Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED! Action Alert:
Urge Your Representative and Senators to
Co-sponsor the Hepatitis C Epidemic Prevention and Control Act of 2007

November 28, 2007

What is the Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act?
It is legislation that has been introduced in both the U.S. Senate (S.1445) and the House of Representatives (H.R. 2552). The Senate version was introduced by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas). The House version was introduced by Representatives Edolphus Towns (D-New York) and Heather Wilson (R-New Mexico).

This legislation would establish, promote, and support a comprehensive federal prevention, research, and medical management referral program for hepatitis C virus infection. More information about the bill is included in the attached fact sheet. The bill is an important step towards establishing a strong response by the federal government to the hepatitis C epidemic.

What are cosponsors and why are they important?
The best way to make sure this legislation will be voted in committee and then by the full House/Senate is to have a long list of “cosponsors.” A cosponsor is a Senator or House Representative who feels strongly about passing a bill and adds his or her name as a supporter. It is ideal to have a bipartisan list of cosponsors as well (Democrats and Republicans).

If a Senator/Representative cosponsors this legislation, it is likely that she or he will be supportive of other efforts to combat hepatitis C. Asking them to cosponsor the bill is a great way to identify if they will be a champion on hepatitis issues. It is also an opportunity to educate them and their staff about hepatitis C and how it affects their district or state. Many of them have never heard from their own constituents about this issue. The more they know it is an important issue for people who they represent, the more likely they will support the bill.

How do you ask your Senators/Representative to cosponsor the bill?
The most effective way is to call their Washington, DC office and ask to speak to the staffperson who handles health care issues. These staffmembers are the eyes and ears of the Senator/Representative. They will make sure your comments are relayed to their boss.

You can call your Representative and Senators toll-free at 1-800-614-2803. You will get the Capitol switchboard. Ask to be connected to your Representative/Senator’s office.

When you call, make sure you identify yourself as a constituent. You may get their voicemail, or you may speak to the staffperson directly. Either way, use the following sample message. If you have time, make sure you talk about why this issue is important to you. They are interested in hearing personal stories and want to know how their vote affects the people they represent.

Before you call, check the lists below of current and previous cosponsors. If your Representative/Senator is on the list of current cosponsors, then you should call and thank them for their leadership. If they are on the list of previous cosponsors, you should remind them of their past support and ask them to sign on again.

When calling House Representatives:

“My name is ___________ and I live in (city/state). I strongly urge Representative ___________ to cosponsor H.R. 2552, the Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act. This bill was introduced by Representatives Edolphus Towns and Heather Wilson. It would create a comprehensive prevention, research, and medical management referral program for hepatitis C. I hope that the Representative will be a leader in fighting hepatitis C by cosponsoring this important bill.”

If the Representative wants to sign as a cosponsor, they should contact Rick Black in Representative Towns’ office, rick.blake@mail.house.gov with a cc to Denise.Mixon@mail.house.gov.

When calling Senators:

“My name is ___________ and I live in (city/state). I strongly urge Senator ___________ to cosponsor S. 1445, the Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act. This bill was introduced by Senators Edward Kennedy and Kay Bailey Hutchison. It would create a comprehensive prevention, research, and medical management referral program for hepatitis C. I hope that the Senator will be a leader in fighting hepatitis C by cosponsoring this important bill.”

If the Senator wants to sign as a cosponsor, they should contact Caya Lewis in Senator Kennedy’s HELP Committee, Caya_Lewis@help.senate.gov.

Make sure you ask that the staffperson contact you to let you know if the Representative/Senator will be cosponsoring the bill. If you don’t hear back from them, call again in a couple of weeks and ask for an update.

What if you are asked for more information?
Don’t worry if you can’t answer any questions about this bill. You are not expected to be an expert. If the staffperson asks for more information, offer to email the attached fact sheet. If they have specific questions that you can’t answer, write down their questions and post those questions to the listserv (hepcunited@listserv.critpath.org). One of the advocates in our group who has been working on this legislation will answer them so that you can relay them to the staffperson. Or, you can ask that an advocate contact the staffperson directly.

Emailing instead of calling:
Calling your Senator/Representative’s office is the most effective way to influence them. It helps establish a relationship between you and their staff and allows them to ask questions and learn more about why the issue is important to you.

However, if you aren’t comfortable making a phone call, then you can email your elected representatives. Use the sample phone message and add your personal story. Make sure you sign your email and put your address so they know you are a constituent. Ask them to contact you and let you know if they will be a cosponsor.

To find email contact information for your Senators, go here:
www.senate.gov

To find email contact information for your House Representative, go here:
www.house.gov

Current cosponsors:
If your Senator/Representative is listed below, they have already cosponsored this bill. Please call and thank them for their leadership!

Senators:
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX): Lead Sponsor
Edward Kennedy (D-MA): Lead Sponsor
Joe Biden (D-DE)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)

Representatives:
Edolphus Towns (D-NY)—Lead Sponsor
Heather Wilson (R-NM)- Lead Sponsor
Brian Baird (D-WA)
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
Jim Ramstad (R-MN)

Previous cosponsors:
If your Senator/Representative is listed below, they cosponsored this bill in previous years, but have not yet signed on to the current version. Please remind them that they have supported the legislation in the past and ask them to cosponsor it again.

Senators:
Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Joseph Biden (D-DE)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (D-TX)
Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Gordon Smith (R-OR)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Representatives:
Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
Thomas Allen (D-ME)
Joe Baca (D-CA)
Brian Baird (D-WA)
Howard Berman (D-CA)
Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
Madeleine Bordallo (D-GUAM)
Robert Brady (D-Pa)
Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Jerry Costello (D-IL)
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Danny Davis (D-IL)
Susan Davis (D-CA)
Tom Davis (R-VA)
Diana DeGette (D-CO)
Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Phil English (R-PA)
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Barney Frank (D-MA)
Gene Green (D-TX)
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Tim Holden (D-PA)
Michael Honda (D-CA)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
William Jefferson (D-LA)
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Jim McDermott (D-WA)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Michael McNulty (D-NY)
Kendrick Meek (D-FL)
Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
Donald Payne (D-NJ)
Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY)
Christopher Smith (R-NJ)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Robert Wexler (D-FL)

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Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED! is a national, grassroots network of individuals and organizations fighting for increased funding for hepatitis programs and legislation to mount a comprehensive federal effort to fight the disease. We design grassroots strategies to educate our elected representatives about the need for adequate HCV funding and policies, including action alerts, sign-on letters legislative meetings, media activities, and other campaigns. We also share information and strategies on state-level issues and campaigns. We communicate through a moderated listserv and monthly conference calls. Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED! was formed by the Hepatitis C Appropriations Partnership (HCAP) and the National Hepatitis C Advocacy Council (NHCAC).