PI Action alerts & updates ... 2002
Urge Your U.S. Representative To Sign Letter
Supporting Adequate HIV/AIDS Funding
April 12, 2002 — As reported in the March 7th TAN update,
President Bush’s proposed HIV/AIDS budget for Fiscal Year
2003 is extremely troubling. The proposal calls for no increase
in funding for care and treatment programs funded through the Ryan
White CARE Act (including the AIDS Drug Assistance Program), HIV
prevention services, and the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative.
Congress will soon begin its “appropriations” process
and determine its own suggested funding levels for all HIV/AIDS
programs. Representatives Connie Morella (R-MD) and William Delahunt
(D-MA) have taken a leadership role by circulating a sign-on letter
to their colleagues in the House of Representatives supporting adequate
increases for HIV/AIDS prevention, care/treatment, and research
programs, and includes the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative. This letter
will be sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
This Subcommittee will be the first group of Representatives to
consider HIV/AIDS funding levels for these programs.
It is important that as many U.S. Representatives sign this letter
as possible so that Congress is aware that HIV remains a top priority.
You can help with this effort by urging your Representative to sign
this letter!
How you can help:
The deadline for signatures is 12 noon, Eastern Standard Time, on
Thursday, April 18. Depending on your time, please do one of the
following two actions (in order of preference).
1. Call your U.S. Representative’s DC office. Identify yourself
as a constituent and ask to speak with the legislative aide who
handles HIV/health issues. Whether you speak to them live or leave
a message, you can deliver the following message:
“I am calling to urge Representative ___________
to sign on to Representative Morella and Delahunt’s letter
supporting funding increases for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and
research programs. President Bush’s proposed budget for these
programs is highly inadequate and Congress must approve adequate
increases to meet the needs of people living with and at risk for
HIV. To sign the letter, contact Lisa Boepple in Representative
Morella’s office or Julie Carr in Representative Delahunt’s
office.”
2. If you are not able to make a phone call, you can email the
same message to your Representative’s office. However, phone
calls are much more effective and there is no guarantee that an
email will be read in time.
Be sure to be personal in your message. Let your Representative’s
office know how you or those you care about depend on HIV/AIDS services.
**Note that you do not need to contact your two U.S. Senators at
this time. This sign-on letter is only for Representatives.
Contact Information:
You can reach your U.S. Representative through the Capitol Switchboard
at 202-224-3121. Ask to be connected to your Representative’s
office. You can also find contact information for your Representative
through his/her website. Go to www.house.gov and click “Member
Offices”. If you need help identifying your Representative,
email TAN@projectinform.org.
Please forward this Alert to your family, friends, colleagues!
