On Sunday, December 13, the United States Senate passed its package of FY 2010 Appropriations bills, including the Labor HHS appropriations bill, which contains funding for a new teen pregnancy prevention initiative. President Obama signed these bills into law on December 16th; $100 million is now available for competitive grants to organizations in states and communities for evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs!
This is an exciting step forward in providing much-needed funding to states and communities for these critical programs, especially in light of the recent rise in the teen birth rate. This initiative is the first and only large scale federal investment dedicated to preventing teen pregnancy through proven, effective efforts. The House of Representatives passed its package of spending bills on Thursday, December 10th.
The teen pregnancy prevention initiative provides $75 million for programs that have been shown through rigorous evaluation to have positive effects on teens’ behavior, and $25 million for research and demonstration on promising programs. The provision also includes $10 million for technical assistance, training, and other supportive activities to assist the department in effectively running the program, and an additional $4.5 million for program evaluation. Congress has chosen the new Office of Adolescent Health in the Office of the Secretary to administer the initiative.
Read the Campaign statement on Congress' Passing the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative into law
Please note that this funding is separate from the provision in the Senate Health Reform bill that would provide funding to state, territories and tribes for evidence-based teen pregnancy programs through the Personal Responsibility Education Program. Please see the archived update from October 13 for further information on this legislation.
Archived Updates