Dear Diabetic:

With Congress taking a break to go home for the month of August, we
wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the status of some of
the issues you have been helping us with, as well as to give you a
huge pat on the back for all of your efforts.

It's important to note that because it is an election year, Congress
is expected to be in session for less than 20 days before the November
elections.  After the elections, they will come back in town for a
week or so to wrap things up.  This means we need you to stay tuned
for urgent alerts as things move fast when Congress is back in
Washington after the Labor Day weekend!  Here's where things stand on
the big issues:

H.R. 810; The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
Earlier this summer, after your successful advocacy helped to pass the
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 810) in both the Senate,
President Bush vetoed the bill. This important  legislation would have
expanded the number of stem cell lines that are eligible for federally
funded research while also implementing strong ethical guidelines to
improve federal oversight. Unfortunately, the U.S. House of
Representatives fell short in the effort to override the President's
veto on H.R. 810.  This means that H.R. 810 will not pass this
legislative session.

While President Bush's decision to veto H.R. 810 is a devastating
setback for Americans who are affected by diabetes and other
debilitating diseases, the fight to expand the search for cure and
better treatments for diabetes is not over.  The sponsors of H.R. 810
are expected to reintroduce the legislation at the start of next
session.  In the mean time, there is still plenty to talk about!
Please keep the momentum strong by continuing to educate members of
Congress, family and friends on how embryonic stem cells provide for
the most promising stem cell research and truly help move ahead to end
the suffering of patients and their families.  For the most up-to-date
information on this issue please visit ADA’s Stem Cell Resource Page.



S. 1955; Association Health Plans (AHPs)
Our campaign to protect the health insurance for Americans with
diabetes has been pretty quiet since we came together in May to stop
S. 1955 (PDF), the dangerous Senate legislation which would have not
only ended the guarantee of coverage for diabetes in 46 states, but
would have also made it difficult for people with diabetes to keep or
obtain any type of health insurance coverage.  Please stay tuned
because we expect there to be some activity in the Senate on this
issue, and maybe even in the House on related issues such as AHPs.

Federal Funding for Diabetes Research and Prevention Programs
As you know, federal funding for diabetes research and outreach
through the Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention was cut by approximately $300,000 in
the last health appropriations bill.  This year, the funding bill has
not yet had a vote in either the full House or the full Senate, but
both bills have passed their respective full committees.  Thanks to
your hard work, the House version contains a $5.8 million increase for
DDT, while the Senate increase is $2.2 million it is a great start,
but this is just round one for diabetes funding this year.  

The Administration budget also proposed a cut of more than $10 million
for the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney diseases
(NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  While the House
budget matched this cut, the Senate not only refused to cut NIDDK, but
also increased it by $2.8 million.

It is vital that we let Congress know that the higher numbers must be
agreed upon and sent to the President. While any increase at DDT is
helpful, Congress has to demonstrate that it is serious about
addressing the inequality between the diabetes epidemic and the
federal investment to fight and prevent the disease they have to go
with the higher House number.  For NIDDK, we must continue to fight
for the increase that is in the Senate bill, so that diabetes
researchers will be able to continue their vital work.

You may remember that last year Congress passed a last-minute change
that cut all of the public health programs by one percent reducing
overall diabetes funding for the first time ever while the disease
keeps growing.  We have to continue to work together to make sure this
does not happen again.  The final decisions about health funding
probably won’t happen until after the November elections, but stay
tuned for developments in September!

How to Make Diabetes a Voting Issue in the November Elections

Tuesday, November 7, 2006 is Election Day.  Visit our election website
and make an impact by getting your candidates for Congress to sign the
Diabetes Commitment Survey.  Also, don't forget to set up September
meetings with your elected officials and Congressional Candidates to
talk about diabetes issues.  It is important that your elected
officials understand that diabetes must be taken seriously -- so visit
our election website today!



Thanks Again

We would like to thank all of our Diabetes Advocates for helping us
out this year.  You truly do make a difference in the fight against
diabetes.  We appreciate your help and hope you enjoy the rest of your
summer!