
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 28, 1994                   TAG: 9403040019
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PREVENTION

THE CITY of Roanoke's chances of getting a few - precious few - state dollars to help with teen-pregnancy prevention efforts are now in the hands of six men: the House-Senate conferees on the state's 1994-1996 budget.

In the coming week, the Big Six will essentially decide if the city, with the highest-in-the-state rate of teen pregnancies, is to share in the largess that reflects the state's concern for Virginia's vulnerable adolescents.

A modest share of $4 million? In your dreams . . . .

For three years, the Virginia Council on Teen Pregnancy Prevention - joined by Lt. Gov. Don Beyer's anti-poverty commission and thousands of Virginians who have signed petitions of support - has urged the state to launch a modest $4 million pregnancy-prevention campaign. Such an effort could save the state taxpayers some portion of the $300 million a year in welfare payments and other costs associated with teen pregnancies.

But the myopic legislators still can't see it.

In the separate budget bills produced this year by the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance Committee, the House panel at least put in a few extra nickels and dimes for teen-pregnancy prevention. Not $4 million, not by a long shot, but $200,000.

The $200,000 would be added to a base of $600,000, which was approved previously for three pilot programs in Richmond, Alexandria and Norfolk. It would virtually ensure that the city of Roanoke, because of its high teen-pregnancy rate, would receive some state funds for prevention efforts.

(Including federal funds that are expected to be available, the House panel's budget would bring the total to $1.6 million available statewide for teen-pregnancy prevention.)

But, incredibly, the Senate Finance unit included no new funding for this purpose. Not a penny.

As a result, even the House's measly $200,000 is at risk of being stripped out of the final spending plans to be shaped by the senior-most members of the money committees who serve as House-Senate conferees.

Roanokers, obviously, should root for the House conferees to prevail. But they and all other Virginians could root with much greater enthusiasm for something more than tokenism.

Why can't state lawmakers see? Teen pregnancy is ripping into the social fabric of our communities, leaving gaping holes of poverty, crime, drugs, school dropouts - and the lives of many young people hanging by a thread.

In the past, House-Senate conferees have proved themselves absolute wizards at "finding" extra money when they've wanted to. In a $33 billion budget, surely they can find tucked away in their socks and sleeves more than $200,000 for teen-pregnancy prevention.

Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994

by CNB