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--------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "LauraJane Cohen" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 12:21:56 -0500 Subject: Urgent NIH Funding Action Alert! Call Your Senators ASAP! Urgent NIH Funding Action Alert! Call your Senators in support of the Specter Amendment to Senate Concurrent Resolution 95, the FY2005 Budget Resolution Action Needed: Please call your Senators ASAP requesting their strong support for the Specter health funding amendment to the FY2005 Budget Resolution, which is currently being debated on the Senate floor! A sample script follows for your information. Go to http://capwiz.com/pan/dbq/officials/ to find contact information about your Senators, or you can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected with your Senators' offices. You may also take action by clicking here: http://capwiz.com/pan/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5320001 Background: The President has proposed only a 2.7% increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year 2005, which does not even keep pace with the rate of biomedical inflation, projected to be 3.5% in 2005. As such, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), a stalwart supporter of NIH, will be offering an amendment to Senate Concurrent Resolution 95, the FY2005 Budget Resolution, to increase the funding for NIH from $28.6 billion, or 2.7% higher than FY2004, to $29.4 billion or 5.3% higher than FY2004. At the budget resolution proposed funding level and under previous NIH funding policies, the NIH would fund approximately 640 less new grants in FY2005 than were funded in FY2004. The additional funds provided in the Specter Amendment would permit the continuation of medical advancements achieved during the doubling of NIH funding. It is essential that adequate dollars are available to translate the achievements made over the past five years into treatments and cures for the many maladies, including Parkinson's, that continue to plague our society. Sample Phone Call Script: Hello, my name is _________________ and I am from _____________City and _______State. May I speak to the health care legislative assistant? I am calling today because I am seriously concerned about the proposed funding level for Fiscal Year 2005 for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This issue is extremely important to me not only because [insert your PD connection here i.e. I have Parkinson's disease] but also for the chilling effect on biomedical research-which may preclude a cure or new or improved treatments for not only Parkinson's, but also other diseases such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, cancer, and Alzheimer's that affect many millions of Americans! I hope the Senator will support the Specter Amendment, which will increase funding for NIH to $29.4 billion or 5.3% from the level proposed by the Administration, $28.6 billion, or only 2.7% higher than FY2004. Without an increase NIH cannot even keep pace with the rate of biomedical inflation, which is estimated to be 3.5% in FY2005. Thank you for your consideration. I hope I can count on the Senator's support for this critical amendment. Thank you! Together we can make a difference! Laura Jane Cohen Director of Outreach Parkinson's Action Network 1000 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 900 Washington, D.C. 20005 ph: 202-842-4101 or 800-850-4726 fax: 202-842-4105 [log in to unmask] www.parkinsonsaction.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn