIDS," said Vic
Basile, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF). "Members of the
House have sent a clear signal to Dannemeyer and others who support irrational, punitive, and
homophobic AIDS actions that the time has come for responsible AIDS policy."
Perry Jude Radecic, a lobbyist for National Gay and Lesbian Task Force adds, "Legislators
just would not budge on eliminating mandatory testing across the board. Despite these
problems with the bill, there are lots of good things in it. Overall, it is the best legislation we
have had yet"
The House bill now heads for a joint House-Senate conference committee which will
attempt to combine it with the Senate's AIDS Research, Care and Information Act, co
sponsored by Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). The bill from this
committee will then go back to the House and the Senate. If approved in both houses, it will
then go to the President for signature.
"The House and Senate bills are very different so there’s a lot of work to be done in
conference," said Carlton Lee, HRCF lobbyist "We have a real opportunity to get the best of
both bills. In particular, we will lobby to improve on language about 'promoting or encouraging
homosexual lifestyle,' which is included in both bills."
Some of the components of the House bill are:
•provides $5 million for Community Research Initiatives (CRIs), which conduct clinical
trials of promising AIDS treatment in conjunction with PWAs and their physicians. AIDS
activists have advocated CRIs as one of the best ways to make treatment available to PWAs
and to conduct AIDS research at the same time;
•requires that 780 new employees be added to the staffs of federal agencies working on
AIDS programs;
•orders the Department of Health and Human Services to "expedite" grants for AIDS
research by awarding grants within nine months of soliciting grant applications;
•requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to assist drug manufacturers in using
FDA regulations that provide for early access to experimental treatments.
Iowa High School
Cont'd From Page 1
thing to do - a bad judgment call by both the board and the administration," Teget continued.
According to Teget, the five-member school board could not take official action for or
against the play because it was not on their published agenda.
"The objectors did not follow the proper channels and therefore their objections should not
have been registered," he said.
Powerful members of the board, including Nancy Lightfoot, wife of U.S. Rep. Jim Lightfoot
(R-Iowa, 5th District) influenced the decision, Teget claims. Shenandoah, a city of 6,000, is
currently undergoing economic redevelopment via a project called "Vision 21". Some people
felt that publicity sunrounding the play would negatively impact the city's attempt to attract new
business, he said The Shenandoah Evening Sentinel has endorsed the school's decision not to
produce the play and has printed letters to the editor expressing both points of view.
But Teget said that the students were not consulted on the issue and were not represented
when Kirchoff, Lottridge and Wilson met to make the decision.
"The appeals procedure through the school board was closed to us because Mr. Wilson, in an
effort to keep the community in one body, withdrew the play," Teget said.
In protest, the students presented a petition to the school board on OcL 10 that was signed by
200 people.
The playwright, Rebecca Ranson, said she didn't know there was a problem until she saw the
controversy aired on Cable News Network (CNN), and she said she would do anything she
could to help the students present the play.
"I was pretty impressed that the students would fight for their right to do Warren and I will
support their efforts," Ranson said.
Ranson said she wrote the play to appeal to "mass audiences." "It's a story about a man, his
family and friends and the way they deal with his diagnosis and death from AIDS. It's not just
about homosexuality," she said.
Warren is based on the life of Warren Johnston, a friend of Ranson's who died in 1984. The
play was written as a gift to him, she said. It has been produced 25-30 times around the country,
though never by a high school group.
"There is almost no education about AIDS for that age group anywhere in the country, yet
that is a time of intense sexual activity," said Ranson.
According to Teget's father, the play was an important, powerful experience for his son and
it provided a sensitive way for him to explore issues surrounding death.
-Wendy Morse
ACT-UP Protest
Cont'd From Page 1
A few states have provided the funding
but, in Georgia, people must still meet
Medicaid eligibility requirements, including a
monthly income of less than $360.
ACT-UP members expressed great
satisfaction with the action that brought close
to 40 demonstrators and the greatest amount
of publicity so far for the group. "We drew a
lot of attention," noted ACT-UP's Tad
Gardocki, adding "We
want to educate people so
no one has to die."
ACT-UP organized its
protest simultaneously
with a letter writing
campaign. The group
collected signatures and
mailed 1,500 letters to
Members of Congress,
urging them to extend
funding. Gardocki said
the letters allow members
of the community who are
not able to be as involved
as some ACT-UP
members to participate in
this effort.
Not long after
protesters marched back to their cars, with
fingers pointed at Gov. Harris' home,
shouting "Shame! Shame! Shame!" the
Senate approved the six month extension
introduced by Sen. Weicker.
The following day, Friday, September 30,
the House of Representatives, urged by,
among others, Rep. Roy Rowland of Georgia,
gave its O.K. to the legislation and, on
Saturday, President Reagan signed it into law.
The $15 million bill continues funding for
the 6,000 low-income people receiving AZT,
giving the states another six months to take
action.
In Atlanta, several groups arc working to
convince the state to help. Gil Robison of the
Georgia AIDS Legislative Coalition said of
the extension, it is "quite possible" that
funding can be secured with another six
months to work with the state.
ACT-UP representatives said they would
contact the Coalition in an effort to work
together on the matter. The two groups have
disagreed over tactics although they share the
same goals.
ACT-UP/Atlanta received a congratulatory
call from a representative of the Human
Rights Campaign Fund in Washington, who
noted, "You could not have timed this better."
-F.G.
Tom Sterling and Tad Gardocki of ACT-UP carry a
mock casket to the Governor's mansion protesting Joe
Frank Harris' inaction on AZT funding.
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