The Fiscal Year 2006 appropriations process has officially begun!

Representatives Mary Bono (R-CA) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) have begun
circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter that asks the House Labor-HHS
Appropriations Subcommittee for a $303 million increase for ADAP in the FY
06 appropriations bill. Reps Bono and Pascrell are asking all House
Representatives to sign this letter. We need a long and bipartisan list of
signatures on this letter.

Below is a step-by-step list of how you can help get your Representative's
signature on this very important letter. Please take a few minutes to
contact your Rep's office, even if you think they would automatically sign.
Many times, these letters get lost in the shuffle and it takes a phone call
from an advocate to make sure the right staffperson is aware of the letter.
Call him/her even if you think there's no way they would sign. The key to
ADAP advocacy is "never say never" and never give up!

If you have anything to report based on your communication with your Rep's
office, share it with the group! This is a very important early step in the
process of getting as much ADAP money as possible.

Getting Your Representative To Sign the Bono/Pascrell Letter:

1.� � � First thing to know: this letter is only for House
Representatives. You don't need to contact your two U.S. Senators yet.

2.� � � If you have already established a relationship with the
healthcare aide to your House Rep, call them directly (email them only if
you know that they respond to email). See toll-free number below for Capitol
Switchboard.

3.� � � If you don't know your Rep's healthcare aide, call your Rep's
office in Washington, DC and ask to speak to the staffperson who handles HIV
and healthcare issues. They will ask who is calling; tell them you are a
constituent and a member of SAVE ADAP.

4.� � � Often you will get their voicemail. Leave a message with the
following information "My name is ______________ and I'm a constituent of
Representative ________________. I am calling to urge him/her to sign the
'Dear Colleague' letter written by Representatives Bono and Pascrell that
asks for a $303 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. A
recent report shows that this program is still in crisis, with 21 states
being forced to create limits in accessing treatment. Please help make sure
that people with HIV and AIDS can access lifesaving treatment by signing
this letter."

5.� � � If your Representative is a Republican, tell the aide that they
contact Katherine Martin in Representative Bono's office to sign. If your
Representative is a Democrat, they should contact Charla Penn in
Representative Pascrell's office.

6.� � � If the healthcare aide answers the phone, then take a few
minutes after you ask the Rep to sign the letter to let him/her know about
any problems with your state ADAP, or just talk personally about what ADAP
means to you, your clients, your family/friends, etc.

7.� � � If you leave a message, leave your name and phone number and ask
them to let you know if the Representative will be signing.

8.� � � A copy of this letter is attached as a Word document, and pasted
as text below.

9.� � � You can reach your Representative by calling the Capitol
Switchboard toll-free at 1-877-762-8762. Ask to be connected to your
Representative's office. If you don't know who your Representative is, go to
www.vote-smart.org� and enter your zip code in the upper left-hand corner.

If you have any questions please contact Ryan Clary - [email protected].