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MAP Advocate
HIV Advocacy Update
March 22, 2005
Vol. 11. No. 7
Take Action! Challenge the City of Minneapolis to Maintain Commitment
to HIV Prevention
Contact Mayor Rybak and your Minneapolis City Council Member to ask them to restore Community Development Block Grant [CDBG] funding for HIV prevention. While there are many important HIV services needing public assistance, now is not the time to back off on HIV prevention. Importantly, half of the Minnesota HIV infections reported each year are in the City of Minneapolis. Community HIV prevention programs are being crippled by politically-motivated restrictions and continued reductions in federal HIV prevention efforts. Now is not the time to move away from prevention funding! Click here to find out who to contact , and then make your call today! The Mayor and your City Council Member would value hearing your opinions about why investing in HIV prevention is important.
In this Issue:
City of Minneapolis on Verge of Backing Away from HIV Prevention
On April 5, the Minneapolis City Council's Community Development Committee will hold a hearing to get public reactions to a plan for allocating CDBG [Community Development Block Grant] funds for community public health services. A city health department advisory group developed the plan. The advisory group rejected an outreach and testing project targeting GLBTQ youth, gay/bi men, and African American men who are part of substance using street communities. District 202, Access Works and MAP developed the proposed project. If the advisory group's plan is approved by Minneapolis City Council committees and later in April by the full City Council, it will become the first time since 1991 that the City of Minneapolis will not make an investment in HIV prevention, a commitment continued in remembrance of Minneapolis City Council Member Brian Coyle who died of HIV. Visit our Web site or contact MAP by phone at 612-341-2060 for more information.
U.S. Senate Votes to Restore 14 Billion Dollars in Proposed Medicaid Cuts
On Thursday, March 17, the U.S. Senate voted 52-48 to strike down proposed Medicaid cuts of 14 Billion dollars in the next 5 years. The proposed cuts would have devastated those who are most vulnerable in the health care system. Sen. Gordon Smith [R-OR] sponsored the amendment to the Presidents proposed budget cuts. Sen. Smith's amendment will "create a reserve fund for the establishment of a bipartisan Medicaid Commission to consider and recommend appropriate reforms to the Medicaid program, and to strike Medicaid cuts to protect states and vulnerable populations." This is a much-needed victory for people who believe in providing health care to those who are most vulnerable. But this is not the end of the story on the Medicaid debate. The Senate, House and the White House will need to come up with a final budget by the end of September. There is still a lot of room for cuts to be reinstated as part of the negotiations to craft a final budget. Still, a win is a win, and it's a good idea to call or email Sen. Dayton [D-MN] and Sen. Coleman [R-MN] and thank them for voting for Sen. Smith's "save Medicaid" amendment and to encourage them to stand by their vote throughout the rest of the budget process. To contact Sen. Dayton click here . To contact Sen. Coleman click here .
Sign-up for AIDS Action Day at the Capitol
Join the Minnesota AIDS Project on April 12 at the State Capitol to call upon lawmakers to support the HIV Prevention and Health Care Access Bill that will be introduced this week by Sen. John Hottinger [DFL St. Peter] and Rep. Paul Thissen [DFL Minneapolis]. The bill proposes to "fix ADAP" [AIDS Drug Assistance Program] in Minnesota, including a changes to address the chaotic effect of recently imposed "cost share" requirements in the state insurance and drug assistance program. All AIDS Action Day registrants will receive a copy of MAP's "Who Gets Health Care?" DVD to help prepare for their day at the Capitol. You may register online or by contacting MAP Public Policy at 612-373-9162 or 800-243-7321. [Note: Most meetings with legislators will be schedule between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. But ultimately meeting times depend upon legislator availability.] Click here to register .
Come the end of April and Minnesota's legislators will be hunkering down for about two weeks of long, grueling floor sessions to hammer out the details of the big, so-called "omnibus" budget bills. As the nights get long, the lobby outside of the chambers were legislators are doing their work clear out. We think it makes a perfect time to Camp Out for Comp Sex Ed. Yup, that's when we'd like to bring teens, their parents, educators, and folks who value medically accurate, comprehensive sexual health education together to call upon their legislators to support comp sex ed in schools and minors' rights to consent to health care. We aren't exactly sure of the dates, but we know it will be toward the end of April. So, watch for more details in an upcoming MAP Advocate. Camp Out for Comp Sex Ed is being coordinated in partnership with Sex Ed for Life and our friends at MOAPPP [Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Parenting].
What does a lobbyist do when an author or co-author of a bill has a change of heart and wants their name to be taken off the bill? MAP Public Policy found out recently when Sen. Koering [R Brainerd] came under pressure from a couple of his constituents who felt uncomfortable with the idea that he was the co-author for the Family Life and Comprehensive Education bill and lead author on a bill to restore funding for regional training sites. Up until two years ago, the regional training sites helped schools in Greater Minnesota develop medically accurate sex education in places like Crow Wing County where Sen. Koering lives. We know they were considered very valuable and are missed by parents, teachers, and teens.
While it was unnecessary to find a replacement for Sen. Koering as a co-author of the Family Life and Comprehensive Education bill, we did need to find a lead author for the Regional Training Sites legislation. That's where Sen. Marty [DFL Roseville] stepped in to take over. Sen. Marty very strongly supports the idea of comprehensive sex education and making sure that schools are supported in delivering medically accurate information. While it is disappointing Sen. Koering was unable to follow-through, it's great to have Sen. Marty's support. Thank-you, Sen. Marty!
Join 10,000 Minnesotan's at the MN AIDS Walk on Sunday May 15 to show your support for the fight against AIDS and raise funds for the Minnesota AIDS Project. The Minnesota AIDS Project receives no government or pharmaceutical company funding for its public policy work. The money raised at the MN AIDS Walk is what makes it possible for MAP to lead the fight for smart and effective policies at the State Capitol. Register to raise funds for this year's Walk. Click here to get all of the details and set-up your own on-line campaign to collect pledges.
MAP Advocate is published by the Minnesota AIDS Project every two weeks while the Minnesota Legislature is in session, and monthly during the rest of the year. It is available through the MAP Web site and through email list service. If you wish to order the MAP Advocate, visit our Join the Action Network page, or contact MAP Public Policy by phone or email.
MAP Public Policy
Minnesota AIDS Project
1400 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-341-2060
800-373-2437
public.policy@mnaidsproject.org
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Friday, March 30, 2007
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