Urgent - NAA Action Alert - Combating Autism Act

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Please forward far and wide.

Parents, Grandparents and Friends,

there's just a few more days to push for the

Combating Autism Act

We have only until July 11th to influence Senators about what our kids need

in this Bill!

Background: As you know, the autism groups in the community wrote and

reached consensus on a new Combating Autism Bill in December which was

presented to Senators in early January. The plan was to substitute our bill

for the original Combating Autism Bill.

Senators have since been working on the language. We have been following

their progress with great interest for several months now and have heard

that the senators expect to present a new version of the CAA Bill to the

HELP Committee next week.

YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED The environmental language so important

for research that could really help our children may be deleted, and money

earmarked for the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences could

be cut. We need you to put pressure on the HELP Committee - particularly

four Senators - to make sure THE LANGUAGE WE WANT STAYS.

WHAT WE WANT:

We want the Combating Autism Bill to pass as revised by the autism community

that includes:

- $6 million solely devoted to the NIEHS every year for the next five

years.

- $44 million allocated to Autism Centers of Excellence and NIH

Environmental Research Centers every year for the next five years.

- The environmental research language should stay in the bill as written:

Autism Centers of Excellence-

'(1) IN GENERAL- In carrying out subsection (a)(1), the Director of NIH

shall award grants and contracts to public or nonprofit private entities to

pay all or part of the cost of planning, establishing, improving, and

providing basic operating support for centers of excellence regarding

research on autism.

'(2) RESEARCH- Each center of excellence that receives funding under

paragraph (1) shall conduct basic and clinical research into autism. Such

research-

'(A) shall be conducted in the fields of developmental neurobiology,

genetics, epigenetics, pharmacology, nutrition, immunology, neuroimmunology,

endocrinology, gastroenterology, and toxicology; and

( should include--

'(i) investigations into the cause, diagnosis, early detection, prevention,

control, treatment, and cure of autism;

'(ii) research on high-risk infant siblings; and

'(iii) research on a broad array of environmental triggers which may have a

possible role in autism, including but not limited to vaccines, other

biological and pharmaceutical products, and their components (including

preservatives).

- We want the oversight and safeguards language, whereby the autism

community has representation on official government committees, to stay in

the bill---specifically more representation on the Interagency Autism

Coordinating Committee and a newly formed Autism Advisory Board made up of

community members and scientists.

- We want to keep language that dictates to the CDC how allocated money

could be spent. We want the language inserted which reads: " for the purpose

of collecting and analyzing information on the number, incidence, incidence

trend over time, by birth year, retrospectively and prospectively, for

autism spectrum disorder, classic autism, and PDD-NOS, correlates, and

causes of autism and related developmental disabilities. "

[[Parents, this will make sure that data reported are comparable over time

and that there is no " inflation " in diagnostic criteria to discourage CDC

from unreasonably trolling for cases.]]

- In short, we want the autism community consensus bill as written by the

autism community groups who are dedicated to finding treatments and a cure

for our children.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPACT THIS BILL:

We hear that the AAP is actively lobbying behind the scenes to take the

environmental language out of this bill.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/doctors-against-research_b_17726.h

tml

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%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdavid-kirby%2Fdoctors-against-research_b_1772

6.html> They do not want NIH to look into vaccines or their components.

This is wrong. Autism has been proven to be an environmental disorder. We

demand that they look into all environmental triggers, including vaccines

and their components!

If AAP gets their way, the bill will likely pass with tons of money going to

the CDC to count our children but no money going to research that directly

treats and leads to a cure for our children. It is time we stand up and let

our opinions be known!

PLEASE WRITE, E-MAIL FAX AND CALL THE MEMBERS LISTED BELOW. PLEASE DO THIS

ASAP!

-----------------------------------

HERE IS A SAMPLE LETTER...

Senator Mike Enzi

290 Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

July 4, 2006

Dear Senator Enzi,

I am writing to you today as a concerned citizen and parent of a child with

an autism diagnosis. The Combating Autism Act is critical legislation that

must go forward as currently written if this nation is to begin addressing

the needs of the one in 166 children now diagnosed with autism. Most

importantly, the provisions for funding environmental research must remain

in this legislation if the affected children are to have hope for recovery.

There can no longer be any doubt that exposure to environmental toxins is

the single most important factor in the huge rise in neurological disorders

among America's children. My child, like so many others, was born in

complete good health until the repeated injections of mercury-containing

vaccines began to take their toll, causing loss of previously acquired

speech and motor skills, and severe behavior changes. On six separate

occasions before the age of 18 months, my son was injected with amounts of

mercury greatly in excess of federal mercury exposure guidelines. The onset

of symptoms that eventually led to an autism diagnosis is completely

consistent with that for mercury toxicity.

The HELP Committee upon which you sit will soon be reviewing the Combating

Autism Act. It is imperative that the funds earmarked for the National

Institute of Environmental Health Sciences be left in this legislation.

Without this funding, the most promising area of research for my child and

hundreds of thousands of others will go unexplored. I also ask that you keep

the words " vaccines and their preservatives " in the bill. I am afraid that

unless the Senate specifically asks for this science, this vital area will

be ignored.

Our legislators must do the right thing by the children and families

struggling with autism and related disorders by enacting this legislation

with the environmental provisions left intact.

Sincerely,

Your name here

-------------------------------------------------

PENNSYLVANIA AND DC-AREA PARENTS, YOUR HELP CAN BE PIVOTAL IN THE OUTCOME OF

THIS LEGISLATION

If you live in Pennsylvania, you know that Sen. Ric Santorum is in a

desperate battle to retain his Senate seat. Passage of the Combating Autism

Act has become a major campaign goal. His office needs to hear directly

from constituents that retaining the vaccine language is imperative. Please

also request that Sen. Santorum write a letter to HELP Committee Chairman

Sen. Mike Enzi demanding that the environmental provisions be left intact,

including the vaccine language.

Parents in the DC area, we ask that you personally visit as many of the

offices listed below as possible. Faxes and phone calls make a difference,

but face-to-face contact leaves a lasting impression that can steer the

direction of this bill. With more pharmaceutical lobbyists on Capitol Hill

than members of the House and Senate combined, our kids desperately need as

many of us as possible to be a presence for them as this bill is being

deliberated.

We suggest you call AND fax the first four and fax the rest. Be sure to tell

some of your child's story and include your name and address on the letter.

Here are the Members we need to target:

(Important four to fax and call - these four are working on the changes in

the language)...

Enzi, Mike (R - WY)

290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-3424

Fax: (202) 228-0359

E-mail: senator@...

Santorum, Rick (R-PA)

511 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Tel: 202-224-6324

Email:

http://santorum.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.Co

ntactForm

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& CFID=3081883 & CFTOKEN=24059619

Kennedy, - (D - MA)

317 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-4543

Fax: (202) 224-2417

Email: senator@...

Dodd, (D - CT)

448 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone (202) 224-2823

Fax (202) 228-1683

E-mail: http://dodd.senate.gov/webmail/

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Republicans on the HELP Committee:

Gregg, Judd (R - NH)

393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-3324

Fax: (202) 224-4952

E-mail: mailbox@...

Frist, (R - TN)

509 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Phone: 202-224-3344

Fax: 202-228-1264

E-mail: http://frist.senate.gov/contact.cfm

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Hatch, Orrin (R-UT)

104 Hart Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Tel: (202) 224-5251

Fax: (202) 224-6331

Email: http://hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Contact

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Sessions, Jeff (R-AL)

335 Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510-0104

(202) 224-4124 - Phone

(202) 224-3149 - Fax

Email: http://sessions.senate.gov/email/contact.cfm

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Burr, (R-NC)

217 Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-3154

Fax: (202) 228-2981

E-mail: richard.burrnc05@...

Isakson, ny R- GA

120 Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

(202) 224-3643

Fax: (202) 228-0724

Email: http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm

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, Lamar (R-TN)

UNITED STATES SENATE WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-4944

Fax: (202) 228-3398

E-mail: http://alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

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, Pat (R - KS)

302 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-4774

Fax (202) 224-3514

Email: http://roberts.senate.gov/e-mail_pat.html

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Ensign, (R - NV)

364 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-6244

Fax (202) 228-2193

E-mail: http://ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm

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DeWine, Mike (R - OH)

140 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-2315

Fax (202) 224-6519

E-mail: http://dewine.senate.gov/request_form.cfm

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Democrats on the HELP Committee:

Harkin, Tom (D - IA)

731 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone (202) 224-3254

Fax (202) 224-9369

E-mail: http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

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Mikulski, Barbara (D - MD)

709 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-4654

Fax (202)224-8858

E-mail: http://mikulski.senate.gov/contactme/mailform.html

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Bingaman, Jeff (D - NM)

703 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510Phone:

Phone: (202) 224-5521

Fax (202) 224-2852

E-mail: http://bingaman.senate.gov/Contact_Me/e-mail_form.htm

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Jeffords, (D-VT)

413 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone: (202) 224-5141

Fax: (202) 228-0776

Email: http://jeffords.senate.gov/contact.html

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Murray, Patty (D - WA)

173 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-2621

Fax: (202) 224-0238

E-mail: http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm

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, Jack (D - RI)

320 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-4642

Fax (202) 224-4680

E-mail: http://reed.senate.gov/contact/thoughts.cfm

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Clinton, Hillary (D - NY)

476 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-4451

D.C. Fax (202) 228-0282

Email: http://clinton.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

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