Crittenden County Coalition for a Drug-Free Community

President Signs FY 2009 Omnibus Bill Into Law

President Obama signed the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act into law on Wednesday, bringing to a close the more than year-long FY09 appropriations process. That came after the Senate passed the
FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act on a 62-35 vote earlier this week.

Substance abuse prevention and treatment fared very well overall as a field, with many federal programs receiving increases in funding. Levels of funding for programs of interest to the field include:

Financial Services Appropriations Act
• Drug Free Communities Act (DFCA): $90 million (level funded compared to FY 2008)
• National Anti-Drug Media Campaign: $70 million (increase of $10 million compared to FY 2008)
• High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas: $234 million (increase of $4 million compared to FY 2008)

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Act
• State Grants Portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program (SDFSC): $294.8 million (level funded compared to FY 2008)
• Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant: $1.779 billion (increase of $20 million compared to FY 2008)
• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP): $201 million (increase of $6.9 million compared to FY 2008)
• Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT): $414.3 million (increase of $14.5 million compared to FY 2008)
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): $1.033 billion (increase of $32 million compared to FY 2008)
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): $450.2 million (increase of $13.9 million compared to FY 2008)

Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act
• Weed and Seed Program: $25 million (decrease of $7 million compared to FY 2008)
• Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant: $546 million (increase of $376 million compared to FY 2008)
• Drug Courts: $40 million (increase of $24.8 million compared to FY 2008)
• Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT): (increase of $0.6 million compared to FY 2008)
• Second Chance Act Offender Reentry: $25 million (did not exist in FY 2008)

State Department, Foreign Operations Appropriations Act
• State Department International Narcotics Control and Demand Reduction Program (INL): $10 million (decrease of $2 million compared to FY 2008)

The FY 2010 appropriations process has already begun as President Obama released the broad outline of his Budget Request in late February. This outline, however, did not include requests for specific
programs. President Obama is expected to release his detailed budget request, including specific programmatic requests, sometime between late March and mid-April. CADCA will continue to keep coalitions updated as the appropriations process swings into full gear, and will request everyone’s help to advocate for the highest funding level possible for programs of interest to the field.