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You recently announced
your plans to complete work on the FY
2007 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations
bill by passing a year-long continuing
resolution. We applaud your stated
intent to complete this process as
quickly as possible and in a bipartisan
manner. As you work to complete the FY
2007 bill, we urge you to reiterate your
collective support from last year by
providing no less then $7 billion above
the President's request for these urgent
national priorities.
In March of last year, a
bipartisan group of 73 Senators,
including every Democrat, voted for the
Specter-Harkin amendment to the budget
resolution to provide an additional $7
billion above the President’s budget
request for a broad range of programs
and services administered by the
Departments of Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education. Likewise,
several Members of the House of
Representatives, including the entire
incoming House Democratic leadership
team and the Democratic leadership of
the House Appropriations Committee have
repeatedly spoken out in support of
providing the additional $7 billion and
against the President’s budget for these
programs. While efforts led by
now-Chairman Obey and Representative
DeLauro to add the necessary funding
above the President’s request failed in
both the House Budget and Appropriations
Committees, Section 603(b) of the House
Budget Resolution does recognize the
need to increase funding for the Labor-HHS-Education
bill by $7 billion above the President’s
budget.
A full year continuing
resolution for FY 2007 at the FY 2006
levels would leave these critical
programs $2 billion short of the goal
established by the full Senate when it
adopted the Specter-Harkin budget
amendment as well as the commitment made
by the House leadership to significantly
increase funding for these urgent
priorities.
Further, failure to meet
these commitments would result in total
funding for these programs $2 billion
below the FY 2005 level.
Millions of American
families and students rely on the vital
services and assistance funded through
the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations
bill. We feel strongly that the funding
provided in this bill reflects an
investment in the human infrastructure
and the values of our nation and its
future. Given the negative funding trend
for these critical services and programs
over the past few years, we believe
there is urgent need for the new
Congressional leaders to support and act
on.
As the new Congress
begins full consideration of the FY 2008
budget, establishing a strong baseline
for health, education and other vital
programs in the FY 2007 Labor-HHS-Education
bill is essential to getting the nation
back on track when it comes to some of
the most important domestic spending
priorities.
Over the past year, you
have spoken out strongly about your
commitment to funding health, education,
and other vital programs. Now you have
to the opportunity to act on that
commitment. We the undersigned urge you
to provide an additional $2 billion to
these urgent priorities in the final FY
2007 continuing resolution above the FY
2006 levels, consistent with the Senate
budget amendment and the promise made in
the House budget resolution.
Thank you for your
consideration. We look forward to
working with you to ensure adequate
resources are available to meet these
urgent priorities.
Sincerely,
Academy of General
Dentistry (AGD)
Advocate Health Care
Alexander Graham Bell
Association for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing
Alliance for Excellent
Education
Alliance for Prostate
Cancer Prevention
Alpha-1 Association
Alpha-1 Foundation
Alzheimer's Association
America's Blood Centers
American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of
Dermatology Association
American Academy of
Hospice and Palliative Medicine
American Academy of
Neurology
American Academy of
Physician Assistants (AAPA)
American Association for
Cancer Research
American Association for
Dental Research
American Association for
Health Education
American Association for
Marriage and Family Therapy
American Association for
the Study of Liver Diseases
American Association of
Colleges for Teacher Education
American Association of
People with Disabilities
American Association of
Neurological Surgeons
American Association of
Occupational Health Nurses
American Association of
School Administrators
American Association on
Health and Disability
American Brain Coalition
American Cancer Society
Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
American College of
Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
American College of Nurse
Practitioners
American College of
Physicians
American College of
Surgeons
American Council on
Education
American Counseling
Association
American Dental Education
Association
American Dental
Association
American Educational
Research Association
American Foundation for
the Blind
American Heart
Association
American Institute for
Medical and Biological Engineering
American Liver Foundation
American Lung Association
American Medical Student
Association
American Music Therapy
Association
American Nephrology
Nurses Association
American Network of
Community Options and Resources
American Nurses
Association
American Occupational
Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy
Association
American Psychological
Association
American Public Health
Association
American School Health
Association
American Society for Bone
and Mineral Research
American Society for
Therapeutic Radiology & Oncology
American Society for
Thoracic Surgery
American Society of
Hematology
American Society of
Pediatric Nephrology
American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association
American Thoracic Society
American Tinnitus
Association
Amputee Coalition of
America
APSE: The Network on
Employment
Arthritis Foundation
ASD Healthcare
Association of Academic
Health Sciences Libraries
Association for Career
and Technical Education
Association for Clinical
Research Training
Association for Patient
Oriented Research
Association for
Psychological Science
Association of American
Universities
Association of American
Cancer Institutes
Association of Assistive
Technology Act Programs
Association of Community
College Trustees
Association of
Departments of Family Medicine
Association of
Educational Service Agencies
Association of Family
Medicine Residency Directors
Association of Jesuit
Colleges and Universities
Association of Maternal
and Child Health Programs
Association of Minority
Health Professions Schools
Association of Public
Health Laboratories
Association of Public
Television Stations
Association of School
Business Officials International
Association of Schools of
Allied Health Professions
Association of Schools of
Public Health
Association of University
Centers on Disabilities
Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of America
Autism Society of America
Bazelon Center for Mental
Health Law
Boys Town National
Research Hospital
C3: Colorectal Cancer
Coalition
California Department of
Education
CA School Employees
Association
Campaign for Public
Health
Cancer Research and
Prevention Foundation
Center for Science in the
Public Interest
Charles R. Drew
University of Medicine and Science
Chicago Public Schools
Child Neurology Society
Children and Adults with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(CHADD)
Christopher Reeve
Foundation
Coalition for Health
Services Research
College Misericordia
Committee for Education
Funding
Community Transportation
Association of America
Congress of Neurological
Surgeons
Cooley’s Anemia
Foundation
Council for Exceptional
Children
Council for Opportunity
in Education
Council of Accredited
Master of Public Health Programs
Council of State
Administrators of Vocational
Rehabilitation
Crohn's and Colitis
Foundation of America
Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation
Digestive Disease
National Coalition
Directors of Health
Promotion and Education
Division for Early
Childhood of the Council for Exceptional
Children (DEC)
Dystonia Medical Research
Foundation
Easter Seals
Epilepsy Foundation
ESA, Inc.
FED ED
Federation of Families
for Children's Mental Health
Friends of Cancer
Research
GLSEN -- the Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network
Goodwill Industries
International, Inc.
Heart Rhythm Society
Helen Keller National
Center
Hepatitis Foundation
International
Home Care Technology
Association of America (HCTAA)
Huntington’s Disease
Society of America (HDSA)
Hydrocephalus Association
Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA)
IDEA Infant Toddler
Coordinators Association (ITCA)
Intercultural Cancer
Council Caucus
International Foundation
for Functional Gastrointestinal
Disorders
International Myeloma
Foundation
International Reading
Association
Jefffrey Modell
Foundation
Kidney Cancer Association
Lance Armstrong
Foundation
Learning Disabilities
Association of America
Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society
Lupus Foundation of
America, Inc
Matria Healthcare, Inc.
Medical Library
Association
Meharry Medical College
Malecare Prostate Cancer
Support
Mental Health America
Morehouse School of
Medicine
Men's Health Network
National Alliance on
Mental Illness
National Alopecia Areata
Foundation
National Area Health
Education Centers Organization
National Association of
Chronic Disease Directors
National Association of
Community Health Centers
National Association of
Councils on Developmental Disabilities
National Association of
County Behavioral Health and
Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of
Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS)
National Association of
Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS)
National Association of
Independent Colleges and Universities
National Association of
Medical Minority Educators, Inc.
National Association of
School Psychologists
National Association of
Secondary School Principals
National Association of
Social Workers
National Council of State
Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
National Association of
State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)
National Association of
State Head Injury Administrators
National Center for
Learning Disabilities, Inc.
National Coalition for
Cancer Research (NCCR)
National Coalition for
Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases
National Coalition on
Deaf-Blindness
National Community Action
Foundation
National Council for
Community Behavioral Healthcare
National Council for
Community and Education Partnerships
National Council for
Diversity in the Health Professions
National Council of La
Raza
National Disability
Rights Network
National Down Syndrome
Congress
National Down Syndrome
Society
National Eczema
Association
National Education
Association
National Education
Knowledge Industry Association (NEKIA)
National Hispanic Medical
Association
National Kidney
Foundation
National Marfan
Foundation
National Migrant and
Seasonal Head Start Association
National Multiple
Sclerosis Society
National Prostate Cancer
Coalition
National Psoriasis
Foundation
National Recreation and
Park Association
National Rehabilitation
Association
National Respite
Coalition
National Rural Education
Advocacy Coalition
National Rural Health
Association
National Rural Housing
Coalition
National School Employees
Association
National Sleep Foundation
National Spinal Cord
Injury Association
National YouthBuild
Coalition
NephCure Foundation
Neuropathy Association
Neuropathy Research
Foundation
NISH
North American Primary
Care Research Group
NTM Information and
Research, Inc.
Oncology Nursing Society
OraSure Technologies,
Inc.
Ovarian Cancer National
Alliance
Pancreatic Cancer Action
Network (PanCAN)
Paralyzed Veterans of
America
Patient Services, Inc.
PE4life
Points of Light
Foundation
Pre-K Now
Pulmonary Hypertension
Association
Prevent Blindness America
Reading Recovery Council
of North America
Rehabilitation
Engineering and Assistive Technology
Society of North America
Renal Physicians
Association
Research!America
RESOLVE: The National
Infertility Association
Rural Community
Assistance Partnership
SADS Foundation
School Social Work
Association of America
Society for
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society for Public Health
Education
Society of General
Internal Medicine
Society of Gynecologic
Oncologists
Society for Investigative
Dermatology
Society of Teachers of
Family Medicine
Spina Bifida Association
of America
St. George's University
School of Medicine
Student Aid Alliance
Suicide Prevention Action
Network USA (SPAN USA)
TeenScreen
The Advocacy Institute
The Arc of the U.S.
The McGraw-Hill Companies
The Paget Foundation
Tourette Syndrome
Association
Trust for America’s
Health
Tuberous Sclerosis
Alliance
United Cerebral Palsy
United Spinal Association
Us TOO International
USA Works!
Voices for National
Service
YouthBuild Coalition
YMCA of the USA |
