Advocacy Update from the ALS Association

March 15, 2000

Help us sign on the remaining House Commerce Committee Members!

        The ALS Treatment and Assistance Act (HR 353) now has 216 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, including 24 Commerce Committee members. As you may recall, H.R. 353 provides Medicare coverage of outpatient drugs, and waives the 24-month waiting period for Medicare eligibility for ALS patients. This large number of co-sponsors is important because the number of co-sponsors demonstrates the bill's support to the leadership of the House of Representatives.

        We now need to target the remaining Members of the House Commerce Committee. Please help us reach out to your friends and family members who live in the Congressional Districts of the remaining House Commerce Committee Members who have yet to co-sponsor HR 353. Noted below a list of the remaining Members of the House Commerce Committee who have not already agreed to co-sponsor. Listed are the major cities they represent as well as a sample co-sponsor letter:

 (As of 3/13/00)

Joe Barton (R-TX 6) - Ft. Worth, Arlington

Bedford Michael Bilirakis (R-FL 9) - Clearwater, Palm Harbor

Tom Bliley (R-VA 7) - Richmond, Culpeper

Roy Blunt (R-MO 7) - Joplin, Springfield

Rick Boucher (D-VA 9) - Bristol, Pulaski, Norton

Ed Bryant (R-TN 7) - Memphis, Clarksville

Tom A. Coburn (R-OK 2) - Muskogee

Barbara Cubin (R-WY At Large) - Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie

Nathan Deal (R-GA 9) - Dalton, Gainesville, La Fayette

Diana DeGette (D-CO1) - Denver

Peter Deutsch (D-FL 20) - Hollywood, Pembroke Pines

John D. Dingell (D-MI 16) - Dearborn, Monroe

Vito Fossella (R-NY 13) - Brooklyn, Staten Island

Greg Ganske (R-IA 4) - Des Moines, Council Bluffs

Paul E. Gillmor (R-OH 5) - Sandusky, Defiance, Van Wert, Fremont

Ralph Hall (D-TX 4) - Sherman, Tyler, Rockwall, Longview

Steve Largent (R-OK 1) - Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso

Rick Lazio (R-NY 2) - Babylon, Islip

Charlie Norwood (R-GA 10) - Augusta, Dublin, Milledgeville

Michael G. Oxley (R-OH 4) - Findlay, Mansfield, Lima, Marion

Charles W. Pickering (R-MS 3) - Meridian, Columbus, Pearl

James E. Rogan (R-CA 27) - N.E. Los Angeles, Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank

Thomas C. Sawyer (D-OH 14) - Akron, Ravenna, Cuyahoga Falls

John B. Shadegg (R-AZ 4) - Phoenix, Scottsdale

John Shimkus (R-IL 20) - Springfield, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Mt. Vernon

Cliff Stearns (R-FL 6) - Ocala, Leesburg, Orange Park

William J. Tauzin (R-LA 3) - New Iberia, Houma, Gonzales

Ed Whitfield (R-KY 1) - Hopkinsville, Paducah, Henderson

Heather Wilson (R-NM 1) - Albuquerque

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Sample Congressional Letter - Please mail. The impact comes from hard copy letters that can be held in one's hand. Do not use e-mail if at all possible.

DATE

The Honorable (NAME OF REPRESENTATIVE) U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative (LAST NAME):

        I am writing to you to request that you add your support as a cosponsor to H.R. 353, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment and Assistance Amendments of 1999.
        This legislation, authored by Rep. Lois Capps and Rep. Mark Foley, is designed to assist persons with ALS and to accelerate research into the treatment and cure of this always-fatal disease.
        Because of the short life expectancy of those with ALS, the 24-month waiting period for Medicare disability coverage is often longer than the person lives. This legislation corrects a gross inequity in the current law and provides much needed help to ALS patients.

        (PERSONAL INFORMATION AS APPROPRIATE)

        Thank you for your consideration of this request. I/We will follow up with you on this matter, as it is very important to me and the thousands of Americans who suffer from ALS.

Sincerely,

        All letters should be mailed to your Member of Congress at the above address.
        Check out the most current co-sponsor list for H.R. 353 and S.1074: For a list of co-sponsors for H.R.353, see House co-sponsor List. For a list of co-sponsors for S.1074, see Senate co-sponsor List.

ALSA's 2000 National Advocacy Day! National Advocacy Day 2000 in Washington DC was May 18th.  If you have any questions or would like to receive the 2000 Advocacy Day brochure, please call our toll-free advocacy hotline at 1-877-444-ALSA (2572) or email Steve Gibson at steve@alsa-national.org

The ALS Association website address is: www.alsa.org