Report from Washington D.C. Trip with United for Lung Health

I joined the Respiratory Health Association's United for Lung Health Advocacy Group for two days of lobbying in Washington D.C. representing IFAEA. I traveled at my own expense. Next year, I want others to help me represent IFAEA. IFAEA's common concerns with Respiratory Health Association and other advocates is asthma. Teens and young adults with a nut allergy and asthma are the ones who suffer fatal reactions. The report is divided into

1. Background information; 
2. Talking points; and 
3. Representative visits. Read all or some.

I. Background information that I learned:

• 6,000-7,000 bills are introduced yearly. 
• There is a large backlog of health care bills since there has been a Republican controlled Congress for so long. 
• It takes nearly 10 years for a bill to finally become a law, but many remain dormant in committees and are never passed. 
• The House debates a rule before it debates the bill. For us, H.R. 2063, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (FAAMA) was passed out of the House with the rules suspended and by a voice vote. Thus, no rule was debated. It went through quickly. 
• The House has time limits on debate for each bill, but the Senate does not. Therefore, bills move much slower in the Senate. Expect FAAMA to move slower. 
• FAAMA is in the committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy.

II. Talking Points:

My talking points, in addition to the food allergy and asthma connection were:

• Thanking the Representatives for passing H.R. 2063, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (FAAMA) out of the House. 
• I informed them that Illinois has 10 food allergy parent-support groups and no state policy for schools and food allergies.
• I asked them to increase funding at NIH and the CDC. 
• I asked them to support the Family Asthma Act which would support local educational efforts. 
• I asked them who the key person in the Senate would be to contact to push H.R. 2063.

At all visits, I spoke to staffers.

III. Congressional visits:

Rep. Nita Lowey (N.Y.) Rep. Lowey introduced FAAMA last year. The staffer was very informative and passionate about food allergies. She said that the bill is in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee chaired by Sen. Kennedy. If we want the bill to move, then we need to convince him. (His nephew RFK, Jr.'s child has a food allergy. This is the bill to move. Perhaps Rahm Emanuel can help us. See below)

• Not Very Good News: Senator Dodd has a nearly identical bill in the Senate. S. 1232. The difference between the bills: MONEY! That's the problem. S. 1232 offers schools money to establish these school food allergy policies. It's a carrot for them to do it. Sen. Dodd won't move the bill unless the $$ section is attached. Rep. Lowey's bill, HR 2063 has no grant $$ for the schools attached.
• Bad News: Sen. Coburn has put a hold on every bill that requires funding. (See http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=HoldItems.Home) Another block for Dodd's bill.

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. IFAEA had just been in his district at an asthma and allergy fair so I told him how eager the residents were for information. The staffer believed that the President would veto any bill that asks for funding. (That's Dodd's bill.) He was passionate about the need for access for health care for everyone.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (N.Y.) Her staffer indicated that in this election year, the President will not sign legislation from a Democratic controlled Congress which would be beneficial for the Democratic Party. Rep. Rahm Emanuel I did not meet with him personally but others who did reported that he professed his commitment to food allergies. Since he has been so active in Democratic politics perhaps he is the one to convince Sen. Kenney to move the bill out of committee.