Below is an excerpt from an email I received from CapWiz regarding the status of funding appropriations for the TBI Act.

In July the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Health provided the TBI Act with an increase of $1 million for TBI programs under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for fiscal year 2005. Yet, the House of Representatives did not provide any increase for either the State Grant Program or for Protection and Advocacy Services. The Senate has not yet decided on what its levels for the TBI Act for fiscal year 2005, and consequently,no numbers have been finalized yet by Congress. Therefore, now is a pivotal time to call your Senators and Member in the House of Representatives and urge them to provide proper funding for the TBI Act for fiscal year 2005.

Review

. Reauthorization

The TBI Act gets reauthorized every five years. Reauthorization means that the Act will stay as a law on the books. In 2000, the TBI Act was sucessfully reauthorized as part of the Children’s Health Act
of 2000.

. Appropriations

Each year Congress needs to be asked for specific appropriations(money) for the TBI Act. If the TBI Act is not appropriated(funded), then it just sits as a useless law on the books. The last several years people and families affected by TBI have been successful in convincing Congress of the need to increase funding for the TBI Act.