 |
 |
DEAR LIST FRIENDS, We received the following from Bill Turenne this afternoon. You can see how important we are to the situation. It is imperative that you contact= your representatives office on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.. Please do not let the Parkinson community down or let a cure get away from us.Please read and follow instructions. Thank you, Helen Mason >From Bill Turenne: Since this was posted on the list, I have learned that the deadline for= =0Agathering signatures is Friday the 13th. (creepy) Mike Claeys, Paul Smedburg and I will be calling each office (210+) by th= e=0A11th, but what we really need is grassroots support for this. Thanks for steppin up. Good luck and good hunting, Bill HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS STRATEGY (the next step) Following is the text of letters that have been sent by the offices of=0A= Representatives Upton and Waxman to each of last year's 254 Udall bill=0A= cosponsors. The "Dear Colleague" letter urges each cosponsor to add thei= r=0Asignature to the attached letter that will go to Labor HHS Appropriat= ions=0ASubcommittee Chairman Porter and Ranking Member Obey, advocating = "=85a=0Asubstantially increased investment=85" in Pd research in FY '99. It is important that we get a majority of the House to endorse this effor= t.=0AThis will send a strong message to the Subcommittee leadership that = the=0Awidespread bipartisan support for the Udall bill still exists. Here's what you can do to help. IF YOUR REPRESENTATIVE WAS A UDALL COSPON= SOR=0A(H.R.1260) please contact his or her office. Request that your rep= resentative=0Arespond to Rep. Upton's "Dear Colleague" letter (which they= already have=0Areceived) by immediately contacting Erin Stump or Jane Wi= lliams in Rep.=0AUpton's office. Please make every effort to contact you= r representative's=0Ahealth staff aide. It would also be helpful for you = to follow up in a couple=0Aof days with that person to see if it has been= done. If your Representative happens to be one of the Udall bill's many ardent= =0Asupporters who would like to do more to help, you might suggest that t= hey=0Awrite a similar personalized letter to Chairman Porter (and/or any = other=0Amember(s) of the Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee) that stre= sses the=0Aimportance of this issue to them personally. This should not be that hard of a sell, since these representatives are U= dall=0Acosponsors. However, I cannot stress enough the importance that t= he success=0Aof this letter has to the prospect of securing the level of = funding that Pd=0Aneeds and deserves. PLEASE take the time to work on this action plan. A list of House Udall = (HR=0A1260) Cosponsors is also attached below. You can reach your repres= entative's=0Aoffice via the Capitol switchboard at (202)224-3121. If you= have any further=0Aquestions, do not hesitate to contact Larry Hoffheime= r or Bill Turenne at=0ANPF's Washington offices, toll-free at 1-888-331-4= NPF (4673). We are here in=0ADC for all of you. ____________________________________________________ Dear Colleague, We are writing to thank you for cosponsoring HR 1260, the Morris K. Udall= =0AParkinson's Research and Education Act of 1997. With your strong supp= ort,=0Athis bill was signed into law as part of the fiscal year 1198 appr= opriations=0Ameasure for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Servi= ces, and=0AEducation. As you know, this legislation authorizes up to $100 million a year in=0AP= arkinson's disease research funding, authorizes the Secretary of Health a= nd=0AHuman Services to establish up to 10 Parkinson's centers across the = country to=0Atranslate breakthroughs in the lab into improved patient car= e, and provides=0Afor the coordination of Parkinson's research efforts. This authorization was an important first step in improving the comparabi= lity=0Aof the funding available for Parkinson's with that currently being= allocated=0Ato other serious diseases. Now, we ask you to join with us = in cosigning a=0Aletter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House S= ubcommittee on Labor,=0AHealth and Human Services, and Education Appropri= ations to let them know of=0Aour strong support for a substantial increas= e in our nation's support for=0AParkinson's research. The letter appears= on the back of this page. Again, thank you for your support. If you would like to cosign this lett= er,=0Aplease don't hesitate to let us know or to call Erin Stump at 225-3= 761. Sincerely, Fred Upton Member of Congress Henry Waxman Member of Congress Dear Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, As cosponsors of HR 1260, the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research and=0A= Education Act, we are writing to thank you for the emphasis Parkinson's= =0Aresearch funding received in the fiscal year 1998 Labor/Health and Hum= an=0AServices/Education Appropriations measure. We are also writing to e= xpress our=0Astrong support for a substantially increased investment in P= arkinson's=0Aresearch in the fiscal year 1999 measure. As you know, Parkinson's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease i= n a=0Apart of the brain that makes an important brain chemical called dop= amine. As=0Aa result, there is an imbalance in the brain circuits that c= ontrol movement.=0ANormal movement is so severely impaired that patients = have difficulty=0Aperforming their normal daily activities. Eventually, = they become bedridden=0Aand require complete nursing care. This disease = affects a million U. S.=0Acitizens and costs the government an estimated = $7 billion annually in medical=0Acosts and lost tax revenues. As our pop= ulation ages, these already=0Asubstantial numbers and costs will only gro= w larger. It is imperative, if we are to control health care costs in the future, t= o=0Afind more effective ways to cure or treat devastating diseases such a= s=0AParkinson's. This past year, we saw two very significant, promising= =0Abreakthroughs: the discovery of an abnormality in a gene that causes= =0AParkinson's disease in some families; and the development of an electr= ical=0Astimulation brain implant that has shown great success in clinical= trials in=0Arestoring normal or near-normal movements to patients with s= evere Parkinson's.=0AInvestments that bring breakthroughs like these are = investments in human=0Apotential and in our nation's future as we face th= e health care needs of an=0Aaging population. Thank you for your attention to this request to make the authorization si= gned=0Ainto law last year a reality with a substantial increase in our na= tion's=0Ainvestment in Parkinson's research. Sincerely yours, H.R. 1260 (as of 10/08/97) Alphabetical List of Cosponsors Sponsor: Congressman Upton 254 Total Cosponsors Abercrombie (D-1st-HI) Ackerman (D-5th-NY) Allen (D-1st-ME) Andrews (D-1st-NJ) Bachus (R-6th-AL) Baesler (D-6th-KY) Baker, R. (R-6th-LA) Baldacci D-2nd-ME Ballenger (R-10th-NC) Barrett, T. (R-3rd-NE) Bentsen (D-25th-TX) Bereuter (R-1st-NE Berman (D-26th-CA) Berry (D-1st-AR) Bilbray (R-49th-CA) Bishop (D-2ND-GA) Blagojevich (D-5TH-IL) Blumenauer (D-3RD-OR) Boehlert (R-23RD-NY) Bonior (D-10TH-MI) Bono (R-44TH-CA) Borski (D-3RD-PA) Boswell (D-3rd-IA) Boucher (D-9TH-VA) Brady (R-8th-TX) Brown, C. (D-3RD-FL) Brown, G. (D-42ND-CA) Brown, S. (D-13TH-OH) Burr (R-5TH-NC) Calvert (R-43RD-CA) Campbell (R-15TH-CA) Capps (D-22ND-CA) Cardin (D-3RD-MD) Carson (D-10TH-IN) Chambliss (R-8TH-GA) Christian-Green (D-VI) Clay (D-1ST-MO) Clayton (D-1ST-NC) Clement (D-5TH-TN) Clyburn (D-6TH-SC) Coburn (R-2ND-OK) Condit (D-18TH-CA) Conyers (D-14TH-MI) Cook (R-2nd-UT) Costello (D-12TH-IL) Cox (R-47TH-CA) Coyne (D-14TH-PA) Cramer (D-5TH-AL) Cummings (D-7TH-MD) Danner (D-6TH-MO) Davis, D. (D-7TH-IL) Davis, T. (R-11TH-VA) Deal (R-9TH-GA) DeFazio (D-4TH-OR) Delahunt (D-10TH-MA) DeLay (R-22ND-TX) Dellums (D-9TH-CA) Deutsch (D-20TH-FL) Dicks (D-6TH-WA) Dingell (D-16TH-MI) Dixon (D-32ND-CA) Dooley (D-20TH-CA) Doolittle (R-4TH-CA) Doyle (D-18TH-PA) Dreier (R-28th-CA) Dunn (R-8th-WA) Emerson (R-8TH-MO) Engel (D-17TH-NY) English (R-21ST-PA) Ensign (R-1ST-NV) Eshoo (D-14TH-CA) Evans (D-17TH-IL) Faleomavaega (D-AS) Farr (D-17TH CA) Fattah (D-2ND-PA) Fazio (D-3RD-CA) Filner (D-50TH-CA) Flake (D-6TH-NY) Foglietta (D-1ST-PA) Foley (R-16TH-FL) Forbes (R-1ST-NY) Ford (D-9TH-TN) Fox (R-13TH-PA) Frank (D-4TH-MA) Franks, B. (R-7TH-NJ) Frelinghuysen(R-11TH-NJ) Frost (D-24TH-TX) Furse (D-1ST-OR) Gallegly (R-23RD-CA) Gejdenson (D-2ND-CT) Gephardt (D-3RD-MO) Gibbons (R-2nd-NV) Gilchrest (R-1ST-MD) Gillmor (R-5TH-OH) Gilman (R-20TH-NY) Gonzalez (D-20TH-TX) Goode (D-5TH-VA) Goodling (R-19TH-PA) Gordon (D-6TH-TN) Goss (R-14TH-FL) Green (D-29TH-TX) Greenwood (R-8TH-PA) Gutierrez (D-4TH-IL) Hall, T. (D-3RD-OH) Hamilton (D-9TH-IN) Hastings, A. (D-23RD-FL) Hayworth (R-6TH-AZ) Hefley (R-5TH-CO) Hefner (D-8TH-NC) Hilliard (D-7TH-AL) Hinchey (D-26TH-NY) Hinojosa (D-15TH-TX) Hobson (R-7TH-OH) Hooley (D-5TH-OR) Horn (R-38TH-CA) Jackson (D-2ND-IL) Jefferson (D-2ND-LA) John (D-7th-LA) Johnson, E. (D-30TH-TX) Johnson, N. (R-6TH-CT) Kanjorski (D-11-PA) Kaptur (D-9TH-OH) Kelly (R-19TH-NY) Kennedy, J. (D-8TH-MA) Kennedy, P. (D-1ST-RI) Kennelly (D-1ST-CT) Kilpatrick (D-15TH-MI) Kim (R-41-CA) Klink (D-4TH-PA) Klug (R-2ND-WI) Knollenberg (R-11TH-MI) Kolbe (R-5TH-AZ) Lampson (D-9TH-TX) Lantos (D-12TH-CA) LaTourette (R-19TH-OH) Leach (R-1ST-IA) Lee (D-18TH-TX) Levin (D-12TH-MI) Lewis, Jerry (R-40TH-CA) Lewis, John (D-5TH-GA) Lofgren (D-16TH-CA) Lowey (D-18TH-NY) Lucas (R-6TH-OK) Maloney, C. (D-14TH-NY) Maloney, J. (D-5THCT) Markey (D-7TH-MA) Martinez (D-31ST-CA) Mascara (D-20TH-PA) Matsui (D-5TH-CA) McCarthy, C. (D-4TH-NY) McDade (R-10TH-PA) McDermott (D-7TH-WA) McGovern (D-3RD-MA) McHale (D-15TH-PA) McHugh (R-24TH-NY) McIntosh (R-2ND-IN) McKeon (R-25TH-CA) McKinney (D-4TH-GA) McNulty (D-21ST-NY) Meehan (D-5TH-MA) Meek (D-17TH-FL) Menendez (D-13TH-NJ) Millender-McDonald (D-37TH-CA) Miller, G. (D-7TH-CA) Mink (D-2ND-HI) Moakley (D-9TH-MA) Molinari (R-13TH-NY)* Moran, J. P. (D-8TH-VA) Morella (R-8TH-MD) Murtha (D-12TH-PA) Nadler (D-8TH-NY) Neal (D-2ND-MA) Norton (D-DC) Norwood (R-10TH-GA) Oberstar (D-8TH-MN) Olver (D-1ST-MA) Owens (D-11TH-NY) Oxley (R-4TH-OH) Pallone (D-6TH-NJ) Pascrell (D-8TH-NJ) Pastor (D-2ND-AZ) Payne, D. (D-10TH-NJ) Pelosi (D-8TH-CA) Peterson, C. (D-7TH-MN) Peterson, J. (R-5TH-PA) Pombo (R-11TH-CA) Portman (R-2ND-OH) Price (D-4TH-NC) Pryce (R-15TH-OH) Quinn (R-30TH-NY) Ramstad (R-3RD-MN) Rangel (D-15TH-NY) Reyes (D-16th-TX) Riggs (R-1st-CA) Rivers (D-13TH-MI) Rodriguez (D-28TH-TX) Roemer (D-3RD-IN) Rogan (R-27TH-CA) Rothman (D-9TH-NJ) Roukema (R-5TH-NJ) Roybal-Allard (D-33RD-CA) Rush (D-1ST-IL) Sabo (D-5TH-MN) Sanchez (D-46TH-CA) Sanders (I-AL-VT) Sandlin (D-1ST-TX) Sawyer (D-14TH-OH) Schiff (R-1ST-NM) Schumer (D-9TH-NY) Scott (D-3RD-VA) Serrano (D-16TH-NY) Sessions (R-5TH-TX) Shadegg (R-4TH-AZ) Shaw (R-22nd-FL) Shays (R-4TH-CT) Sherman (D-24TH-CA) Skaggs (D-2ND-CO) Skeen (R-2ND-NM) Slaughter (D-28TH-NY) Smith, Adam (D-9th-WA) Smith, R. (R-2ND-OR) Snyder (D-2ND-AR) Solomon (R-22ND-NY) Spence (R-2nd-SC) Stabenow (D-8TH-MI) Stark (D-13TH-CA) Stokes (D-11TH-OH) Strickland (D-6TH-OH) Stupak (D-1ST-MI) Talent (R-2nd-MO) Tanner (D-8TH-TN) Tauscher (D-10TH-CA) Taylor, C. (R-11TH-NC) Thompson (D-2ND-MS) Thurman (D-5TH-FL) Tierney (D-6TH-MA) Torres (D-34TH-CA) Towns (D-10TH-NY) Traficant (D-17TH-OH) Turner (D-2ND-TX) Underwood (D-GU) Velazquez (D-12TH-NY) Vento (D-4TH-MN) Waters (D-35TH-CA) Watt (D-12TH-NC) Watts (R-4TH-OK) Waxman (D-29TH-CA) Wexler (D-19TH-FL) Weygand (D-2ND-RI) Whitfield (R-1ST-KY) Wise (D-2ND-WV) Woolsey (D-6TH-CA) Wynn (D-4TH-MD) Yates (D-9TH-IL) * =3D Resigned - 8/1/97. Special election - 11/97.