ASRT Grass-roots Network Urgent Call-to-Action

Senate_HELP     House_E&C      

Dear ASRT Grass-roots Network member:

You are receiving this email because you are listed as a member of the ASRT Grass-roots Network. Although you may not be a member of the ASRT you, at one time, joined the GRN because you believed in the importance of your profession and advocating for patient healthcare. You asked to be involved with helping influence legislation at the state and federal levels and agreed to contact your representative and senators when a call-to-action is requested by the ASRT. Now is such a time!  

Due to articles in the New York Times about radiation over-exposure there is a keen interest on Capitol Hill in passing legislation that will provide radiation safety for patients…and the CARE bill is the main vehicle for this driving force. The CARE bill is a good thing. The CARE bill is ready! That being said, there are always issues to overcome and because the 111^th Congress will be coming to a close in December we have a very short window for getting the CARE bill passed into law. 

Read carefully  what’s happening with the CARE bill and what you need to do to make its passage a success. I feel compelled to apologize for this lengthy e-mail; but, I am hoping you feel compassionate enough about your profession to read through its entirety — I have some very important information to share! 

In the Senate

 The situation:

• S. 3737 was introduced on August 5 by senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Tom Harkin (D-IA), both leading members of the Senate Health, Energy, Labor and Pensions Committee that has jurisdiction over the CARE bill.
• Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Richard Burr (R-NC), also both on the HELP Committee, have signed on as lead cosponsors.

What you need to do:  

• Contact your senators and ask them to sign on as a cosponsor of S. 3737 by contacting Todd Spangler in Sen. Enzi’s office.
• Open the link titled Senate HELP. If you have a senator on this committee ask that the CARE bill moves through committee quickly.

In the House of Representatives

The situation:

• H.R. 3652 currently has 117 cosponsors and has tremendous support. Word is on Capitol Hill that everyone wants to see it pass. They’re all for it! However, because of the CARE bill’s popularity and known reputation, the House Energy & Commerce Committee is looking to create a more comprehensive radiation safety package by attaching other bills to it (such as a radiation dose registry or error reporting). While these are good concepts the problem is, they’re not ready. And the CARE Bill is! 

What you need to do:

• Contact your representative and ask him or her to not only cosponsor the CARE bill, but ask that help it pass this Congress. 
• They need to contact Hill Thomas in Rep. John Barrow’s office to find out what they need to do to ensure passage before December.
• Open the link titled House_E&C. If your representative is a member of this committee let them know you are counting on his or her help in getting the CARE bill passed.

In order to be successful in the 111^th Congress you must act quickly. Congress is in recess until Sept. 14. While your elected officials are home working in their state call or, better yet, visit their local office. Let them know how important passage of the CARE bill is to you and others in your community. Of course, don’t neglect the D.C. office. Send them an e-mail stating you are a constituent and need their help. 

Here are more tips to help you be successful:

• Send information about the CARE bill. Such as: a copy of S.3737 or H.R. 3652, CARE Bill FAQs and a copy of the CARE Bill brochure all found on the ASRT website under the Legislative and Regulatory section.
• A brief personalized email is the best way to go; however, to save time, consider using the ASRT eAdvocacy for You site. Just click on the Take Action tab and personalize the message I have started for you.
• Visit the newly created grass-roots webpage, Take It Further, and listen to some of the tutorials designed to give you tips on using the eAdvocacy for You site and contacting Congress. 
• The ASRT Committee on R.T. Advocacy is dedicated to helping you learn more about advocacy and making a difference in your profession. Find out who they are on the Making a Difference page and then contact them for help.
• If you are an ASRT member you can read issues of the Legislative Review online newsletter that have helpful articles on being a stronger advocate.

There are more than 1500 GRN members…think of the impact we would have if each of you took 10 minutes out of your day and wrote a brief e-mail to your representative and senators. I’m sure our united voice would be heard.

Our message is simple: The CARE bill it is a good thing, it’s non-controversial, it’s bipartisan and it’s ready!

Thank you for your help. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Syd Sanders

ASRT Grass-roots Coordinator

ssanders@asrt.org

1-800-444-2778, Ext. 1322