From ALSA...

_____________________________________________
200 Cosponsors…and Counting! Let’s Get a Majority

Your advocacy efforts are making a difference! We now have won the support of more than 200 Members of the House who have cosponsored the ALS Registry Act (H.R. 2295) – just 15 short of a majority! Additional Senators also have cosponsored the Senate version of the bill (S. 1382), as we now have nearly 20 Senators as cosponsors. It is a testament to the effectiveness of your advocacy that we have achieved this level of support in such a short period of time. In fact, this is the quickest that an ALS specific bill has ever reached 200 cosponsors in the House – faster than in 2006 and faster than was achieved with the 24-month waiver legislation – legislation that ultimately became law.


A full listing of cosponsors will be available on the Advocacy Action Center of our website here (http://capwiz.com/alsa/issues/bills/). As of this writing, the list had not been updated by the Government Printing Office, which publishes cosponsor information electronically. However, we expect the full list to be updated by tomorrow.

ACTION NEEDED

We urge you to continue to reach out to your Members of Congress and request that they cosponsor the ALS Registry Act (or thank them if they already have cosponsored the bill). Your outreach will help us to win the support of a majority of the House and Senate. At the same time, it also is absolutely critical that we get the support of the Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill and which can determine whether or not the ALS Registry Act moves forward through the normal legislative process. Therefore, it is especially important that people living in the districts of the following Committee Members send letters TODAY! Most of the Members of the Committee already have cosponsored the bill, but the following Members have yet to add their support:


Arizona: Rep. John Shadegg (R-3rd, Phoenix)

California: Rep. George Radanovich (R-19th, Fresno, Turlock)

California: Rep. Jane Harman (D-36th, El Segundo, Wilmington)

Colorado: Rep. Diane DeGette (D-1st, Denver)

Illinois: Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-14th, Batavia, Dixon, Geneseo)

Indiana; Rep. Steve Buyer (R-4th, Monticello, Plainfield, Bedford)

Indiana: Rep. Baron Hill (D-9th, Jeffersonville)

Louisiana: Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-3rd, Gonzales, Houma, New Iberia, Chalmette)

New Mexico: Rep. Heather Wilson (R-1st, Albuquerque)

Oklahoma: Rep. John Sullivan (R-1st, Tulsa, Bartlesville) – NOTE: cosponsored in 2006

Pennsylvania: Rep. Joe Pitts (R-16th, Lancaster, Unionville) – NOTE: cosponsored in 2006

Tennessee: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-7th, Memphis, Clarksville, Franklin)

Texas: Rep. Ralph Hall (R-4th, Texarkana, Rockwall, Sherman, New Boston)

Texas: Rep. Michael Burgess (R-26th, Lewisville, Ft. Worth)

Virginia: Rep. Rick Boucher (D-9th, Abington, Pulaski, Big Stone Gap)



Please only contact these Members if you live in their district or serve families in their district, since Members of Congress are only responsive to their constituents. If you know someone who lives in any of these districts, please ask them to contact Congress.


Visit the Advocacy Action Center of our website http://capwiz.com/alsa/home/ to learn if you live in one of these districts and to send a letter directly to your elected officials. Together we can obtain a majority of the Congress as cosponsors and we can pass the ALS Registry Act during the 110th Congress.



If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact the Advocacy Department at advocacy@alsa-national.org or toll-free at 1-877-444-ALSA.



Thank You!





The ALS Association
Capital Office

601 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Suite 900, South Bldg.
Washington, DC 20004
ph: (202) 638-6997
Toll-free: 1-877-444-ALSA
fax: (202) 638-6316
e-mail: advocacy@alsa-national.org