How Some Recovery Act Money is Being Used

National Institute of Mental Health has announced how it will use more than 65 million dollars of Recovery Act Funding. Here is the breakdown as far as I can figure it:

60 million for grants to address the Heterogeneity of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Also, competitive grants (unspecified amounts) will be available to fund research on

• Genomic profiling of mental illness
• Neurodevelopmental Genomics: Trajectories of Complex Phenotypes
• Transcriptional Atlas of Human Brain Development

Another 5 million will go to 3-6 core research centers for new faculty recruitment.

Additional grant money (unspecified amount) will be disbursed to enhance existing research projects.

Meanwhile, Louisiana school psychologists, social workers, and speech pathologists fought hard in the state legislature to avoid losing the $5,000. National Certification pay they were promised by that State. This money brings their pay to the average level for TEACHERS in the southern region. Connie Cassels, northeast regional rep for the Louisiana School Psychologists, provided detailed and factual testimony to LA senators, and held the state accountable for directing Recovery Act money to support salaries at the 2008 level.

I wonder how hard the NIMH had to fight for its 65+ million dollars?