Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Bipartisan Bill Supporting Programs That Support Women and Young People

Washington, D.C. —The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS) Appropriations bill by a strong bipartisan vote of 30-1 that maintains current funding for the Title X family planning program and the evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program. Specifically, the Senate bill provides the following for FY 2019:

• $286.5 million for the Title X Family Planning Program
• $101 million for the TPP Program
• $6.8 million under the Public Health Services Act for the evaluation of teenage pregnancy prevention approaches.
• $35 million for Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (otherwise known as abstinence-only), a $10 million increase over the FY 2018 level.

“We’re pleased with the Senate Appropriations Committee’s strong bipartisan support for programs that help to ensure that young people have the information and access to services they need to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant. We encourage the full Congress to follow their lead” said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of Power to Decide.  

The House Appropriations LHHS Subcommittee passed its version of the appropriations bill on June 14, eliminating all funding for the TPP Program and the Title X Family Planning Program. The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up that bill after the July 4th recess.

“Power to Decide also urges appropriators to ensure that these programs continue as they have successfully operated in the past, recognizing their critical role in providing information, access, and opportunity.”