Breast cancer research stamp update 10-16-01

We still need you to contact your members of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives as outlined in the following Action Alert.

Breast Cancer Research Stamp in Jeopardy -- Please Act Now.

The provision in the Treasury-Postal bill to extend the life of The Breast Cancer Research Stamp appears to be on the verge of getting dropped from the bill. It is important for breast cancer advocates who care about the fate of the semipostal to weigh in with Members of Congress who are on the Senate-House committee that will determine its future. Time is of the essence as discussions are occurring as we send this e-mail. They will be concluded soon.

It is particularly important for there to be a show of force for the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Appropriations Treasury-Postal Subcommittees, who are leading the Senate-House negotiations. At this stage in the game, phone calls are particularly important. The Senators and Representatives who are Chairmen and Ranking Members of the committee and particularly important to contact are:

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) (202) 224-2551

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) (202) 224-5852

Rep. Jim Istook (R-OK) (202) 225-2132

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) (202) 225-4131

Other Members who have an impact on the final decision of whether to extend the semipostal and should also be called are:

Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton (202) 224-4451 and Sen. Chuck Shumer (202)224-6542, reminding them not to lose sight of their commitment to breast cancer as they also push for their Sept. 11 semipostal.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) (202) 224-4654

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) (202) 224-5824

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) (202) 224-4642

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) (202) 224-3954

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) (202) 224-5744

Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) (202) 224-2315

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) (202)224-3004

Rep. Wolf (R-VA) (202) 225-5136

Rep. Anne Northup (R-NC) (202) 225-5401

Rep. John Sununu (R-NH) (202) 225-5456

Rep. Peterson John Peterson (R-PA) (202) 225-5121

Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) (202) 225-6216

Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) (202) 225-5614

Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA) (202) 225-3731

Rep. Carrie Meek (D-FL) (202) 225-4506

Rep. David Price (D-NC) (202) 225-1784

Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ) (202) 225-5061

Rep. Visclosky (D-IN) (202) 225-2461

Please call now – time is quickly running out to save the Breast Cancer Research Stamp!!

Key Points:

This issue has no cost to the government. In this time of fiscal concern, this is key.
The reissuance of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp does not preclude the issuance of other semipostal (fundraising) stamps. The Breast Cancer Research Stamp legislation allows for the creation of additional semipostals. The language format used in S. 1256 and H.R. 2725 was used by Sen. Clinton and Schumer to offer the World Trade Center Victims Assistance Stamp.
The Breast Cancer Research Stamp has been a proven success, raising nearly $23 million and increasing awareness in sales of over 310 million stamps in just over three years.
Nearly 200,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed last year and the disease killed more than 40,000 women.
Senate legislation to re-authorize the stamp gathered strong and rapid bi-partisan support from 87 Senator.
The House counterpart bill also quickly gathered strong gathered bi-partisan support from nearly two-fifths of the members, representing 39 states. We now have more than 200 bi-partisan co-sponsors from 42 states in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The framework for the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, its sale and the disbursal of the proceeds are already in place.
The Breast Cancer Research Stamp does not prevent the United States Postal Service from issuing other stamps. [There is an argument floating around Capitol Hill that the Postal Service has insufficient technology to handle two or three semipostal (fundraising) stamps at a time. This is weak. For example, the U.S. Postal Service returns all unsold stamps to clearinghouses. They can count the stamps at the end of the program.]

Additional Key Facts:

The House and Senate legislation is identical. Passage of the legislation will:

Reauthorize the stamp for an additional six years – from July 30, 2002 until July 29, 2008.
Permit additional semipostal (fundraising) stamps for other worthy causes to be issued during this time span.
Provide that the premium (cost above first-class postage rate) remains at least 15 percent higher than the cost of a regular first-class stamp, ensuring a steady stream of research funds regardless of inflation.
Continue to price the stamp in five-cent intervals, allowing for its continued sale through vending machines and other points of sale.

Members of the public can also reach their US Senators and Representatives by calling the main capital switchboard in Washington, DC at the United States Capital Building: (202) 225-3121. You can reach your members of Congress by calling this number Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

For more information and to stay up-to-date as our collective efforts move forward, please feel free to contact our office at (626) 332-2255 and continue to visit WIN Against Breast Cancer’s web site at www.winabc.org.

Money raised from sales of the Breast Cancer Research stamp goes to the National Institutes of Health breast cancer research program and the Department of Defense breast cancer research program.

For additional updates on the status of the legislation including lists of current co-sponsors, please visit the THOMAS World Wide Web System’s web site at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas2.html. You will be directed to search by bill number, so please reference Senate Bill number S. 1256 and House Bill number H.R. 2725.

Breast Cancer Research Stamps can be purchased by calling 1-800-STAMP 24 and on-line at: http://shop.usps.com (Product search keywords: Breast Cancer Research Stamp)

To learn more about the National Institutes of Health Breast Cancer Research Program and the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) breast cancer research grants derived from the stamp, visit:

http://newscenter.cancer.gov/pressreleases/stampawards.html

To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research Stamp and the involvement of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, visit:

http://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/factsheets/bcstampfactsheet.htm

Telephone calls, e-mails and letters to members of Congress do make a difference! Personalized letters tend to be more effective than form letters. It is a good idea to stick to one typewritten page. Please feel free to reproduce the letter or to change the letter to suit your style. If you choose to use the letter that we have provided here in this call to action to send directly to your members of Congress, please fill in the information that appears underlined and in parentheses. WIN ABC will also be happy to e-mail you a copy of this call to action and the template for this letter. To request this material via e-mail, please contact us at mail@winabc.org. Please feel free to make copies of these materials and distribute to more people. The more support, the better!

Please include the current date that you send the letter at the top (right side on sample letter) of the letter.

The Honorable (name of Senator, Congressman or Congresswoman; e.g., The Honorable Pat Smith)

Please sign your name and then print your name, your organization¹s name if applicable and your address in the areas specified below your signature on the accompanying letter.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has decided to discontinue the Breast Cancer Research Stamp next year in spite of the fact that public support, sales and money raised for research all remain strong. The USPS has sold over 310 million Breast Cancer Research Stamps in the past three years, raising over $21.5 million for vital research at the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense breast cancer research programs as of July 2001. The awareness that this stamp designed to save lives continues to raise is priceless.

On July 26 of this year, United States Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), together with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and 74 colleagues, introduced The Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act of 2001 -- S. 1256, which, if enacted, will extend the life of the first fundraising (“semipostal”) stamp in U.S. history for an additional six years - until July 29, 2008. The Senate bill already had nearly 80 co-sponsors -- almost 80% of the United States Senate on board before the summer recess.

United States Representative Sue Kelly (R-19-NY), together with Representatives David Dreier (R-28-CA), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-37-CA) and 125 colleagues, introduced the House companion bill on August 2 of this year. Over 25% of the U.S. House of Representatives had already signed on as co-sponsors to The Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act of 2001 -- H.R. 2725 before the summer recess.

I urge you to support the passage of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act of 2001 and thank you for your consideration on this very important matter.

Please sign your name and then print your name, your organization¹s name if applicable and your address in the areas specified below your signature on the accompanying letter.