The Senate bill (S.2311) that provides for reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act for FY 2001 - 2005, was passed today on an unanimous vote from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Only minor technical amendments were added to the bill that passed, leaving important program and policy language intact.

BACKGROUND: S.2311 retains the basic structure and elements of the existing CARE Act, but would change some areas of current law in ways that AIDS advocates believe would be more responsive to the needs of people who are receiving or are eligible for CARE Act services. Among these changes, the bill seeks to ensure the highest quality of HIV care; calls for the implementation of strategies to reduce or eliminate barriers to HIV care; provides safe-guards to prevent consumers from suddenly losing access to or experiencing cut-backs in services funded under Title I of the CARE Act; and, provides supplemental funding to under-served rural communities.

As of today, the bill has 14 co-sponsors. The legislative calendar is very short this year. A large co-sponsor list early on will help move this bill more quickly and with fewer opportunities for unwanted amendments. Today's unanimous passage out of committee provides a solid foundation for new co-sponsors.

ACTION NEEDED:

1. Call, fax, or write your U.S. Senators and URGE them to become a co-sponsor of S.2311, the Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2000 as passed 04/12/2000 by the Senate HELP Committee. You can reach Senators at the Congressional Switchboard at 1-202-224-3121. (Please don't send e-mail. This action needs a more directly human touch to be successful.) Not sure who your Senators are? Go to http://www.congress.org/ to find out.
   
2. If your U.S. Senators are current co-sponsors, PLEASE thank them, and ask that they do some Member-to-Member communication, urging their colleagues to become co-sponsors of S.2311.
   
3. If you have access to the Internet, please go to www.napwa.org, click on My Actions! and fill out the form letting us know that you took action.
   
4. Please share this Action Alert with your friends, family, and co-workers, and ask them to take action, too!

ADVONET is a program of the Public Policy Department. For information about ADVONET, contact Jean-Michel Brevelle, Associate Director for Policy, 202.898.0414 ext. 103  Fax: 202.898.0435  E-mail: jmbrevelle@napwa.org