# IFFGD Alert: Urgent Action Required



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYIAlert: Urgent Action Required December 6, 2006 Please contact your senators this week and ask them to oppose H.R. 6164, the â€œNational Institutes of Health Reform Act of 2006.â€ The Senate may vote this Friday on the bill. As legislators convene for a lame duck session this week, there is a danger that the Senate could consider and pass H.R. 6164, the â€œNational Institutes of Health Reform Act.â€ Many health care organizations have voiced opposition to this bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives in late September. The legislation was rushed through the House after introduction and voted upon without a great deal of review. Now, Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX), the author of H.R. 6164, is trying to convince the Senate to pass the bill during the lame duck session. In summary, this â€œanti-scienceâ€ legislation would: Â· Cap the authorization of funding to the NIH at 5% annually, even though the NIH has received an increase of greater than 5% in 19 of the last 25 years. Â· Eliminate the distinct funding authority for individual institutes at the NIH by giving the NIH director broad authority to shift funding from one institute to another without appropriate congressional oversight. Â· Allow the NIH director to eliminate or reorganize institutes or centers without appropriate congressional oversight. Â· Create a NIH directorâ€™s Common Fund for crosscutting initiatives. While this is a laudable goal, funding for this new program would come at the expense of funding for existing institutes and centers. Â· Arbitrarily limit the number of institutes and centers at the NIH to 27, endangering several of the NIHâ€™s key centers and institutes. The Senate has not held any hearings on the reauthorization, and lacks its own reauthorization measure. Given the important role of the NIH, the Senate should be afforded more time to consider a proper reauthorization. As an advocate for the NIH you are urged to: 1) Contact your senators THIS WEEK to express opposition to HR. 6164. Ask them to make certain that this bill is not acted upon by the Senate during the lame duck session. 2) Ask that your senator take a leadership role next year to ensure that the NIH gets a fair hearing and due process in the Senate, and that anti-science provisions of HR. 6164 are eliminated from any new legislation. 3) Thank your Senator for his/her ongoing support of the NIH. Call and Fax your Senators to ask them to make certain HR. 6164, The NIH Reform Bill, is NOT acted upon by the Senate during the lame duck session. Â· To quickly locate the contact information for your Senators go to: www.congress.org and enter your Zip Code, ORÂ· Go to: www.senate.gov and select your State from the drop down list Below is a sample outline of a letter to fax or a voicemail for contacting both of your senatorsâ€™ offices: The Honorable [full name of the senator] United States SenateWashington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator [last name of the senator], Â· Introduce yourself and explain your interest in supporting the NIH. Â· Urge the senator to join you in objecting to the hasty nature of the NIH reauthorization by asking them to take a leadership role in seeing that HR. 6164 is not acted upon in the lame duck session. Â· Explain why you believe the bill to be anti-science (from any or all of the reasons listed above) and elaborate on the potential negative effects of rushing the bill through Congress without appropriate review. Â· Inform the senator of your desire to see that the NIH is given proper congressional review and oversight in the future. Â· Thank your senator for his/her time and continued dedication to creating an improved NIH. Sincerely,[Your name and title] Voicemail: When calling Senate offices you should ask for the Health Legislative Assistant. You will most likely receive the Legislative Assistantâ€™s voicemail. Be prepared to leave a brief (60-90 second) message detailing the main points of your fax. Make sure to leave your phone number and e-mail address so their office can respond to you. It is important to remain persistent and follow-up, these offices receive numerous calls and faxes in a day and they may not respond to your initial message. If you contact them frequently they will make it a priority to get back to you. When speaking to congressional staff it is important to remember that: Â· You should always be honest; there is no need to exaggerate problems or results. Â· You should make sure the conversation stays polite and respectful. Listen to what they have to say and engage in constructive dialogue, even if itâ€™s agreeing to disagree. Â· You should never get frustrated and engage in an argument. Irreparable harm can be done by unnecessarily upsetting a senatorâ€™s staff member. Â· You should always begin or end the conversation by thanking them for taking time out of their busy schedule to discuss these issues with you. Thank you,IFFGD (International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)_______________________________________________________________________ IFFGD periodically sends email messages about the organizationâ€™s activities to those who have provided us with their email address. You are receiving this email message because you have contacted IFFGD for information in the past. If you have received this message in error, or would like to unsubscribe from the email list, please contact:IFFGDiffgd###iffgd.orgwww.iffgd.orgPhone: (414) 964-1799Fax: (414) 964-7176PO Box 170864Milwaukee, WI 53217


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