Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004-Continued

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004—CONTINUED

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I support the Byrd amendment, which provides $6.15 billion in additional funding for title I grants.

Two years ago, we promised school districts that they would have the resources they needed to meet new standards mandated by the Federal No Child Lift Behind Act.

As it stands, this bill fails to adequately, fund title I—the cornerstone of No Child Left Behind, NCLB. In fact, it provides $6.15 billion below the amount promised to school districts for fiscal year 04.

This funding level in this bill is even $334 million below the increase that was slated for title I in the budget resolution for fiscal year 04.

Children are failing in many of our schools in all of our states. These children need extended learning time. They need instruction from high-quality teachers and they need to learn in smaller classrooms.

The Byrd amendment gives schools the resources they need so that they can create the best possible condition in which all teachers can teach and all children can learn.

Today, 23.3 percent of all children in New York are living in poverty, more than all but six other States.

The proposed appropriation in this bill fails to meet the need for more resources for these children. As a result, 458,745 eligible New York children would not be fully served and will consequently be left behind.

Funding title I at its NCLB-authorized level of $18.5 billion would provide New York with $682,595,000 more than the current proposal.

Title I grants help school districts in all State pay for tutoring instruction, specialized services, class size reduction and other critical support services to help the neediest of all children achieve high standards.

With this funding, New York school districts can hire up to 13,379 teachers to reduce class size and provide specialized instruction in math and reading aimed at helping these needy children meet state standards.

The impact of the proposed funding level is especially felt in key cities across New York State. Without the resources provided by this amendment, 243,803 eligible children in New York City, 2,902 children in Albany, 15,222 in Buffalo,
7,362 in Syracuse and 5,887 children in Yonkers will not be fully served. These children will be left behind.

Securing these additional funds could enable districts to hire an additional 72 teachers in Albany, 385 in Buffalo, 7,862 in New York City, 312 in Rochester, 164 in Syracuse, and 159 teachers in Yonkers.

If we expect every single child to succeed there should be no exception to our commitment to turning around struggling schools. This amendment will reaffirm our commitment by giving schools the resources they need so that teachers can teach to the highest standards and all of our children can learn.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from New York for addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic on behalf of the millions of people affected by HIV/AIDS in New York and around this country. The profound human tragedy of HIV/AIDS has exacted an incalculable economic and human toll on civilization—the Ryan White CARE Act programs have helped to fill the gaping holes in care and survival we have experienced these last few decades. This amendment will provide essential funding for those programs so that those struggling to survive each day can access necessary, life-saving treatments.

We are all familiar with the statistics—800,000 to 900,000 Americans currently live with HIV/AIDS, 77,000 in my State of New York alone. Furthermore there are a devastating 40,000 new infections in the U.S. each year.

This is why we need the $401.43 million that this amendment would provide for the Ryan White CARE Act programs, including a $214.8 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program or ADAP. The Ryan White CARE Act provides invaluable resources to State and community health organizations for primary medical care, drug treatments, supportive services for low-income, and uninsured people living with HIV/AIDS. Ryan White is also crucial to helping people follow complicated drug treatments, to alleviate high medical costs for people with low incomes and to combat HIV/AIDS in communities with a high degree of new HIV/AIDS cases.

It is precisely because of Ryan White CARE Act's documented success that we need to help the program survive, so they can help patients survive. Improvements in care and powerful drug therapies are well publicized and indeed many people with HIV/AIDS are living longer, more productive lives. Yet as patients live longer, the cost of their care and treatment places greater demands on community-based organizations and State and local governments. This funding is vital for health facilities and State budgets, which have come under considerable financial strain due to costly new drugs.

For example, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, ADAP under Title II of the CARE Act was created in part to address the enormous need brought on by the advent of new combination drug therapies. However, several States have been forced to cap or restrict access to drug treatments through ADAP, and continually deplete their ADAP budgets long before the fiscal year ends. Turning our backs on patients who have clearly benefited from better access to newer, more effective drugs would be a step backwards.

I urge my colleagues, on behalf of patients and states, to support this amendment. We need to keep one step ahead of this disease with education and prevention efforts, focusing on hard hit populations such as women and minorities, or else we risk sliding backwards in our battle. Millions continue to face the daily grind of living with this insidious disease, and it is my sincere hope that funding these programs will bring a measure of help and hope to New Yorkers and Americans who suffer each day.