SIGN-ON STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR PATAKI’S AIDS BUDGET CUTS

Governor Pataki’s 1999-2000 Executive Budget includes $2.4 million in cuts to three specific AIDS programs. The savings from these cuts will apparently will be used to pay for controversial HIV Partner Notification and Names Collection Programs :

$1 million in cuts to the treatment adherence program, eliminating it completely;
$400,000 in cuts to the Operating Assistance for AIDS Housing (OSAH) program, a 40% cut to the only operating funds for housing programs that serve homeless people living with AIDS and HIV;
$1 million in cuts to permanency planning programs that protect children who have been orphaned by AIDS.

"At a time when our state has a budget surplus of more than two billion dollars, it’s just plain wrong to slash services to homeless people living with AIDS, children orphaned by this terrible disease, and HIV-positive New Yorkers who need help taking their medicine to stay alive. Governor Pataki should be ashamed. We oppose the proposed cuts to these important and effective AIDS programs and we urge the Governor to restore the cuts in his 30-day budget amendments and increase all of these programs which offer real AIDS prevention and treatment options for thousands of New Yorkers."

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Signature

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Organization* (or State)

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Address

Is your organization agreeing to sign-on? ____Yes ____ No

Phone Number: ______________________

Fax back to Jennifer at (212) 870-3334, or return e-mail to: flynn@dti.net

Call Jennifer Flynn, New York City AIDS Housing Network at (212) 870-3303 if you want to get involved in joining the fight to for real HIV prevention programs and to prevent the lose of these funds.