N.Y. budget would boost ADAP spending

Despite suggesting widespread spending cuts to reduce a state budget deficit, New York governor George Pataki has preserved most HIV/AIDS spending and even boosted funds for the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program from $12 million to $40 million in his new budget proposal, Gay City News reports. ADAP officials had warned that the program would face significant budget shortfalls, possibly as high as $50 million, without the additional funding. Pataki did recommend cutting about $5 million from HIV prevention programs for communities of color, $750,000 from substance abuse services for minorities, and more than $500,000 each from treatment adherence programs and permanency planning for families with one or more HIV-positive parents.