Capitol Hill Day
Six years of an annual Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC, ground-breaking psoriasis legislation pending in Congress, thousands of people coast-to-coast advocating for a cure… so many successful efforts moving us closer to achieving a cure. An important reason for this success is that individuals and families are reaching out to their elected officials and telling their stories—stories about how psoriasis impacts their lives. These conversations with policymakers are what help move legislation, secure more funding for research, and increase awareness.
Reaching elected officials while they are at-home in the communities they represent is a very effective way of deepening this national conversation about psoriasis. So with all this progress, we are pleased to announce a new format for Capitol Hill Day that will bring us even closer to our goal of finding a cure and advancing the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act (H.R. 930/S. 571; PPARCCA) through the legislative process!
At the start of each two-year Congress (2009 was the first session of the current 111th Congress), Capitol Hill Day will be held in Washington, D.C. In the second session of each Congress, such as next year in 2010, Capitol Hill Day will be a community-based grassroots event called Hill Day at Home. This approach allows the National Psoriasis Foundation and advocates like you to have the greatest impact. The first session of a Congress (odd years) are "legislatively rich" and policymakers spend much of their time in Washington, D.C. During the second session (even years) elected officials typically spend more time at-home (even years are election years). Hill Day at Home will be scheduled during a time when members of Congress are home so you will have an opportunity to talk directly with your senators and representative.
As many as 7.5 million Americans are affected by psoriasis. Yet many of our elected officials are unaware of the urgent need to increase federal support for research on psoriatic diseases. During Hill Day at Home, you can tell your legislators and their staff what it's like living with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and why the passage of PPARCCA is so important.
If your members of Congress have already sponsored H.R. 930/S. 571, it is equally important to meet with them during Hill Day at Home to thank them for their support and express appreciation, and to take a Fair Shake for psoriasis photo together. Also, their help is needed to support requests for increased federal investment in psoriatic diseases through the federal allocation of funds or "appropriations" process.
Meetings held at-home let your elected officials know that their constituents are following what is going on in Washington and that they must be responsive to the needs of the psoriasis community. Since 2005, when our national advocacy efforts began in earnest, federal spending on psoriasis has increased by more than 60 percent. That progress demonstrates that your advocacy makes a difference!
Please check this page again soon for updates on details for 2010 Hill Day at Home. As always, we will provide you with everything you need to be successful, including instructions for how to secure a local meeting, materials to bring with you, talking points, tips for meetings, etc. Foundation staff will be available to work with you every step of the way. We’re on the road to a cure and better access to treatments… joins us by participating in Hill Day at Home!