July is approaching (and fast!) which means that the dog days are here - and I'm not talking about the weather.

Appropriations has a full slate of activity scheduled for now through the end of July.  The House is scheduled to take on LHHS and Defense the last half of the month before the August break.  Both bills are important as they provide almost $400 million in research funding for prostate cancer.  The Senate (which is staying in session an extra week to Aug. 10) should be able to finish their work on those bills as well.

Obviously, our attention is divided this summer as health care reform starts to build up steam.  There are many challenges ahead.  Our primary focus is to make sure that men are armed with information and can get the care they need.

Among the hot topics for debate will be universal health care (and all of the little tangents that go with it).  One thing that is of primary concern to us is the fact that irregardless of who is paying for what or how men are covered - it will be of little comfort under the current policies of our federal government as set by the US Preventative Services Task Force which does not recommend screening for prostate cancer.

Government plays a large role in the information that is distributed about many diseases from research (NIH) to prevention and control (CDC) to treatments and drugs (FDA).  Recommendations like those from the USPSTF are detrimental to outreach and awareness, and a disservice to all men - but especially those men who are at highest risk for prostate cancer.

If we cannot reach those men (the ones at highest risk for prostate cancer), then mortality rates will not continue on their current declining track.

These issues are not the only ones we are watching, but unless we start taking action and standing up for ourselves, we will be lost in the shuffle of health care reform.

Congress is back after a one-week work period.

By my calculation, there are 24 "working" days before they adjourn for the August work period and the agenda is packed with health care reform, energy legislation, supplemental and regular spending legislation, and in case you haven't heard - a Supreme Court nomination.

Health care reform is said to be on track for floor action in July.  The outline that President Obama has introduced appears to garner more agreement than disagreement, but the while the number of categories of disagreement may be low, the CONTENT of that disagreement may be challenging for both sides.

For instance, we know that raising taxes will be contentious and there is very little bi-partisan support for government-run insurance.  There are at least 6 different GOP versions of health care reform from various caucuses between the House and the Senate.  While this does not mean that each one will get it time on the floor, it does mean that there are a number of issues and ideas that Members are prepared to introduce and discuss before the final bill is passed in the House or Senate - and then they will have to negotiate an agreement between the House and Senate.  Go ahead and strap in because it's going to get bumpy.

President Obama has asked that Judge Sonia Sotomayor be confirmed before the August break - which begins August 10.  Even a relatively smooth process will eat away at time on the Senate floor.

House and Senate leaders will also be working to finish a supplemental appropriations bill before turning to the FY2010 appropriations cycle.  There are rumors of a potential markup in the House later this week.

The energy package has nothing to do with prostate cancer or health care, but is an important bill that has been in the works for a couple of years.

Now - if they actually put in 5-day work weeks, there could be as many as 39 legislative days before the August Break - but realistically, most work is done between Tuesday and Thursday.  Who knows - maybe they'll work Friday's too.

The House Dear Colleague letter has been circulated and we are deep in the throws of encouraging Members in the House to sign the letter asking the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to include $125 million for prostate cancer research in their bill this year.  I have not received an update of how many or who has agreed to do so yet, but I hope to have that list soon.

There is no update yet on the Senate Dear Colleague, but I hope to have that soon as well.

In other news:

We've had some very good meetings recently including with Alabama freshman Congressman Parker Griffith (5th district) who is an oncologist and was very excited to hear about the work we are doing.

We are currently working with Sen. Schumer (NY) and Rep. Marshall (GA08) to bring the NY delegation on-board as original co-sponsors of the Thomas J. Manton Prostate Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Act.  Once that happens, the bill will be introduced.  There may be a press conference arranged to announce the bill.

The PRIME Act has also been discussed recently, but an exact date for introduction has not been made clear.

I am not aware of any other legislation either pending or introduced.

If you are interested in knowing more about any of these please feel free to contact me, or if you have information about other relevant legislation, please let me know so I can start looking for it.

By now, hopefully everyone knows about the stimulus package.  While the increased funding for research at NIH is welcome, our job here has only just begun.  Funding at NIH is difficult to direct or track beyond the initial appropriation and the subsequent breakout into the various institutes at NIH.  Thus, it will be difficult to tell what this really mean in regards to prostate cancer research until awards start getting handed out.

Thus we must make sure that our efforts to increase prostate cancer research at DOD do not waiver.  I am still awaiting word from our lead offices in the Senate and House that the letter has been drafted, but this should not dissuade you from contacting your Representative and Senators today.  You can help us today by visiting our joint website at www.fundresearchnow.org.

Other things that are coming down the pipe:

The Thomas J. Manton Bill will be introduce soon.  I know some of you are very interested in this bill, and I will try to make sure to keep you in the loop on this as we work towards introduction of this bill in early March (tentatively).

The PRIME Act will also be re-introduced sometime later this Spring.  An exact date is unknown at this time, but we will be talking more about this bill as well.

A House resolution for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month will be introduced sometime this Spring or early-Summer.  The hope is to pass this resolution sometime in September.

As always, there will be a Senate Resolution that will also be introduced and passed in early-September.

There will be other prostate cancer specific legislation introduced this year and certainly during the 2nd session of the 111th Congress as well, and we will track and update you as those bills and resolutions emerge.  Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you know of legislation that has been introduced or will soon be introduced so that we can help you get the word out and get support for those legislative efforts as well.

 

[NOTE:  This was supposed to be in today's edition of AWARE, however AWARE will not be going out until Thursday, but I wanted to let you know how things seem to be shaking up.  Check back soon for action items and how we plan to get a jump on the 111th Congress.]

The Congressional Landscape

After an historic Presidential election, we look at the new Congressional landscape that will certainly have its own impact on determining the direction President-elect Obama’s administration will take.

The big picture is still up in the air with 4 Senate seats and a handful of House races still up in the air (at the time of writing this report).

What we know is Democrats gained at least 5 seats in the Senate and 12 seats in the House and the work to educate the new members of Congress about prostate cancer will begin as soon as possible.

The key races involving supporters of prostate cancer issues should prove to be mostly positive.

In Georgia, Rep. Jim Marshall won handily and will return to fight for research funding and screening for uninsured men.  As for prostate cancer supporter Senator Saxby Chambliss, he currently holds a slim lead in his race, but at this time it is still yet to be called.

Senator Elizabeth Dole has lost her seat to Kay Hagen in North Carolina.  Senator-elect Hagen is an early target to support prostate cancer.

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, a prostate cancer survivor, currently holds a narrow lead to retain his Senate seat, but still faces the felony conviction handed down by a grand jury just before the election.

Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has retained his seat and will continue to be a primary target to help increase prostate cancer research funding.

In Florida, while Rep. Tim Mahoney was defeated, other prostate cancer supporters held their seats and the task at hand is to reach out and gain support from the new members of the Florida delegation.

Senator-elect Mark Udall in Colorado has a history of prostate cancer support and solidifying his support in the Senate is also a high priority.

In other key races involving prostate cancer supporters:
Nevada: Jon Porter lost.
Kansas: Nancy Boyda lost.
New Hampshire: Carol Shea-Porter won.
Connecticut: Christopher Shays lost.
South Carolina: Henry Brown won.
Kentucky: John Yarmuth won.

We are still analyzing the makeup of the new Congress and will be setting our sights on initial targeted members of Congress to begin educating them about prostate cancer.  If you have specific questions about your Representative or Senators, please contact Kevin or Marie.

Who Are We Watching?

The expectation today is that sweeping changes will be made to the Congressional landscape, and here is a primer for key Senate and Congressional races to watch for as the results start to trickle in this evening.

In Alaska, prostate cancer survivor Senator Ted Stevens faces an uphill battle after being convicted of 7 felony charges of filing false disclosure statements.  Stevens is the ranking member of the Senate Defense Appropriation Subcommittee.

Senator Wayne Allard (CO) is retiring and will likely be replaced by current Rep. Mark Udall (CO02) who has supported research funding for prostate cancer in the past.  Marilyn Musgrave (CO04) another past supporter for research funding trails in the polls to challenger Betsy Markey.

Tim Mahoney (FL16) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL21) are both supporters for prostate cancer research and also both on the endangered list.  Florida has been a state where support from the delegation has been hard to win, so losing 2 there would be a hard loss to take.  Additionally, we’re losing key support on the House Appropriations Committee in Dr. Dave Weldon (FL15) – probable replacement State Senator Bill Posey is at least familiar with prostate cancer issues having chaired the committee with jurisdiction over the prostate cancer insurance mandate bill before the Florida legislature last year.

Jim Marshall (GA08) is a key leader for prostate cancer in the House as original sponsor of the Thomas J. Manton Early Detection and Treatment Act and a supporter for research funding.  He currently holds a slim lead in the polls, but is a target in a district that voted 61% for Bush and will likely garner higher numbers for McCain.  Senator Saxby Chambliss supports prostate cancer issues and holds a slim lead in the polls against challenger Jim Martin.

Elizabeth Dole, who has been an ally in the Senate on prostate cancer issues and whose husband former Senator Bob Dole is a prostate cancer survivor, trails in most polls to newcomer Kay Hagen.

Vito Fosella (NY13), Michael McNulty (NY21), James Walsh (NY25), and Thomas Reynolds (NY26) are all leaving office for various reasons which takes 4 solid prostate cancer supporters off of our list and leaves us with unknown levels of support in the coming year.

John Murtha (PA12), chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, leads holds a narrow lead in the polls after making disparaging remarks about his district on television recently.  Christopher Carney (PA10) is the Democratic-incumbent in a strong Republican district.  He supports funding for prostate cancer research.  Phil English (PA03) is past supporter for research funding trails in the polls to Democratic challenger Kathleen Ann "Kathy" Dahlkemper.

In Virginia, retiring Senator John Warner, a supporter of prostate cancer research funding, will likely be succeeded by former Governor Mark Warner (no relation).  While then-Gov. Warner signed a proclamation designating September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Virginia, like other newcomers he will be an unknown initially.  Tom Davis’ (VA11) retirement leaves another hole that will likely be filled by Democrat candidate Gerry Connelly.

Other key races we’re watching today include:

Jon Porter (NV03)
Nancy Boyda (KS02)
Carol Shea-Porter (NH01)
Christopher Shays (CT04)
Henry Brown (SC01)
John Yarmuth (KY03)

Read AWARE tomorrow for a report on today’s results on these and other key races.