TO: New Yorkers (and listmembers who have friends or family living in NYS) Your help is needed to make the proposed New York State Institute for Stem Cell Research a reality. On March 1st, NYS Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver (Dem.) announced he will introduce a bill to create the New York State Institute for Stem Cell Research . SEE: http://assembly.state.ny.us/Press/20050301a/ Sen. Nick Spano (Rep.) also announced he will introduce companion legislation in the New York State Senate that would permit stem cell research in NYS and earmark $100 million annually to fund the research. SEE: www.senatorspano.com/press_archive_story.asp?id=10268 The bill should pass easily in the Assembly. We face an uphill battle in the Senate, although it already has the support of 6 Republican Senators. On Monday or Tuesday would you please send an email or call the following State Senators and ask them to support Sen. Spano's bill. A sample email / talking points is below. Would you forward this email or call at least 5 friends or family members who live in New York State and ask them to do the same. Thank you all for your support, Linda Email or call or do both: Sen. Joseph Bruno, NYS Senate Majority Leader (518) 455-3191 [log in to unmask] Senator Kemp Hannon, NYS Senate Health Committee Chair 518 - 455-2200 [log in to unmask] your NYS Senator see http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm for contact information SAMPLE LETTER or PHONE SCRIPT: Dear Senator , Please support positive stem cell research legislation as proposed by Senator Nick Spano. I suffer with (MS or Parkinson’s or spinal cord injury or cancer of diabetes…. Etc.) or I have a (friend, son, daughter, spouse … etc. who has........) (ADD PERSONAL DETAILS ABOUT ILLNESS ) Regenerative medical research, including embryonic stem cell research, offers great hope for curing many debilitating and deadly diseases that destroy the lives of millions of New Yorkers. That is why I urge you to support Sen. Spano's bill. If NYS does not protect and fund stem cell research, many of our top researchers and biotech companies will leave the state. Several have left already, more are being recruited to states such as California and New Jersey. New York State cannot afford this economic and brain drain. PLEASE SUPPORT SENATOR SPANO'S BILL. Sincerely, your name, address, phone # ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn