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Federal
Bills S 1708 / HR 741
Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Prevention,
Education & Research Act of 2007
What are the Bills?
| Actions You Can Take | Legislators
Signed On | Organizations
in Support of the Bills
LDA Groups' Letter to Senate |
LDA Groups' Letter to House
What
are the Bills?
History
• End of 2006, the 109th Congress ended. All bills not acted upon died
including the Lyme bills (S 1479 and HR 3427). At that time, there was
strong congressional support
with 83 co-sponsors in the House and 12 in the Senate. All our efforts made
a BIG impact.
•
The 110th Congress convened, and on
January 31, 2007, an identical bill*, HR 741, was
introduced in the House.
*except for dates which have been updated
•
House Bill Sponsor's Press Release http://www.house.gov/list/press/nj04_smith/lymeintro.html
• On June 27, 2007
bill S 1708, the senate version,
was introduced.
•
As of 3/10/08
the house bill, HR 741, has 106 co-sponsors while the Senate bill, S 1708, has 14 co-sponsors.
•
Both bills are sitting in committee.
House
bill HR 741 is sitting in the Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee.
Senate
bill S 1708 is sitting in the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP)
committee.
•
If not acted upon these bills will die on
12/31/08
and we will have to start from
scratch again.
•
We MUST get these bills put on both committee calendars for a hearing by
June 2008 or there won’t be enough time to get them through all the other
bill stages.
Actual
Bill Text:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html
Click Bill # and type S 1708 or HR 741.
Actions
You Can Take
CALL TO ACTION 2008 #4 (
June
13, 2008
)
Pat Smith, President, Lyme Disease
Association, Inc. (LDA) www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org
Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Prevention
Education & Research Act of 2007
S-1708 / HR-741
History: As you know, the Lyme
bills are being held hostage by IDSA & congress.
The IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of
America
) does not want your voice heard and has
made that clear to Congress. We
must make patient voices heard. You need to be counted.
We are hearing that many congressmen and senators have heard about
this Lyme/IDSA issue but they have still not acted. Only
you can reverse that situation. There
may still be a chance for the July agenda. Don’t
let IDSA control your health!
IMMEDIATE
ACTION REQUIRED:
Who: All Individuals,
organizations, doctors
When: June 13-27
What:
Contact the following Congressmen and Senators (6 total)
How: Please
call them. Second choice fax if
there is a listed fax number
Why: The House Health
Subcommittee (part of Energy & Commerce Committee) and Senate HELP
Committee are where the Lyme disease bills are, and if the Committee chairs
do not release the bills for a vote, the bills will die.
1.
Call Your Personal Congressman
Find
your own
US
Representative
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Sample Phone Blurb
I’m calling to ask Congressman (NAME) to contact Frank Pallone, House Health Subcommittee Chair. Tell him to schedule a hearing on HR 741, the Lyme bill.
Currently, the Committee is not scheduling the bill but is bowing to
a powerful medical society (IDSA) that has been investigated by the Attorney
General of Connecticut and found to have substantial conflicts of interest
regarding Lyme disease treatment guidelines. The Lyme bill does not focus on
treatment, but research monies to find a gold standard test for Lyme, and it
establishes a federal advisory committee based on a common model for federal
committees, which includes patient representation. IDSA does not want
patients to have a voice in their own disease. I need your help today. Call
Mr. Pallone and tell him you represent me and expect me to have a voice in
Lyme disease issues and to post the bill. (leave
your name, address, contact)
2.
Call Congressman Dingell (MI), Chair of Energy
& Commerce (P) 202-225-4071 / (F) 202-226-0371
Sample Phone Blurb
I’m calling to ask Congressman Dingell to contact Frank Pallone, House Health Subcommittee Chair. Tell him to schedule a
hearing on HR 741, the Lyme bill. Currently,
the Committee is not scheduling the bill but is bowing to a powerful medical
society (IDSA) that has been investigated by the Attorney General of
Connecticut and found to have substantial conflicts of interest regarding
Lyme disease treatment guidelines. The Lyme bill does not focus on
treatment, but research monies to find a gold standard test for Lyme, and it
establishes a federal advisory committee based on a common model for federal
committees, which includes patient representation. IDSA does not want
patients to have a voice in their own disease. I need your help today. Call
Mr. Pallone and tell him to post the bill and give patients the voice they
deserve to have. (leave
your name, address, contact info)
3.
Call Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ) Health Subcommittee
Chair (P) 202-225-4671 (F) 202-225-9665
Sample Phone Blurb
I’m calling to ask Congressman Pallone to schedule the Lyme bill for a
hearing today! He has made a grave mistake in siding with the IDSA which has
been investigated and discredited. The IDSA Guidelines’ settlement is a
treatment issue unrelated to the bill which asks for research money to find
a gold standard test and for a patient voice on a federal advisory committee
which is a common model for federal advisory committees. Mr. Pallone’s job
is to help patients not support an investigated, discredited medical
society. (leave your name, address, contact info)
4.
Call Your Personal US Senators (2) today Find
your own 2 senators: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Sample Phone Blurb
I’m calling to ask Senator
(NAME) to contact US Senator Edward Kennedy, Senate HELP Committee Chair. Tell
him to schedule a hearing on S-1708, the Lyme bill.
Currently, the Committee is not scheduling the bill but is bowing to
a powerful medical society (IDSA) that has been investigated by the Attorney
General of Connecticut and found to have substantial conflicts of interest
regarding Lyme disease treatment guidelines. The Lyme bill does not focus on
treatment, but research monies to find a gold standard test for Lyme, and it
establishes a federal advisory committee based on a common model for federal
committees, which includes patient representation. IDSA does not want
patients to have a voice in their own disease. I need your help today. Call
Senator Kennedy and tell him you represent me and expect me to have a voice
in Lyme disease issues. (leave your name, address, contact)
5.
Call
US
Senator Edward Kennedy (MA) Senate HELP Committee Chair
(202) 224 4543 (P)
(202) 224-2417 (F)
Sample Phone Blurb
I’m calling to ask Senator Kennedy to schedule the Lyme bill for a hearing
today! By not holding a hearing,
he is ignoring the plight of patients and listening to the IDSA, which has
been investigated and discredited. The IDSA Guidelines’ settlement is a
treatment issue unrelated to the bill which asks for research money to find
a gold standard test and for a patient voice on a federal advisory committee
which is a common model for federal advisory committees. Senator Kennedy’s
job is to help patients not support an investigated, discredited medical
society. (leave your name, address, contact info)
Finished
with the above action alert? Do
you want to do more?
Please contact federal representatives from your state that sit on the House
Energy & Commerce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor
& Pensions Committee.
Click
on each state to find which committee members are from your state, contact
info, sample phone & e-mail blurb.
Alaska
| Arizona
| Arkansas
| California
| Colorado
|
Florida
| Georgia
| Illinois
| Indiana
| Iowa
Kansas
| Kentucky
| Louisiana
| Maine | Maryland
| Massachusetts
| Michigan
|
Mississippi
Missouri
| Nebraska
| New
Hampshire
| New
Jersey
| New
Mexico
| New
York
North
Carolina
| Ohio
| Oklahoma
| Oregon
| Pennsylvania
| Rhode
Island
| Tennessee
| Texas
Utah
| Vermont |
Virginia
| Washington
| Wisconsin
| Wyoming
Note: Some states do not have representatives on either of the two committees therefore they are not listed here. Please
click here for other actions we would like you to take.
Go
to top
Actions
Needed by Individuals
1. Find out who your own US
Representative and your 2 senators are: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
• Determine if they are signed
on as a co-sponsor to S 1708 / HR 741.
• If they are not signed onto the bill, call their Washington,
DC offices, and follow up with an email or a fax if you can. Email or fax instead of
calling if you’re not comfortable calling.
•
For sample blurbs and other information click one of the links below.
Sample
phone blurbs & letters
Helpful
background material
2, If you have comments
about your contacts with legislators that you would like share with us,
e-mail [email protected].
Go
to top
Actions
Needed by Lyme Organizations
(not for individuals)
1. Click
here to see if your organization has signed on showing support
for "The Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education &
Research Act of 2007", S 1708 and companion bill HR 741. Over 117
groups representing more than 30 states have signed on in support!
2. If your group is not
signed on, click here to SIGN
UP.
3. Call ALL US
Senators and House
Representatives that reside in your advocacy area. http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
• Determine if they are signed
on as a co-sponsor to S 1708 / HR 741.
• If they are not signed onto the bill, CALL their
Washington
,
DC
offices, and follow with an email or
a fax if you can. Email or fax instead of calling if you’re not comfortable
calling.
• For sample blurbs and other information click one of the links below.
Sample
phone blurbs & letters
Helpful
background material
4.
If you have comments about your contacts with legislators that you
would like share with us, e-mail [email protected].
Go
to top
Legislators
Signed On
Click
on each state to find its congressional delegation, contact information, and
who has signed onto the bill.
Alabama
| Alaska
| American
Samoa | Arizona
| Arkansas
| California
| Colorado
Connecticut | Delaware
| District
of Columbia | Florida
| Georgia
| Guam
| Hawaii
| Idaho
| Illinois
Indiana
| Iowa
| Kansas
| Kentucky
| Louisiana
| Maine
| Maryland
| Massachusetts
| Michigan
Minnesota
| Mississippi
| Missouri
| Montana
| Nebraska
| Nevada
| New
Hampshire | New
Jersey
New
Mexico | New
York | North
Carolina | North
Dakota | Ohio
| Oklahoma
| Oregon
| Pennsylvania
Puerto
Rico | Rhode
Island | South
Carolina | South
Dakota | Tennessee
| Texas
| Utah
| Vermont
Virginia
| Virgin
Islands | Washington
| West
Virginia | Wisconsin
| Wyoming
House
of Representatives
| Senators
Click
on each of the committees below to find out which congressional committee
members are currently supporting the bill.
Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee
House
Energy & Commerce Committee
Go
to Top
Organizations
in Support of the Bills
To
see the Lyme groups, non-Lyme groups & notables supporting these bills
click the link below.
Federal
Legislation: $100 Million for Lyme Research & Education
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Last Modified: June 16, 2008
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