 |
 |
Sheila, Another Action Update. Today I mailed 26 letters to the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee regarding the NIH budget. I also made copies of the packet and sent it to the head of the local APDA, asking her to send copies to support group leaders, and to the members of my support group, asking them to copy, distribute to family and friends, and mail. Hopefully this will result in a helpful "grass-roots" response. Here is a copy of the letter, in case you or anyone on the Net would like to use it: The Honorable (name) U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 10510 Dear Senator (name): As a member (Chairman, Ranking Member) of the Senate Appropriations Committee, you will soon be voting on a most important measure: the 1996 budget for the National Institutes of Health. You may already be aware of the need for increased funding for Parkinson's research, since PD currently receives only 26 dollars per person, much less than other diseases. You may also be aware of its cost effectiveness, in that the proposed allocations for research are less than the 6 billion dollar cost to taxpayers in lost productivity. I urge you to keep these factors in mind when approving the budget in September. I hope you will help us by supporting the largest possible increase in NIH funding for PD research. This is an exciting time for us because of the potential for breakthrough therapies that will result in huge savings to the economy. Please make our dream a reality and vote for the funding that will help cure this debilitating and costly disease. Sincerely, Send letters to the following senators, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee: Mark Hatfield, Chairman Arlen Specter Christopher Bond Judd Gregg Slade Groton Connie Mack Robert C. Byrd Dale Bumpers Daniel K Inouye Ernest F. Hollings Herbert Kohl Robert F. Bennett Pete Dominici Conrad Burns Phil Gramm Mitch McConnell Richard C. Shelby Ted Stevens Frank R. Lautenberg J. Bennett Johnston Frank J. Leahy Robert Kerry Barbara Mikulski Patty Murray Tom Harkin, Ranking Member James M. Jeffords