On September 11, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved legislation focusing on international issues affecting women. The committee passed, by voice vote, several measures en bloc, including the Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act (S. 968), the African Health Capacity Investment Act (S. 805), and the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1678).
TB Prevention
Sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the Stop TB Now Act would amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-195) to authorize the president to provide increased assistance to the World Health Organization and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to improve the capacity of countries with high rates of TB and to assist other countries in implementing the Stop TB Strategy, which is defined in the legislation.
The bill would authorize $330 million for FY2008 and $450 million for FY2009 in foreign assistance for the prevention, treatment, and elimination of TB around the world, and $70 million for FY2008 and $100 million for FY2009 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s anti-TB programs.
The House Foreign Relations Committee approved its version of the Stop TB Now Act (H.R. 1567) on July 31 (see The Source, 8/3/07).
African Health Capacity
The African Health Capacity Investment Act also would amend the Foreign Assistance Act to help countries in sub-Saharan Africa treat and prevent HIV/AIDS and other major diseases and reduce maternal and child mortality rates by improving health care capacity and the retention of medical health professionals.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), would authorize $150 million in FY2008 for financial and technical health assistance to African countries. S. 805 also would require a presidential report on the U.S. strategy for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring assistance programs for health care capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
Torture Victims Relief
Sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act would amend the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-320) to authorize $25 million in FY2008 and 2009 for the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to torture treatment programs in the United States, $12 million for the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide grants to foreign treatment centers supporting torture victims, and $12 million annually for the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.
The House passed H.R. 1678 on April 25, by a vote of 418-7.
