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Senate Votes Unanimously for Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization!!

Thank your Senators and urge your Representatives to do the same!!

In early June, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously in favor of S. 2311 (Kennedy/Jeffords). This bill would reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, which is due to expire on September 30, 2000. Thank you to everyone who wrote and called your Senators and urged them to cosponsor this bill. By the time the Senate voted for this bill, there were 50 Senate cosponsors. Your strong grassroots response played a major role in ensuring that the Senate moved quickly to demonstrate its support for the CARE Act! Please take a moment to call or write your Senators and thank them for their vote! A sample message is included below.

Our efforts now shift to the House, where -- as of June 28 -- a bill has not yet been introduced. That bill will first be introduced and reviewed by the Health and Environment Subcommittee of the House Commerce Committee. The number of working days for Congress is shrinking rapidly and it is essential that the House act quickly to pass a bill similar to the Senate version. After the House passes its version, a joint House/Senate conference committee will come together to work out differences. Then the entire House and Senate will vote again on the final product, and send it to the President.

Your help is needed to ensure that the House acts quickly to pass a bill that, similar to the Senate version, has bipartisan and community support.

Action Needed

1. Call or write your two U.S. Senators with the following message:

"I am writing/calling Senator_____________ to thank him/her for voting in favor of S. 2311, which reauthorizes the Ryan White CARE Act. I appreciate Senator____________'s support of critical care and treatment services for people living with HIV and AIDS."

2. Call or write your U.S. Representative.

Let him or her know that you want the Ryan White CARE Act reauthorized before Congress adjourns this year. Stress that the House version should be written to ensure bipartisan and community support.

Sample phone message: "I am calling to urge Representative ____________ to support reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act. The CARE Act provides critical health care and treatment services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The Senate has already voted to reauthorize this program, and the House must do the same before Congress adjourns for the year. The House version should have strong bipartisan and community support. I hope Representative ___________ will do everything in his/her power to ensure the renewal of this lifesaving legislation."

Sample letter: (Can be sent via fax, e-mail, or regular mail) The Honorable _______________ U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative______________ , I am writing to urge you to support reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which is due to expire on September 30, 2000. The CARE Act provides health care, treatment, and support services for tens of thousands of individuals living with HIV/AIDS nationwide. INSERT PERSONAL STATEMENT HERE. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT USES RYAN WHITE CARE ACT SERVICES -- THIS INCLUDES THE AIDS DRUG ASSISTANCE PROGRAM -- MENTION THAT HERE. The Ryan White CARE Act must be reauthorized before Congress adjourns to ensure that access to these critical services isn't jeopardized. The Senate has already passed legislation reauthorizing the CARE Act. The House version should be written to ensure strong bipartisan and community support. Please demonstrate your support for people living with HIV/AIDS by doing everything in your power to make sure the Ryan White CARE Act is reauthorized this year. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Your name