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D.C. Needle-Exchange Rider Not Included In Budget Deal
| Source: |
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DCist.com |
| Date: |
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011 |
| Author: |
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Aaron Morrissey |
While it probably will do little to curb the fury which has developed over President Barack Obama's decision to sellout access to abortions for low-income women in Washington, it's at least some positive news for those seeking D.C. autonomy: HuffPo's Arthur Delaney reports that the city will still be able to spend local funds on needle-exchange programs.
...a ban on funding for needle exchange is not in the long-term budget deal unveiled early Tuesday morning. "It's out," said Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). "They [Republicans] tried to put it in and we kept it out."
A Boehner spokesman declined to comment on what happened with needle exchange. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
The District's needle-exchange efforts -- which have been in place since Congress lifted a previous ban on them in 2007 -- supply hundreds of thousands of clean needles to thousands of people each year. Last week, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton claimed Congress had "killed" D.C. residents by not allowing the District to enact needle-exchange programs in the past despite an incredibly high rate of HIV/AIDS infection.
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http://dcist.com/2011/04/dc_needle-exchange_rider_not_includ .php
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