ACTION NEEDED ACTION NEEDED

We urge you to continue to reach out to your Members of Congress and request that they cosponsor the ALS Registry Act (H.R. 2295)(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. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


ACTION NEEDED BY PALS.
this is the time to do this......

this is where we come in and write letters to the news editors in the home districts of these members of congress and to there state papers and tv. this is the time to do this......

United States Newspapers
Links to over 3,300 United States Newspapers.http://www.50states.com/news/

Dear Editor,

To most of us the summer means backyard barbecues and taking vacations. For Americans living with the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - ALS - the summer has another meaning. It's the time of year, when ALS became Lou Gehrig's disease.

Lou Gehrig's disease is a fatal disease that erodes a person's ability to move their muscles. As the disease progresses, many no longer are able to move their arms, walk, breathe on their own, speak or even wink an eye, yet their minds remain sharp. They are isolated and awake, alive with the knowledge that they are trapped inside their own bodies.

Unfortunately, in the 68 years since Gehrig's speech, we still do not know what causes the disease, how it can be prevented, effectively treated or cured.

We don't even know how many Americans have the disease or die from it each year.

In fact, the prognosis for a person diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in the summer of 2007 is largely the same as it was for Gehrig himself nearly 70 years ago: death in an average of two to five years.



This year, the U.S. Congress has an opportunity to help our nation make progress in the fight against Lou Gehrig's disease by passing legislation - HR 2295/S. 1382 - to create a nationwide ALS registry.

The ALS Registry Act would help identify the incidence and prevalence of ALS in the United States and collect data which is urgently needed for ALS research, disease management and the development of standards of care. In short, the legislation can help us find a treatment and cure.

So as you head out to spend time with your family and friends this summer, please remember those in our community who are fighting his disease. Urge Congress to pass the ALS Registry Act!


put your name here.

pals need to do this today

push this legislation thu now.

if half of the 1274 pals here would send a letter.

would be a big push for this.

As Congress adjourns for the month-long August recess, it is important that our Chapters and advocates continue to reach out to their elected officials when they are home in their states and districts. Therefore, we are providing the following tools and guidance to help you build additional support for our cause and for the ALS Registry Act (S. 1382/HR 2295). Click on the links below for more information about each topic.

ALS Registry Act Update and links to cosponsors by state
August Recess tools:
Congressional District Meetings
Town Hall Meetings
Sample letter-to-the-editor and links to our Media Action Center
Advocacy Letters and Photographs to Senators
The tools above will help you continue to deliver our key messages throughout August and we encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to fight for a treatment and cure for ALS.

Thank you for your continued advocacy! Together we are making a difference.

If you have any questions about this update or would like additional information, please contact the Advocacy Department at advocacy@alsa-national.org.