PI Action alerts & updates ... 2000

Help Secure Senate Cosponsors
for Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization

Letters and calls needed this week!!

Reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act cleared its first hurdle when S. 2311 was approved unanimously by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The Ryan White CARE Act provides health care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. It also funds the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which provides access to lifesaving therapies for people with inadequate or no health insurance, who otherwise are not able to afford them. The CARE Act is due to expire on September 30, 2000 and needs to be “reauthorized”, or renewed, by Congress and signed by the President.

The Senate reauthorization bill—authored by Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Jeffords (R-VT), leaves much of the current bill language intact. It also includes some improvements, such as the development of minimum standards to ensure high quality care for all CARE act recipients. The House of Representatives has not yet acted on its version.

Currently, 21 of the 100 U.S. Senators have signed on as cosponsors of this legislation. There are many Senators who have supported the CARE Act in the past but have not yet agreed to cosponsor the bill. A large number of cosponsors would help encourage Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott to bring the issue up for debate and a vote by the full U.S. Senate in May or June. Because this is an election year, the legislative calendar is short, and there is less time available for debate and voting.

It is essential that the Ryan White CARE Act be reauthorized quickly so that access to important services is not jeopardized! Your help is needed to get as many Senators to cosponsor S. 2311 as possible!

Action Needed for This Alert
Congress is currently on its Easter recess. Now is an excellent time to call and write your Senators and urge them to support this lifesaving legislation.

Please call or write your U.S. Senator this week. Urge him/her to cosponsor S. 2311 and to do everything in his or her power to make sure it is passed by the Senate. You can use the enclosed sample messages to help craft your statement.

If your Senator is already a cosponsor (see list below), be sure to thank him/her for taking a leadership role. If you’re from Utah, Connecticut, Maryland, or Washington, this is all you need to do since both of your Senators are already on board!

Please also forward this email to your friends, family, colleagues, etc. We will need a massive grassroots response to ensure that the CARE Act is renewed quickly!

Sample Phone Message

“I am calling to urge Senator _______________ to cosponsor S. 2311. This bill, authored by Senators Kennedy and Jeffords, would reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act. The CARE Act provides critical health care and treatment services for people living with HIV/AIDS. I urge Senator _____________ to do everything in his/her power to ensure the renewal of this lifesaving legislation.”

Sample Letter for H.R. 2723 and S. 1344
(Can be sent via fax, email, or regular mail)

The Honorable ______________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator ______________

I am writing to urge you to cosponsor S. 2311 (Kennedy/Jeffords). This legislation would reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, which is due to expire on September 30, 2000. The CARE Act provides health-care, treatment, and support services for tens of thousands of individuals living with HIV/AIDS nationwide.

Insert personal statement here. If you or someone you care about uses Ryan White CARE Act services—this includes the AIDS Drug Assistance Program—mention that here.

The Ryan White CARE Act must be reauthorized by September 30, 2000, to ensure that access to these critical services isn’t jeopardized. Please demonstrate your support for people living with HIV/AIDS by cosponsoring S. 2311 and doing everything in your power to make sure it is passed by the Senate.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Your name

Contact information:
You can reach your Senators through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. A good resource for contacting your elected officials is www.capweb.net.

Current S. 2311 co-sponsors:
Jeffords (R-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Biden (D-DE)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Gorton (R-WA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Robb (D-VA)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Wellstone (D-MN)

Thank you to the National Association of People With AIDS (www.napwa.org) and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (www.sfaf.org) for providing information contained in this alert.