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PARKINSON'S ACTION NETWORK ACTION ADVISORY To: Parkinson's community -- Patients, Loved Ones, Scientists, Clinicians, and Others Who Care. From: Joan I. Samuelson, ESQ. Date: July 10, 1996 Re: UDALL BILL UPDATE; HELP NEEDED An extraordinary effort by the Parkinson's community nationwide has produced a tremendous surge in cosponsors of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act during May and June. The House and Senate totals stand at 193 and 49 respectively, with more expected this week! We are tantalizingly close to a majority (51) in the Senate, and within reach of a majority (218) in the House. To reach our goal - passage of both Houses this year - we need more power, which means we still need to add as many Members as possible to the lists. We need your help to give us the major push required to keep Udall passage as a priority for busy Senators and Representatives. I. SENATE ACTION --UDALL MOVING WITH NIH REVITALIZATION BILL? In the Senate, the Udall bill has very strong support in the Labor & Human Resources Committee to which it is assigned. We now have 12 out of 16 Labor Committee Members cosponsoring, including 5 of 9 Republicans. We do not yet have the support of the Chair, Nancy Kassebaum (R) of Kansas. The Committee is scheduled to "mark up" (vote on) the National Institutes of Health 1997 Revitalization Act in July, and our supporters on the Committee plan to seek an amendment adding the Udall bill so that it can get moving to the Senate floor for a vote. Our strength in committee gives us a good chance, but it's not a "done deal", particularly without Senator Kassebaum behind us. II. HOUSE STATUS. The Udall bill enjoys strong support in the House committee to which it is assigned. 28 out of 49 Members of the Commerce Committee have cosponsored, including 17 of 27 Members of the Subcommittee on Health and Environment. Unfortunately we do not have the support of either the Subcommittee or Full Committee Chair, Representative Michael Bilirakis (R) of Florida and Representative Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. (R) of Virginia, respectively. Despite the support of majority of the Committee Members, we need Chairmen Bilirakis and Bliley to agree to bring the Udall bill up for a vote, or bring up another bill that the Udall bill can be amended to. They can prevent the bill from moving to the House floor for a vote, and need to be persuaded -- by our community or their fellow Congress Members -- to let it come up for a vote. III. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP. (A) KEEP THOSE CARDS, LETTERS AND PHONE CALLS COMING! - The Senate: With the upcoming mark-up of the Senate NIH bill, contacting Senators -- particularly those on the Labor and Human Resources Committee -- is our first priority. If they haven't cosponsored yet, tell them to! If they have, ask them to help "push for passage" by urging the Labor Committee and the Senate leadership to send the bill to the floor for a vote. - The House: We need to build as much support as we can to overcome the stalemate in the Commerce Committee. All Representatives are important -- especially until we reach 218 cosponsors and beyond -- but Members of the Commerce Committee, the House leadership and the House Appropriations Committee remain our top priorities. REMEMBER, every additional Committee Member who signs on increases the pressure on Chairmen Bilirakis and Bliley. Those Members already on the Udall bill can work to sign up their colleagues, or to appeal directly to their Chairmen -- There's always something they can do to help! (B) POST CARD DRIVE -- "DO IT FOR MO!" During the last month, tens of thousands of "This is for you, Mo" postcards have been mailed to Capitol Hill. Bearing a picture of Morris K. Udall and a direct request to co-sponsor and support passage of the Udall bill, these cards are easy to send, inexpensive to mail and quite effective. The majority of these cards have been targeted at the Members with the most direct influence on the ultimate fate of the Udall bill: Senator Nancy Kassebaum and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, and Representatives Michael Bilirakis and Thomas Bliley, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Barbara Schirloff of East Brunswick, New Jersey has printed another 50,000 postcards, and will send as many as your or your support group can mail. Call Barbara at 908-257-8074 or email her at [log in to unmask] or call PAN at 800 -850-4726. The postcards themselves are free, but we ask that you contribute what you can to Barbara to cover shipping costs. (C) CRASH LOBBY III. In light of the importance of the coming weeks -- and the effectiveness of past direct lobbying efforts -- we are coordinating another grassroots convergence on Capitol Hill in support of the Udall bill. During the week of July 22-26, we will "work the Hill" with anyone who wants to come to DC to seek passage of the Udall bill. Everyone is needed; we would particularly like to find people in Florida, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Contact PAN (800) 850-4726 for details. Those of you unable to attend also can play an important role by continuing to write, call and fax your Senators and Representatives. Contact them as soon as possible and voice your support for the Udall bill and the upcoming lobbying effort on the Hill. Another way to help is to schedule appointments with your legislators on behalf of those planning to be in DC. It is often easier for a constituent to make an appointment, even if they themselves can't attend the meeting. If you would like to help by scheduling appointments, please coordinate with someone you know who's attending or with Michael Claeys, PAN's Community Outreach Coordinator. IV. HELP WITH COSTS AND TRAVEL EXPENSES. If you or your support group can't attend yourself, please consider helping support the costs (postage, phone bills, etc.) and travel expenses of others who want to attend but can't afford the trip. V. WHAT TO TELL CONGRESS. Our message is clear: (a) Parkinson's research is poised on the brink of a breakthrough and federal support will make it happen sooner. (b) The cure is cheaper than the care -- our suffering costs the nation in excess of $25 billion per year. (C) Parkinson's research has been terribly neglected. It is time to reverse the disparity in funding. We have materials on all these points -- call us at 800- 850-4726. VI. THANKS. Your hard work is making a difference!