FY 2008 Appropriations Update
As reported by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, on June 7, 2007, the House Labor, Health and Human Services [HHS], Education, and related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee marked up and unanimously approved by voice vote its FY 2008 spending bill. The draft bill has a $151.1 billion discretionary spending allocation, $6.6 billion more than in FY 2007 and $ 10.2 billion more than was requested by the President, increases or maintains funding for a variety of mental health and addictions programs.
The bill funds HHS at $4.1 billion more than in FY 2007 and $5 billion more than President Bush’s budget request. While most programs are funded at FY 2007 levels, there are several notable increases among treatment programs:
1. Funding for the Center for Mental Health Services [CMHS] is nearly $100 million more than the President’s request at $905.7 million.
2. CMHS’ programs of regional and national significance [PRNS] would receive $272.3 million, a $9 million increase over FY 2007 levels.
3. CMHS’s Block Grant would receive $441.5 million, a $13 million increase over last year.
4. Funding for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment [CSAT ] is set at $399.3 Million, a $ 328,000 increase over FY 2007 funding levels and $47.2 million more than the president’s budget request.
5. Funding for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention [CSAP] is set at $192.9 million, $36.4 million over the president’s budget request and equal to FY 2007 funding.
6. The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block would receive $1.79 billion, $35 million more than FY 2007 funding levels and the President’s FY 2008 budget request.
7. The Safe and Drug-Free Schools State Grants program would receive $300 million, $46.5 million less than FY 2007 and $200 million more than the President’s budget request.
8. Funding for the National Institutes of Health [NIH] is set at $29.6 billion, $750 million more than FY 2007 levels and $1 billion more than the President’s request. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA] would receive $442.9 million, $6.6 million more than in FY 2007; the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] would receive $ 1.016 billion, $16 million more than in FY 2007; and the National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH] would receive $1.426 billion,$23 million more than in FY 2007.
The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the Labor-HHs spending bill on June 14, with the full House set to consider the measure on June 21. The Senate is expected to begin work on the FY 2008 spending bills in the next few weeks.
