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Congressional Update
August 10, 2010
Current Co-Sponsor Count for the
Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act:
in the U.S. House of Representatives ( HR 745)
237
(including our lead sponsors, Rep. Anna Eshoo & Rep. Ginny Brown- Waite)
Click HERE for the full co-sponsor list
in the U.S. Senate ( S. 3320)
21
(including our lead sponsor,
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse)
Click HERE for the full co-sponsor list to see if YOUR member has joined us!
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Congress Recessed for August
Every year, Congress adjourns and goes home for the month of August. While they are home, Members of Congress generally make time to meet with constituents. They will be home this year from August 9 to September 13, 2010. Since Members of Congress will be home, this is a great opportunity for local advocacy efforts. Make sure to visit our Take Action page to learn about the different ways you can get involved this August!
Window of Opportunity Opens for the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act (S. 3320/H.R. 745)
Sources tell us that the House Energy & Commerce Committee (the committee that has jurisdiction over the House bill (HR745)) is considering holding a hearing on unfinished health bills in September. A hearing would help clear the way for a committee vote on the bill, which would then clear the way for a House floor vote.
While House action would not guarantee that the bill would become law this year (it would still have to go through the same committee and floor vote process in the Senate and then be signed by the President), it would be a significant step forward for the legislation. Even if we aren’t able to get it all the way to the President’s desk this year, securing action in the House committee would help us lay the groundwork for the new Congress, which will be seated in January 2011.
We are therefore launching a grassroots effort to try to convince the House Leadership to start moving the bill through the House’s process. Click here to learn more about this effort and see how you can help. In the meantime, we are also continuing efforts to increase co-sponsorship in the Senate so that we can show strong support in that chamber as well.
Rep. Dave Reichert urges NCI Director for Target Cancer Program
On Thursday, July 29, 2010, Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) and 18 additional Representatives asked that the new National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director, Dr. Harold Varmus, create a targeted research program for the deadliest cancers, like pancreatic. The letter was well-timed and could bring about exciting new changes and progress. The signatories of the letter were:
- Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI-2)
- Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL-5)
- Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX-26)
- Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA-14)
- Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA-4)
- Rep. Michael Michaud (D-ME-2)
- Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS-3)
- Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)
- Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA-8)
- Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ-10)
- Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX-14)
- Rep. Gary Peters (D-MI-9)
- Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1)
- Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA-19)
- Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA-8)
- Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL-6)
- Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-34)
- Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA-9)
- Rep. David Wu (D-OR-1)
To see a copy of the letter, click here .
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse talks to the Senate about S. 3320
On Wednesday, July 28, 2010, Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) addressed fellow members of the U.S. Senate about pancreatic cancer’s devastating impact. Sen. Whitehouse, lead Senate sponsor of S. 3320 (the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act), focused on a family from W. Greenwich, RI who has been affected by pancreatic cancer and how S. 3320 can help in the battle against pancreatic cancer.
To read Sen. Whitehouse’s remarks, click here. Note that Sen. Whitehouse’s remarks start on the last paragraph of the page and continue onto the next page.
Congressional Action on 2011 NIH Budget
Both the House and Senate Labor-Health, Health & Human Services-Education-Appropriations Subcommittees approved their funding bills for the 2011 fiscal year.
Each subcommittee proposed to include $1 billion in additional resources for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would increase NIH’s budget to $32.007 billion. This increase of 3.2% over the FY 2010 level is equal to the President’s FY 2011 request for NIH. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is slated to receive an increase of around 3 percent (approximately $160 million). While the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network joined our partners in the One Voice Against Cancer Coalition to call for significantly larger increases, we are pleased that NCI is slated for an increase at this point given that many programs have been drastically cut. That being said, it is critical that the current level of funding is protected and increased if possible.
The House and Senate bills have a long road ahead until they are finalized. At this point, we are expecting that they will be rolled into larger bills after the election. We will be working tirelessly to ensure that the funding remains intact in the final package and increased if possible.
We have also been working on securing language in the bill that promotes a recommendation from Congress that NCI devote more research to pancreatic cancer. That language has been included in the Senate bill and we are hopeful that it will be included in the House bill as well. To see how you can help in these efforts, click here.
Advocacy Day Results
On June 22, 2010, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network held its Fourth Annual Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. The event was a great success – with more than 400 advocates attending congressional meetings. In addition, over 2,000 advocates called their elected officials as part of the National Call-In. To see a synopsis of Advocacy Day 2010 results, click here.
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Provides Testimony to Congress
Megan Gordon Don, Director of Government Affairs & Advocacy for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and Chair of the Deadly Cancer Coalition, a coalition founded and run by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, testified to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 23. Click here to read the testimony
Now is the time for new co-sponsors on the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act (S. 3320/HR. 745)! How you can help?
We want to make sure that we get as many cosponsors as possible heading into November elections!
Not sure if your U.S. Representative is a co-sponsor of HR 745? Please click here to find out and write to your Representative.
Not sure if your U.S. Senators are co-sponsors of S. 3320? Please click here to find out and to write to your Senators.
Have Twitter? Follow us for the latest breaking advocacy news, including the newest co-sponsors to HR 745 and S. 3320!
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