Dear Families and Friends,

School’s out and summer is officially here – time for rest, relaxation and fun in the sun!

But, we still have a lot of work to do for the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act!

After securing 100 cosponsors in the House, well-surpassing our final total from the 110th Congress of 85 cosponsors, it’s time to ramp up grassroots efforts and work towards our new goal: 150 cosponsors!

Be sure to check THOMAS periodically to see if your Members of Congress have signed on as cosponsors. Once they have, be sure to send them a message thanking them for their support!

If your Members have not signed on, here are some ways to make a difference:

1. Visit www.PetitionToCureSMA.com and sign your name. Forward the site to friends, family and coworkers, and encourage them to sign in support, too!
2. Reach out to your Members of Congress via email, fax, phone and let them know you’d like them to support the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act.
3. Schedule a meeting in your Members’ district offices during the summer recesses (you can find the 2010 Calendar HERE).

If you need any guidance or help, FightSMA is here as a resource for you. Please do not hesitate to contact Caroline Gibson, Public Affairs Coordinator, at 804-515-0080 or carolinegibson@fightsma.com.

Thank you for all you are doing to help fight SMA!

Dear Friends of FightSMA,

We are beyond thrilled to announce that on May 13, 2010, the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act (HR 2149, S 1158) officially broke 100 cosponsors in the House! We are delighted by this news and have YOU to thank!

Thanks to your hard work and dedication, we have reached our preliminary goal of 100 cosponsors and look forward to adding more names to the list.

In the 110th Congress, the SMA community built impressive bipartisan support for the bill and reached 85 cosponsors at the close of session. It is incredible and inspiring that we have surpassed that number in the 111th Congress.

Congratulations.

If your Congressman or Senators have not signed on yet and you’d like to see their name added to the list, we encourage you to reach out to your Members and let them know just how important this legislation is to you and to your community. If you’d like help with this outreach, please contact our office (carolinegibson@fightsma.com, 804-515-0080).

Thank you again for all you do to fight spinal muscular atrophy, the number-one genetic killer of children under the age of two.

Warmly,
Caroline Gibson
Public Affairs Coordinator

Just received word that the 100th member of the House of Representatives will sign on as a co-sponsor of the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act. Will update the list of co-sponsors once it is official.

On Tuesday, April 27th, attendees of the 2010 FightSMA Annual Conference in Washington, DC visited over 70 Congressional offices on behalf of the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act. Families and friends shared information about spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act (HR 2149, S 1158) with their Congressmen and Senators and encouraged them to cosponsor this historic and paramount legislation.

If you and your family were unable to attend the FightSMA Annual Conference, but would like to advocate for the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!

Below is a list of Congressional offices that were visited on Tuesday, April 27th. If you recognize your Members’ name(s) on this list, please reach out to them! Thank them for meeting with representatives from your district or state, and reiterate just how important this legislation is to you. Be sure to check THOMAS (http://thomas.loc.gov) to see if your Member is a cosponsor of HR 2149/S 1158. If so, please thank them for cosponsoring, and ask them to reach out to their colleagues to encourage them to cosponsor as well.

If they are not yet a cosponsor, tell them just how important this legislation is to you and ask them to join the growing list of Members of Congress who are in favor of this legislation that will take SMA research over the finish line.

We have indicated whether it was a Member meeting, or fielded by members of the respective Member’s legislative team. If you have any questions, or would like further assistance in contacting your Members of Congress, please contact Caroline Gibson (carolinegibson@fightsma.com, 804-515-0080).

Here’s to seeing the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act cross the finish line!!

House Meetings
Frank Kratovil (MD)- Staff Meeting
John Sarbanes (MD)- Member and Staff Meeting
Kathy Castor (FL)- Member Meeting
Steve Israel (NY)- Staff Meeting
Mike McMahon (NY)- Member Meeting
Yvette Clarke (NY)- Member Meeting
Carolyn Maloney (NY)- Staff Meeting
Elliot Engel (NY)- Member and Staff Meeting
Frank Pallone (NJ)- Staff Meeting
Pat Tiberi (OH)- Member and Staff Meeting
Jim Jordon (OH)- Staff Meeting
Mary Jo Kilroy (OH)- Staff Meeting
Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO)- Member Meeting
Rob Wittman (VA)- Member Meeting
Frank Wolf (VA)- Member Meeting
Glenn Nye (VA)- Member and Staff Meeting
Eric Cantor (VA)- Staff Meeting
Michael Michaud (ME)- Member Meeting
Virginia Foxx (NC)- Member Meeting
Mel Watt (NC)- Staff Meeting
Jan Schakowsky (IL)- Staff Meeting
Daniel Lipinski (IL)- Staff Meeting
Patrick Kennedy (RI)- Member and Staff Meeting
Jim Langevin (RI)- Member and Staff Meeting
Gregg Harper (MS)- Member Meeting
Gene Taylor (MS)- Staff Meeting
Travis Childers (MS)- Staff Meeting
Martin Heinrich (NM)- Staff Meeting
John Shadegg (AZ)- Staff Meeting
Cliff Stearns (FL)- Staff Meeting
Jay Inslee (WA)- Staff Meeting

Senate Meetings
Ben Cardin (MD)- Staff Meeting
Tom Carper (DE)- Staff Meeting
Ted Kaufman (DE)- Staff Meeting
Bill Nelson (FL)- Staff Meeting
George LeMieux (FL)- Staff Meeting
Orrin Hatch (UT)- Staff Meeting
Chuck Schumer (NY)- Staff Meeting
Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)- Staff Meeting
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)- Staff Meeting
Robert Menendez (NJ)- Staff Meeting
George Voinovich (OH)- Staff Meeting
Sherrod Brown (OH)- Staff Meeting
Johnny Isakson (GA)- Staff Meeting
Kit Bond (MO)- Staff Meeting
Mark Warner (VA)- Staff and Member Coffee
Jim Webb (VA)- Staff Meeting
Olympia Snow (ME)- Staff Meeting
Richard Burr (NC)- Member Meeting
Kay Hagan (NC)- Member Meeting
Roland Burris (IL)- Staff Meeting
Richard Durbin (IL)- Staff Meeting
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)- Member Meeting
Jack Reed (RI)- Member Meeting
Thad Cochran (MS)- Member Meeting
Tom Udall (NM)- Staff Meeting
Jeff Bingaman (NM)- Staff Meeting