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Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) |
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Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) |
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Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) |
On May 14, 2009, Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) introduced a landmark bill in the United States House of Representatives aimed at expanding federal research and awareness programs on scleroderma. H.R. 2408, the “Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act,” is the first bill ever introduced in the United States Congress focused exclusively on scleroderma. (Read the full text of H. R. 2408 here.)
On July 30, 2009, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced a companion bill in the United States Senate, S. 1545, the Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act”. The language in this bill is exactly the same as it is in H.R. 2408.
You can help get these two important pieces of legislation passed by contacting your lawmakers in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and asking them to co-sponsor these bills. For your convenience, the Foundation has created a sample letter that you can send to your lawmakers. These letters should be sent to your lawmakers by e-mail. PLEASE DO NOT SEND LETTERS VIA REGULAR MAIL. If you do not know any of your United States lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the instructions below include information on how to find out who they are.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SENDING A LETTER TO YOUR U.S. LAWMAKERS
- Before you click on any of the links provided in these instructions, please read the entire list of instructions first.
- A sample letter is available for you to use, which you can find by clicking on the link provided later in these instructions.
- There is a place in each letter for you to write personal information about your scleroderma experience.
- You will have to include the name of your lawmaker in your letter. If you do not know the name of your federal lawmaker(s) in the U.S. Senate and/or U.S. House of Representatives, click on the following link to find out their name: www.congress.org. After you get to congress.org, in the box titled, “Get Involved,” type the zip code of the town/city where you officially reside.
- Once you are ready to send your letter by e-mail, you will have to copy and paste it into an e-mail to your lawmaker. To find his/her email address click on the same link in Instruction #4 (www.congress.org).
- It will bring you to a Web page where your U.S. lawmakers are listed on the upper left column titled, “President and Congress.”
- Near the top portion and on the left-side of the Web page, look for “Write Your Elected Officials.”
- Click on the link, “Federal.”
- Remove checkmark next to President’s Obama’s name by clicking inside the box.
- In the subject line, type S. 1545 and H.R. 2408.
- In the "Issue Area" select "Health" from the dropdown menu.
- Copy and paste the letter you wrote into the “Editable Text” box, which is blank.
- Complete the sender information that is on the Web page, which is a requirement.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the Web page you are viewing and send your e-mail!
- If your computer has Microsoft Word, click here to find a sample letter to your lawmaker. Once open, please go to the next step.
- If you send the letter to the federal lawmaker in your congressional district, please revise the salutation to read: Dear Representative ______(name). Feel free to customize the letter to include personal information. Once finished, save the word document on your computer.
- If your computer uses another program for word processing (e.g., Word Pad, WordPerfect, etc.), click here to find a sample letter to your lawmaker. Copy and paste this letter into your word processing program on your computer. If you send the letter to the federal lawmaker in your congressional district, please revise the salutation to read: Dear Representative ______(name). Feel free to customize the letter to include personal information.
- Finally, please inform Roger Brechner, Scleroderma Foundation Chapter and Support Group Manager, rbrechner@scleroderma.org, 800-722-HOPE (4673), ext. 19, to whom you have sent letters and the responses you have received.
Thank you very much for your interest and for your advocacy! Together we will make a difference! |
