Time Running out for Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act - Call Your Senators!

[_dynamicdems]

This bill was introduced in April of '05 by Senator Harkin. Although the bill is bi-partisan and has the support of most of the Senate, it is stuck in committee.

Here's the link to the text of the bill:

http://www.christopherreeve.org/atf/cf/%7B219882E9-DFFF-4CC0-95EE-3A62423C40EC%7D/CRPA_SENATE.PDF?tr=y&auid=1889766

The Christopher Reeve Foundation is also hurting since most of their funding got cut recently. They are a good organization and without Christopher and Dana Reeve, it has been difficult for them to stay afloat. Please provide any support you can. Just buying Superman tags helps a little. (That's all I could afford to do, but I'm proud to wear them and tell people about the organization whenever I can. Even a link on your Web site or blog would also help them out.)

www.christopherreeve.org

Dear DynamicDems,


Last month, with the passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R.810), the paralysis community proved itself a force to be reckoned with on Capitol Hill. Now we must turn our powerful voice to another important piece of legislation that, for the first time, speaks directly to our community. We need your help in passing the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act (CRPA). There are precious few legislative days left once Congress returns from the August Recess on September 5th. This means the clock is running out on our efforts to pass the CRPA.

Please Go Forward with us in this push to capitalize on our efforts over the past 2 years – let's get the CRPA out of committee and on the floor for a vote when Congress returns from the August Recess.

The good news is that we know that the CRPA has been discussed in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee . Therefore, our first goal is to get the CRPA out of the HELP Committee, and on to the floor of the Senate for a vote in early September.

Please contact your Senators and Representative in the coming weeks.

Call their offices in DC and speak to their Legislative staff, call their offices in your home state, and try to meet with them at any public appearances they may have over the recess. Ask for two things:

1. If he/she is already a CRPA co-sponsor, thank them and ask that they champion the bill with leadership to bring the bill to a vote.

2. If they are not a co-sponsor, ask them to become one and to further champion the bill with leadership to bring the bill to a vote.

This may be our last chance to pass the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act. We must Go Forward with the CRPA now, in Christopher and Dana Reeve's honor, and usher it all way to the White House.

Please share this message with anyone you know that might help us get this act passed. Every call to Congress matters. Thank you again for your help, and please let us know about your efforts.

Sincerely,


Kathy Lewis
President and CEO
Christopher Reeve Foundation

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Make sure they know where you stand and what you expect when Congress comes back into session.

They have a lot to accomplish in a little time and something like this can easily get pushed aside unless they hear a lot of noise on the issue.

[blm]

1. Do you have a cuurent list of senate co-sponsors?

.

[_dynamicdems]

2. Here is an updated list & I edited my original post.

There are 76 sponsors in the House and only 26 in the Senate, so more work is needed.

http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.anJELKNjGiF/b.1170531/k.43E8/CRPA_House_and_Senate_CoSponsors.htm

Sponsors as of 6/30/06:

76 Co-Sponsors of H.R. 1554

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA)
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
Rep. Bill Young (R-FL)
Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC)
Rep. Candice S. Miller (R-MI)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH)
Rep. Charles Dent (R-PA)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Rep. Dale E. Kildee (D-MI)
Rep. David Price (D-NC)
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO)
Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-IL)
Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ)
Rep. E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL)
Rep. Ed Case (D-HI)
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA)
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-CA)
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK)
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Rep. Gene Green (D-TX)
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR)
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Rep. James Langevin (D-RI)
Rep. James McGovern (D-MA)
Rep. James P. Moran (D-VA)
Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-NH)
Rep. Jerry F. Costello (D-IL)
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ)
Rep. JoAnn Emerson (R-MO)
Rep. John F. Tierney (D-MA)
Rep. John Kline (R-MN)
Rep. John W. Olver (D-MA)
Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE)
Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-CA)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Rep. Martin Meehan (D-MA)
Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL)
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA)
Rep. Michael H. Michaud (D-ME)
Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA)
Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY)
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN)
Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX)
Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA)
Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
Rep. Robert Simmons (R-CT)
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL)
Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-NJ)
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-SD)
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA)
Rep. Sue Kelly (R-NY)
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH)
Rep. Thomas H. Allen (D-ME)
Rep. Virgil H. Goode (R-VA)
Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY)
Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)


28 Co-Sponsors of S.828

Sen. Jeff Bingaman
Sen. Barbara Boxer
Sen. Richard Burr
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Sen. Thad Cochran
Sen. Norm Coleman
Sen. Jon S. Corzine
Sen. Mark Dayton
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd
Sen. Richard Durbin
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Sen. Lindsey Graham
Sen. Tom Harkin
Sen. James Jeffords
Sen. Tim Johnson
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
Sen. John F. Kerry
Sen. Mary L. Landrieu
Sen. Frank Lautenberg
Sen. Patrick Leahy
Sen. Carl Levin
Sen. John McCain
Sen. Robert Menendez
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski
Sen. Patty Murray
Sen. Paul Sarbanes
Sen. Arlen Specter
Sen. Debbie Stabenow

[blm]

8. You would think the GOP sponsors would wrangle the process to at least get

this onto the schedule.

[Superman Returns]

3. thanks

[_dynamicdems]

6. You're welcome!

:)

[demdiva]

4. Thanks for the alert DD

This is an extraordinarily important bill and a fight we can't give up on until we win. This is just way too important!

[_dynamicdems]

5. It is so important.

This legislation could help so many and it is a legacy that Christopher and Dana Reeve would be proud of. It doesn't involve stem cells or anything controversal: it just involves helping people.

I wonder how many of our military have paralyzed from this senseless war? The least the government can do is pass this bill.

[blm]

7. Monday morning ACTION ALERT.

.