Which 33 Signed? Which 67 Didn't?

The following communication came from the ALS Association Washington, DC, office:


Senators Join Fight Against ALS;
DOD Requests ALS Research Proposals

Thank you to everyone who told the ALS story in their meetings in Washington DC in May and to those who participated in our Virtual Advocacy Day online. We are excited to report that your outreach has produced results...

Thirty-three Senators signed-on to the "Casey-Snowe" Dear Colleague letter and have urged the Appropriations Committee to increase funding for the ALS Research Program (ALSRP) at the Department of Defense (DOD)

This is the largest ever number of Senators who have signed-on to our DOD Dear Colleague, and is nearly 15 more than in 2008. As you know, the support we generated last year resulted in Congress providing $5 million for the program. The record amount of support we received will help us realize the goal of doubling funding for the ALSRP to $10 million in Fiscal Year 2010.

The fact that 33 Senators signed-on to the Dear Colleague - within just a few days of your meetings and emails - demonstrates the power of your advocacy. By contrast, similar Dear Colleague letters for other disease research programs did not generate nearly as much support. And outreach to support those other letters took place over much longer periods of time, not one week!

The Advocacy Department already has contacted each ALS Association Chapter to let them know whether their Senators signed-on to the Dear Colleague letter. If you would like to know whether your Senators signed-on, please contact us at advocacy@alsa-national.org.

A copy of the Dear Colleague letter that was sent to the Appropriations Committee is available by clicking here.

$5 Million in Funding Available for 2009: DOD Requests ALS Research Proposals

As we continue to advocate for increased funding for the ALSRP in 2010, we are pleased to announce that the DOD is now accepting applications for research proposals that will be funded using the $5 million we secured for the program last year. This funding will only be available to projects that are specifically focused on developing new treatments for ALS.

The deadlines for submitting applications are:

Pre-Application Deadline: July 15, 2009
Proposal Submission Deadline: October 15, 2009

Additional details, including the DOD's Program Announcement and Application Instructions, are available here: http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/alsrp.htm. We encourage you to share this information with researchers in your community so that they can take advantage of this funding opportunity.

Recruit Others to Become ALS Advocates!

We will continue to let you know when your outreach can make the most difference on DOD research and other critical issues, so please keep an eye out for our Action Alerts as the legislative process continues. In the meantime, we urge you to recruit more people to join our fight by becoming ALS Advocates today. Your family, friends and colleagues can help us make a difference by signing-up on our website here: http://capwiz.com/alsa/mlm/signup/.

If you have any questions about this update or would like more information, please contact the Advocacy Department at advocacy@alsa-national.org or 1-877-444-ALSA.

Thank you!