IAC Express 2007
Issue number 659: April 24, 2007
 
Contents of this Issue
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  1. Please--do it NOW! Call your U.S. senators about signing the immunization appropriations letter by Thursday, April 26
  2. Please--do it NOW! Call your U.S. representative about signing the immunization appropriations letter by Thursday, April 26
 
Abbreviations
AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; AMA, American Medical Association; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NCIRD, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; NIVS, National Influenza Vaccine Summit; VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; VPD, vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health Organization.
  
Issue 659: April 24, 2007
1.  Please--do it NOW! Call your U.S. senators about signing the immunization appropriations letter by Thursday, April 26

No government funds have been used to produce this article.

The 317 Coalition is requesting that people who support the U.S. immunization program contact their U.S. senators and ask them to sign on to a letter in support of increased funding for the 317 Program for federal Fiscal Year 2008 (FY 2008). The 317 Coalition is a national network of 136 organizations that advocates for increased funding for childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization programs.

The text of the coalition's request is reprinted below. The deadline for your senators to sign on to the letter is Friday, April 27, so you must contact them before that date.


ACTION ALERT ON NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION FUNDING: We need your help!

BACKGROUND:
Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) have sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to every member of the Senate asking them to sign on to a letter to Senators Harkin and Specter, the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The letter addressed to Senators Harkin and Specter is requesting increased funding for the National Immunization Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--known as "Section 317" of the Public Health Service Act.

The more members of the Senate that sign on to the letter, the better chance the 317 Program will receive increased funding in the FY 2008 budget.

Following are the names of senators who signed last year's letter but have not yet signed this year's letter. They are a top priority, but you should call both your senators right away. Please contact the senators below ASAP if you live in their state or know them.

Susan Collins (ME)
Patty Murray (WA)
Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY)
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
Blanche Lincoln (AR)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Chuck Schumer (NY)
Evan Bayh (IN)
Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Olympia Snowe (ME)

Following are the names of senators who have already signed this year's letter. Please contact them to thank them if you live in their state or know them.

Jack Reed (RI)
Gordon Smith (OR)
Dick Durbin (IL)
Ron Wyden (OR)
Carl Levin (MI)
Ted Kennedy (MA)
Joe Lieberman (CT)
Bob Menendez (NJ)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Bernie Sanders (VT)
Chris Dodd (CT)


ACTION NEEDED TO CONTACT MEMBERS OF THE SENATE:
(1) Call your senators and ask them to sign on to the appropriations letter by contacting Senators Reed's or Smith's office.

(2) You should not contact Senators Reed, Smith, Harkin, or Specter about this letter, since they are the members sending and receiving the letter.

(3) Let your senators know why increased funding is necessary for your organization in their city or state. Sample talking points are below.

(4) Be sure they know the deadline to sign on to the letter is Friday, April 27.

(5) Feedback: If a senator's office indicates a willingness to sign the letter, let us know by emailing 317@cgagroup.com so that we can follow up.

(6) Forward this alert to your members and other organizations with an interest in this program.


CONTACTING A CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE:
(1) The U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 can connect you with your senators. It is best to call the Washington Office, not the local district office. If you don't know who your senators are, you can go online to http://www.senate.gov and look them up by entering your zip code.

(2) Ask to speak with the staff person who handles the Health and Human Services Appropriations for the office (specifically the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]). The purpose of your call is to ask your senator to sign on to the letter on CDC immunization funding.

(3) When you reach the staffer, very briefly identify your professional affiliation and work related to immunization.

SENATE TALKING POINTS:
  • I am contacting you to ask that the senator sign on to a letter that is currently being circulated by Senators Reed and Smith.
     
  • The letter is addressed to Chairman Harkin and Ranking Republican Specter on the Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, and asks for an increase in funding for the CDC immunization program so that more underinsured children and adults can receive recommended vaccinations.
     
  • The letter asks that the 317 Program be funded at $802.5 million in fiscal year 2008, which is an increase of approximately $295 million over the last fiscal year. The President's budget request would cut the CDC immunization program in the appropriations bill by $12 million. Currently the program receives about $519 million in federal appropriations.
     
  • These funds are awarded to states as grants to purchase recommended childhood and adult vaccines and to provide support for the infrastructure needed to deliver the vaccinations.
     
  • (Add a sentence or two about your geographical location's need for additional CDC immunization funding.)
     
  • Your office should have received the "Dear Colleague" letter from Senators Reed and Smith. It was sent out March 14. The closing date for signing on to the letter addressed to Senators Harkin and Specter is Friday, April 27, 2007. I urge you to ask your boss to sign this important letter to the Appropriations Committee.
     
  • I would be happy to fax or email a copy of the letter addressed to Senators Harkin and Specter if that would be helpful. [IAC Express editor's note: For a copy of the letter, go to: http://www.317coalition.org/action/senatedc_031507.pdf]

To visit the 317 Coalition website, go to:
http://www.317coalition.org

For legislative updates and other resources, go to:
http://www.317coalition.org/learnmore

If your organization would like to become a member of the 317 Coalition, contact Amy Souders, Cornerstone Government Affairs,at asouders@cgagroup.com

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2 Please--do it NOW! Call your U.S. representative about signing the immunization appropriations letter by Thursday, April 26

No government funds have been used to produce this article.

The 317 Coalition is requesting that people who support the U.S. immunization program contact their U.S. Congressional representative and ask them to sign on to a letter in support of increased funding for the 317 Program for federal Fiscal Year 2008 (FY 2008). The 317 Coalition is a national network of 136 organizations that advocates for increased funding for childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization programs.

The text of the coalition's request is reprinted below. The deadline for your representative to sign on to the letter is Friday, April 27, so you must call them before that date.


ACTION ALERT ON NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION FUNDING: We need your help!

BACKGROUND:
Representatives Gene Green (D-TX) and John Shimkus (R-IL) have sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to every member of the House of Representatives asking them to sign on to a letter to Representatives David Obey and James T. Walsh, the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee. The letter addressed to Representatives Obey and Walsh is requesting increased funding for the National Immunization Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--known as "Section 317" of the Public Health Service Act.

The more members of the House of Representatives that sign on to the letter, the better the chance the 317 Program will receive increased funding in FY 2008, so it’s important that you contact your representative in the House ASAP.

Following are the names of representatives who signed last year’s letter but have not yet signed this year’s letter. They are likely to sign again, so therefore they are a top priority. Please contact them ASAP if you live in their district or know them.

* Louise Slaughter (NY)
* Tom Davis (VA)
* Norm Dicks (WA)
* Mike Ferguson (NJ)
* Corrine Brown (FL)
* Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL)
* Mark Souder (IN)
* Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX)
* Michael Honda (CA)
* Sanford Bishop (GA)
* John Conyers (MI)
* Bobby Rush (IL)
* Jane Harman (CA)
* Robin Hayes (NC)
* Heather Wilson (NM)
* Luis Gutierrez (IL)
* Ruben Hinojosa (TX)
* Phil Gingrey (GA)
* John Dingell (MI)
* Chaka Fattah (PA)
* Sander Levin (MI)
* Lynn Woolsey (CA)
* Barney Frank (MA)
* Michael McNulty (NY)
* Peter DeFazio (OR)
* Brad Miller (NC)
* Dutch Ruppersberger (MD)
* Julia Carson (IN)
* John Salazar (CO)
* Ron Kind (WI)
* Susan Davis (CA)
* Betty McCollum (MN)
* Jan Schakowsky (IL)
* Melissa Bean (IL)
* Albert Wynn (MD)
* Allyson Schwartz (PA)
* John Lewis (GA)
* Adam Smith (WA)
* Tim Ryan (OH)
* Dan Boren (OK)
* Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL)
* Carolyn McCarthy (NY)
* Nydia Velazquez (NY)

Following are the names of representatives who have already signed this year's letter. Please contact them to thank them if you live in their district or know them.

* Gene Green (TX)
* John Shimkus (IL)
* Jim McDermott (WA)
* Henry Waxman (CA)
* Raul Grijalva (AZ)
* Howard Berman (CA)
* Bob Etheridge (NC)
* Daniel Lipinski (IL)
* Dennis Moore (KS)
* Steve Kagan (WI)
* Rick Larsen (WA)
* Nick Rahall (WV)
* Leonard Boswell (IA)
* Stephanie Herseth (SC)
* Lois Capps (CA)
* Earl Blumenauer (OR)
* Chris Van Hollen (MD)
* Frank Pallone (NJ)
* Eliot Engel (NY)
* Donald M. Payne (NJ)
* David Price (NC)
* Jim Langevin (RI)
* Charlie Gonzalez (TX)
* Mike McIntyre (NC)
* Michael Michaud (ME)
* Steven Cohen (TN)
* Jim Marshall (GA)
* Tim Murphy (PA)
* David Wu (WA)
* Steny Hoyer (MD)


ACTION NEEDED TO CONTACT MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Call your representative in the House of Representatives and ask them to sign on to the appropriations letter by contacting Rep. Green's or Rep. Shimkus's office.

(2) You should not contact Representatives Green, Shimkus, Obey, or Walsh about this letter, since they are the members sending and receiving the letter.

(3) Let your representative know why increased funding is necessary for your organization in their city or state. Sample talking points are below.

(4) Be sure they know the deadline to sign on to the letter is Friday, April 27.

(5) Feedback: If a representative's office indicates a willingness to sign the letter, let us know by emailing 317@cgagroup.com so that we can follow up.

(6) Forward this alert to your members and other organizations with an interest in this program.


CONTACTING A CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE:
(1) The U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 can connect you with your representative. It is best to call the Washington Office, not the local district office. If you don't know who your representative is, you can go online to http://www.house.gov and look it up by entering your zip code.

(2) Ask to speak with the staff person who handles the Health and Human Services Appropriations for the office (specifically the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]). The purpose of your call is to ask your representative to sign on to the letter to Representatives Obey and Walsh about CDC immunization funding.

(3) When you reach the staffer, very briefly identify your professional affiliation and work related to immunization.


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TALKING POINTS:
  • I am contacting you to ask that the Congressman/Congresswoman sign on to a letter that is currently being circulated by Representatives Green and Shimkus.
     
  • The letter is addressed to Chairman Obey and Ranking Republican Walsh on the Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, and asks for an increase in funding for the CDC immunization program so that more underinsured children and adults can receive recommended vaccinations.
     
  • The letter asks that the 317 Program be funded at $802.5 million in fiscal year 2008, which is an increase of approximately $295 million over the last fiscal year. The President's budget request would cut the CDC immunization program in the appropriations bill by $12 million. Currently the program receives about $519 million in federal appropriations.
     
  • These funds are awarded to states as grants to purchase recommended childhood and adult vaccines and to provide support for the infrastructure needed to deliver the vaccinations.
     
  • (Add a sentence or two about your geographical location's need for additional CDC immunization funding.)
     
  • Your office should have received the "Dear Colleague" letter from Representatives Green and Shimkus. It was sent out March 12. The closing date for signing on to the letter addressed to Representatives Obey and Walsh is Friday, April 27, 2007. I urge you to ask your boss to sign this important letter to the Appropriations Committee.
     
  • If you have questions or would like to sign the letter, please contact Lantie Slenzak in Rep. Green's office at (202) 225-1688 or Mo Zilly in Rep. Shimkus' office at (202) 225-5271.
     
  • I would be happy to fax or email a copy of both the "Dear Colleague" letter and the letter to Representatives Obey and Walsh if that would be helpful. [IAC Express editor's note: For a copy of the letter, go to: http://www.317coalition.org/action/housedc_031507.pdf]

To visit the 317 Coalition website, go to:
http://www.317coalition.org

For legislative updates and other resources, go to:
http://www.317coalition.org/learnmore

If your organization would like to become a member of the 317 Coalition, contact Amy Souders, Cornerstone Government Affairs, at asouders@cgagroup.com

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