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  5. State and Territorial Health Leaders Applaud Bipartisan Work to Pass an FY20 Appropriations and Extenders Bill

State and Territorial Health Leaders Applaud Bipartisan Work to Pass an FY20 Appropriations and Extenders Bill

December 17, 2019

ARLINGTON, VA—Michael Fraser, chief executive officer of ASTHO, issued the following statement applauding the bipartisan and bicameral extenders and FY20 appropriations bills.

“Our nation’s governmental public health leaders applaud congressional leaders for prioritizing public health funding, increasing the age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21, and extending Medicaid funding for two years for the U.S. territories. ASTHO worked tirelessly throughout the year advocating for these initiatives and Congress listened. We especially commend congress for increasing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) funding level by $636 million above FY19. This increase is in line with ASTHO and nearly 100 national organizations who have called on Congress for a 22 percent overall increase to the CDC budget by the Fiscal Year 2022—a goal we are well on the way to reaching with continued support in Washington.

"This increased investment in public health is sorely needed. The FY20 bill will support state, territorial, tribal and local governmental public health departments to address the ongoing opioid crisis, reduce the rates of HIV transmission, improve our data infrastructure, and provide the necessary resources to continue to address chronic disease prevention and health promotion.

"We encourage swift enactment of these legislative proposals and are grateful to public health champions who support the public health community’s 22 by FY22 campaign. We look forward to working collaboratively with Congress and the Administration in the new year to further address both continuing and emerging public health crisis increased the vaping epidemic plaguing our youth by advocating for evidence based proposals such as banning flavored tobacco products and enacting comprehensive tobacco control legislation.”

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ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.