BLAGOJEVICH VETOES HIV/AIDS FUNDING

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) used his line-item veto power July 3 to
cut $1 million in AIDS prevention funds for communities of color and
$600,000 slated to fight hepatitis C in Cook County. AIDS advocates,
meanwhile, question why the governor has not signed a measure passed May 13
that would allow people to purchase sterile syringes without prescriptions.

"We've gotten no indication... that he's not going to sign it," said Karen
Reitan, of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. "I know the governor's office is
doing bill reviews right now. They've made several requests to us for more
information on the syringe access bill.... They've asked us to give them
data and research and they've asked a lot about who are the supporters."

Blagojevich pledged during his campaign for governor last year to sign the
syringe measure and to restore $2 million in funding, cut by former Gov.
George Ryan (R), to fight AIDS in communities of color. But the state
Senate, led by Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago), increased the prevention
funding to $3 million, a move agreed to by the House but not by Blagojevich.

"There was a commitment by the governor to put $2 million in and that's
what he did," said Blagojevich spokesperson Tom Schafer. "Keep in mind that
the state had a $5 billion deficit. There's only so much the state can afford."

Schafer said of the syringe bill that Blagojevich "listens to different
sides.... He's going to make sure there's a thorough review of this bill."
But AIDS advocates are concerned about the delay. As a congressman in 2000,
Blagojevich was one of 40 Democrats in the US House to vote against locally
funded needle exchange programs in Washington.

Reitan said advocates would attempt to restore the AIDS prevention and
hepatitis C funding in the General Assembly's veto session this fall.