eInsights - January 2011

Take Time in 2011 to Educate the New Congress about Spina Bifida

The New Year brings with it a new Congress, and new opportunities for the Spina Bifida Association’s efforts in the nation’s capital. As you probably know, the majority in the House of Representatives has changed from Democrats to Republicans, and a number of Senate seats changed hands as well. All told, more than 100 new Senators and Representatives were sworn in on January 5th, one of the largest turnovers in recent history.

The 112th Congress provides us with the ability educate the new Members of Congress and their staff about Spina Bifida and the challenges faced by affected individuals and their families. It is important that we, as Spina Bifida advocates, continue to make our voices heard so that lawmakers understand the specific needs of the more than 166,000 Americans living with all forms of Spina Bifida.

We encourage you to contact your Representative and Senators – particularly the new members of the House and Senate – and urge them to show their support for the Spina Bifida community by joining the Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus (if they have not already done so). To see if your Members of Congress are in the Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus, click here.

The Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus is a group of Representatives and Senators dedicated to advancing research and public health initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for people with Spina Bifida. Under the leadership of Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) in the House and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) in the Senate, the Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus plays a vital role in ensuring that the interests of individuals with Spina Bifida are at the forefront as lawmakers craft legislation. The Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus has always been a bipartisan effort with members of both parties taking an interest in Spina Bifida and remains so in the 112th Congress; however, due to retirements, we lost our two Democratic co-chairs – we’ll be working hard this year to identify new ones!

We are very fortunate to count nearly 40 Members of the 112th Congress already among the ranks of the Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus, but each new Member added gets us one step closer to our goals. Elected officials appreciate hearing from their constituents, and your phone call or e-mail can have a real impact in getting your Representative and Senators to act as leaders on Spina Bifida and disability issues. Please click here to ask your Members of Congress to join the caucus!

This year, more than ever, Spina Bifida advocates need to reach out to their elected officials and urge them to support funding for the National Spina Bifida Program at the National Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Center at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In just a few short years, the National Spina Bifida Program has developed an impressive array of programs, initiatives, and resources to support and empower patients, families, and health care providers with the information they need to prevent secondary effects and complications of Spina Bifida. With Congress and the President under pressure to reduce federal spending, it is vital that we highlight the many successes of the Spina Bifida program to ensure that it will continue to be fully funded. As the funding process gets under way this spring, SBA will be calling on you to take action to help maintain this critical program!

SBA looks forward to providing you with updates in the coming months on our advocacy efforts, including ways that you can help to ensure that Spina Bifida and their loved ones continue to receive the support they need. To join us in our efforts during the 112th Congress, or for more information, please sign up to receive our alerts on the SBA Web site.