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Dear Joreth:
Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate hearing from you regarding abstinence education programs and would like to respond to your concerns.
Federal funding for abstinence education programs was first authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193). This law defines abstinence education as a program that teaches the social, psychological, and health gains that can be achieved through abstention from sexual activity. Currently, 49 of 50 states sponsor various programs focusing on abstinence education.
The President’s budget for fiscal year 2009 requests $204 million for abstinence education through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for developing research-based standards for abstinence education curriculum and for ensuring the consistency of messages in all youth programming that addresses teen pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS prevention. This request is a $28 million increase from the fiscal year 2008 funding level.
You may also be interested to know that I joined a number of my colleagues in the Senate in sending a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services and Education. This letter urged the Committee to continue to support Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) funding. Abstinence education is an important primary health message and is taught to more than two million youth across the country and it is crucial that funding for these programs continue.
Each week, I hear from many Floridians expressing their thoughts regarding the effects of abstinence education programs on students in Florida. I appreciate your interest in this matter. As a parent and a grandparent, I too recognize the importance of this issue for Florida's parents, students, and teachers. We have a national obligation to see that all young Americans receive the preparation they need to succeed in life. I can assure you I will keep your comments in mind as we proceed with the fiscal year 2009 appropriations process.
Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mel Martinez
United States Senator
Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate hearing from you regarding abstinence education programs and would like to respond to your concerns.
Federal funding for abstinence education programs was first authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193). This law defines abstinence education as a program that teaches the social, psychological, and health gains that can be achieved through abstention from sexual activity. Currently, 49 of 50 states sponsor various programs focusing on abstinence education.
The President’s budget for fiscal year 2009 requests $204 million for abstinence education through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for developing research-based standards for abstinence education curriculum and for ensuring the consistency of messages in all youth programming that addresses teen pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS prevention. This request is a $28 million increase from the fiscal year 2008 funding level.
You may also be interested to know that I joined a number of my colleagues in the Senate in sending a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services and Education. This letter urged the Committee to continue to support Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) funding. Abstinence education is an important primary health message and is taught to more than two million youth across the country and it is crucial that funding for these programs continue.
Each week, I hear from many Floridians expressing their thoughts regarding the effects of abstinence education programs on students in Florida. I appreciate your interest in this matter. As a parent and a grandparent, I too recognize the importance of this issue for Florida's parents, students, and teachers. We have a national obligation to see that all young Americans receive the preparation they need to succeed in life. I can assure you I will keep your comments in mind as we proceed with the fiscal year 2009 appropriations process.
Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mel Martinez
United States Senator
