Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 11:58:52 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <199907231558.LAA26223@godzilla4.acpub.duke.edu>
From: belmonte@mit.edu (Matthew Belmonte)
To: CapuanoHR8@aol.com (Mike Capuano)
Subject: oppose social riders to the DC Appropriations Act

Dear Representative Capuano

The DC Appropriations Act is scheduled for debate on the House floor
this coming Thursday, 29 July.  During its committee mark-up, several
anti-democratic social riders were deleted from the bill.  I urge you to
fight to prevent these riders from being added back into the bill by the
full House.  The DC Appropriations bill should concern itself only with
federal appropriations for the District of Columbia, and should not
attempt to dictate how the District can or cannot spend its locally
collected revenues.  In particular, the District needs to be allowed to
implement the will of its people in funding syringe exchange programs.
Epidemiological studies have shown that such programs are very effective
in preventing the spread of AIDS and other blood-borne diseases through
intravenous drug users.  In the past, Bob Barr and other Republicans
have used the Appropriations Act as a means to prevent the District of
Columbia from spending its own, locally collected funds on syringe
exchange.  Continuing this ban on syringe exchange would lead to more
disease and death among those inhabitants of the District who are least
able to care for themselves.  I hope that you'll oppose riders on the
Appropriations Act.