Tell your newly elected public officials what AIDS means to you

Newly elected legislators will soon be walking the halls of Congress and the state Legislature. With many issues on the minds of these public officials, we need to make sound and reasonable AIDS policies a priority for them.

Federal representatives in the House and Senate must understand the importance of the Federal AIDS portfolio, which includes funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, HIV prevention education, research and housing. State legislators need to hear how AIDS policies impact the quality and quantity of our lives. They have to know how the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) keeps people with limited incomes healthier and how an encoded HIV surveillance system will provide important information about the epidemic without driving people away from testing.

Letters with personal stories on how HIV/AIDS has impacted your lives need to be sent to your newly elected legislators on the federal and state level. Congratulate them on their recent victory and explain to them why legislation to improve the quality of life for people with HIV disease is important to you. If possible, tell them how AIDS dollars are spent in providing services for constituents living in your district.

To find out who your newly elected officials are, please call your local registrar of voters and ask for the election information section. Tell them you want to know who represents you on the federal and state level. In Los Angeles County, the telephone number for the registrar of voters is (562) 462-2748.

Addresses for federal legislators are:

• The Honorable (your representative's name here)

  U.S. House of Representatives

  Washington, D.C. 20515

• The Honorable (your senator's name here)

  U.S. Senate

  Washington, D.C. 20510

Addresses for state legislators are:

• The Honorable (your state Assembly member's name here)

  California State Assembly

  Sacramento, CA 95814

• The Honorable (your state senator's name here)

  California State Senate

  Sacramento, CA 95814

E-mail addresses for your federal legislators can be found at www.congress.gov. E-mail addresses for your state legislators can be found at www.sen.ca.gov. After sending your letters, please call the Grass Roots Hotline at (323) 993-1680 so we know how many people took action.

(today's date)

The Honorable (your legislator's name here)
(Place your legislators address here)

Dear Senator (or Representative; Assembly Member)

My name is and I'm a constituent living in your district. I want to congratulate you on your recent victory and write to you about an issue important to me, HIV and AIDS.

HIV disease continues to be a primary concern for many people living in your district as well as throughout California. Sound and reasonable AIDS policies must continue to be implemented in order to improve the quality and quantity of people's lives. Access to life-saving medications, affordable housing and Medicare/Medicaid expansion for people returning to the workplace are just a few issues important to our community.

Moreover, preventing HIV infection is a concern for the residents of our district. Without a cure for HIV infection, prevention education remains the only way to slow the spread of this pandemic. Schools, churches and service organizations must work in collaboration to present realistic HIV prevention messages.

These issues are important to me because...

(tell your personal story here)

Sincerely,

Your name here

This article has been reprinted at The Body with the permission of AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA).