| Making a Difference in Washington | |
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by Laura Dolson, with much thanks to Renee Sankus of the Ovarian Cancer National
Alliance
It's no secret: the current medical treatment of cancer is in its infancy. Someday
what we now consider to be the "state of the art" in treating cancer
will seem unspeakably barbaric. Most of the time, progress towards the Golden
Future of better treatment options seems to be dragging along at a snail's pace
and in a place far removed from our everyday lives. Some can participate in
clinical trials, but the rest of us often feel that there's nothing to do but
wait while we or our loved ones suffer. Yes, there's political advocacy, but
the very thought of trying to impact THAT process can a make a person tired!
How can we hope to make a difference in that Washington Morass? Sure, we hear
"write your representative", but does that really do any good?
Well, actually, yes - collectively it *does* help to communicate with our legislators. But understanding the process -and knowing where, when, and how to take action - can make a big difference. And it's not really mysterious - you can learn all you need to know in a few minutes.
If what you really want to know right now is "what is the important current legislation and what can I do about it", skip right to the next page.
Imagine being a representative on Capitol Hill. Daily, you are besieged by the needs of every variety of person you can think of - most of them quite deserving. You are expected to know about health, education, environmental contaminants, defense, space technology, taxes, international trade...you get the idea. YourCongress.com has a sample schedule from a real Congressperson. It's enlightening to take a look at it. As Renee Sankus of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance puts it "members of Congress are bombarded with issues all the time - the trick is to get their attention by being persistent".
The basics of "How a Bill Becomes a Law" are actually very simple: A bill is introduced, it goes to committee where there are hearings, they write it up in its "final" form (called a mark-up), and it goes to the general membership to be voted on. If you want a fine, user-friendly (if somewhat irreverent) review of the process, check out - this tutorial at YourCongress.com.
There are three points in this system where it is most effective for the "average citizen" to give input to those whom they have elected to represent them.
1) First, the bill has to get heard in the appropriate committee, because A BILL CAN SIT WAITING IN COMMITTEE FOREVER. Why is one bill heard, while others just collect dust? a) The Chairman of the committee likes it OR b) It has a lot of support from members of Congress. The main way to prove that a bill has lots of support is if many members sign on as co-sponsors. So, if the bill you want to get ahead is sitting around, you find out who the co-sponsors are (easy) and contact your legislator (also easy) and urge them to join in. The current bills H.R. 326 and 1624, described on the next page, are in this state.
2) Sometimes, a bill is being heard in committee, and needs support at that point. This is the case right now with the Ovarian Cancer Research Program, which is funded by the Dept. of Defense (DOD) (there is more description of this program on the next page). Public testimony has already taken place on this measure. The standard way for members of Congress to attract attention from their colleagues at this level is to circulate what is called a "Dear Colleagues" letter. Yourcongress.com calls Dear Colleagues letters "mini-advertisements created by Congressional offices that are sent around everyday ... and usually go directly to the staff who handles the particular issue for the Congressman or Congresswoman." Right now Senators Snowe (R-ME) and Reed (D-RI) are circulating a "Dear Colleagues" letter to their fellow Senators, asking for support for the DOD measure. To support the measure, ask your appropriate legislator to sign on to the letter.
3) Voting on the Bill - Of course, once the bill reaches floor of the Senate or House of Representatives, you can urge your Congressman/woman or Senator to vote the "right way".
Wasn't that simple? Three ways to help: Ask them to co-sponsor, ask them to sign a letter, ask them to vote. Now, let's move on to the current legislation affecting gyn cancers, and what you can do. Before you even stand up from your computer, you can help to make a difference!
Next page > Current Important Legislation/What You Can Do > Page 1, 2, 3
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Copyright © 2001 by Laura Dolson. All rights reserved. Please submit reprint requests to gyncancer@baymoon.com
The material on this page and Web site is for informational and educational purposes only, and should not substitute for medical advice. Anyone having questions about the application of information appearing here to a specific person or situation should obtain advice from a qualified physician.