Pence Amendment fails!

DATE: July 20, 2007
TO: Delegate Agencies, Board of Directors, Advocates and Staff
FROM: Jody Leibman, Director of Public Policy

PENCE AMENDMENT FAILS TO PASS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SUCCESSFUL ADVOCACY EFFORTS!

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill (H.R. 3043) by a vote of 276-140.  The bill is a significant victory for family planning providers, as it includes a $28 million increase for Title X, the third largest increase in the program's history.  Unfortunately, the bill also includes a $28 million increase for the ineffective Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program.  The bill does, however, include report language requiring that information provided by abstinence-only programs be medically accurate.

In addition to protecting the $28 million increase, family planning advocates won another important victory by defeating an amendment by Representative Mike Pence (R-IN) that would have prevented Planned Parenthood clinics from receiving Title X funds.  This amendment would have effectively defunded 13 percent of Title X family planning clinics and threaten access to family planning services for millions of low-income women and men.  Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the family planning community, the Pence amendment was defeated 189-231 (Roll Call Vote 684). 

Thank you for your efforts – your successful efforts – to urge your Representative to defeat this dangerous amendment!  Please take a moment to visit NFPRHA's website (www.nfprha.org) and see if your Representative voted against the Pence amendment, and if so, send a letter thanking them for their vote. 

For further information, contact Jody Leibman, Director of Public Policy, at leibmanj@cfhc.org or (213) 386-5614 ext. 4416.