Title X (Public Health Service Act) Family Planning Program

Angela Napili
Information Research Specialist

The federal government provides grants for voluntary family planning services through the Family Planning Program, Title X of the Public Health Service Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. Section 300 to Section 300a-6. The program, enacted in 1970, is the only domestic federal program devoted solely to family planning and related preventive health services. Title X is administered through the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Although the authorization of appropriations for Title X ended with FY1985, funding for the program has continued to be provided through appropriations bills for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Education). Within DHHS, Title X receives its funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) account.

P.L. 112-10, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, provided $299.400 million for Title X in FY2011, a 6% decrease from the FY2010 funding level of $317.491 million. The funds were provided under the same conditions as in FY2010. These conditions include that Title X funds not be spent on abortions, that all pregnancy counseling be nondirective, and that funds not be spent on promoting or opposing any legislative proposal or candidate for public office. Grantees must also certify that they encourage “family participation” when minors decide to seek family planning services, and must certify that they counsel minors on how to resist attempted coercion into sexual activity. Appropriations law also clarifies that family planning providers are not exempt from state notification and reporting laws on child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, or incest.

The Senate-reported FY2012 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, S. 1599, would provide $299.400 million for Title X in FY2012, the same as the FY2011 level. The House-introduced FY2012 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, H.R. 3070, would prohibit the bill’s funds from being used for Title X. H.R. 3070 would also restrict the bill’s funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates unless they certify that the organization will not perform abortions; the DHHS Secretary would be required to seek repayment of federal funds if the certification terms are violated.

The law (42 U.S.C. §300a-6) prohibits the use of Title X funds in programs where abortion is a method of family planning. According to OPA, family planning projects that receive Title X funds are closely monitored to ensure that federal funds are used appropriately and that funds are not used for prohibited activities such as abortion. The prohibition on abortion does not apply to all the activities of a Title X grantee, but only to activities that are part of the Title X project. A grantee’s abortion activities must be “separate and distinct” from the Title X project activities.

Several bills addressing Title X have been introduced in the 112thCongress. H.R. 217 and S. 96 would prohibit Title X grants to abortion-performing entities. H.R. 408 and S. 178 would eliminate the Title X program. H.R. 1099 would prohibit federal spending on any family planning activity. H.R. 1135/H.R. 1167 would require an overall spending limit on means-tested welfare programs, defined to include family planning. S. 814 would require online disclosure of any audits conducted under Title X on any entity receiving Title X funds. H.R. 1 would have eliminated funding for Title X for the remainder of FY2011. H.R. 1 and H.Con.Res. 36 would have restricted federal funding to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates.


Date of Report: October 14, 2011
Number of Pages: 24
Order Number: RL33644
Price: $29.95

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