PI Action alerts & updates ... 2004

Urge Your Senators To Sign ADAP Funding Letter

Congress will go back to Washington on November 16 for a short session to try to finish up work on several pieces of legislation. One of those items is a final Fiscal Year 2005 appropriations bill that includes funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

Senators Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) and Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) are circulating a “Dear Colleague” sign-on letter to their colleagues in the Senate. You can download this letter at www.atac-usa.org/sen05.pdf.

The letter urges members of the joint House/Senate conference committee to support the funding level for ADAP provided in the House version of the appropriations bill. This funding level is $20 million higher than the Senate version.

While both funding levels are inadequate and well below what is needed to alleviate the ADAP crisis, we need the highest possible increase in the final bill. Please take a few minutes to urge your Senators to sign this letter!

How you can help:
Call your two U.S. Senators (current, not newly elected). Ask to speak to the legislative staffperson who handles HIV/AIDS and healthcare (or appropriations) issues. Whether you talk to this person live or leave a message, tell them:

“I am a constituent and I urge Senator _______________ to sign Senators Smith and Bingaman’s letter supporting a minimum of $803.87 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program in the final appropriations bill. ADAPs around the country are facing a financial crisis and we need the highest possible increase.”

If you leave a message, also let them know who they should contact to sign on. If your Senator is a Republican, they contact Catherine Finely in Senator Smith’s office. If your Senator is a Democrat, they contact Bruce Lesley in Senator Bingaman’s office.

Contact information:
You can reach your Representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard toll-free at 1-800-839-5276. You'll need to know who represents you in order to be transferred. If you don't know who represents you in Congress, go to www.vote-smart.org.

The Save ADAP Committee is a Working Group of the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC), a national coalition of AIDS treatment activists and policy advocates. Working in conjunction with ADAP clients and service providers on the grassroots level, Save ADAP aims to ensure adequate funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. For more information go to: www.atac-usa.org/adap.html. To receive SAVE ADAP Alerts via email, send an email to saveadap@hotmail.com with “subscribe” in the subject field.