----Original Message Follows---- From: Stop Global AIDS Action Network <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Urge Senator Coleman to Fight AIDS SEND EMAIL~a6507u2301t0~ Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 07:00:04 -0700 (PDT) ACTION ALERT! URGE SENATOR COLEMAN TO COSPONSOR S. 1009, AND TO SUPPORT DEBT RELIEF AS PART OF THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS. ACTION IS EXPECTED IN THE FULL SENATE MAY 15 - THIS THURSDAY! ==> HIT YOUR REPLY BUTTON NOW TO AUTOMATICALLY SEND AN EMAIL TO YOUR SENATORS ==> PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL COLEMAN'S OFFICE - IT JUST TAKES A FEW MINUTES! (202) 224-5641 - ask for Chief of Staff Tom Mason ==> FAX HIM A LETTER (SEE SAMPLE BELOW) to 202-224-1152 (fax) Dear Senator Coleman: I believe AIDS is a crisis affecting all humanity and that the US must do its fair share to help combat it. As your constituent, I urge you to ensure the FY 2004 budget includes adequate funds to fight AIDS. At a minimum, I hope you will co-sponsor S 1009, being considered later this week, and I urge you to support the Santorum-Biden debt relief amendment to the bill to make sure more debt relief is provided to help stop AIDS and poverty. Please also help ensure the level of funding in S 1009 is actually appropriated. Health experts agree that bold action is needed, beyond what the President has proposed for FY 2004. A fair share from the US would be $3.5 billion for direct services to combat AIDS. This is an amount would help encourage contributions from other wealthy nations as well as meet the desperate need of programs around the world. This money needs to be provided for programs that have a balanced, flexible approach to AIDS prevention that takes into account the impact of the crisis on women and girls. A balanced approach is vital to our success, and so I urge you to fully support the super-efficient Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Global Fund is a fast and reliable mechanism that can truly save lives. Yet, the Fund is running out of resources. So I ask you to support providing $1.7 billion of the $3.5 billion to the Global Fund, and I urge you to call for an Emergency Supplemental Budget for FY 2003 that includes $500 million for the Global Fund. Because of the seriousness of the orphans crisis, I also urge you to support providing $300 million of the total figure for services and programs for children orphaned by AIDS. These children are counting on the United States to do its utmost. I also urge you to support full funding for programs to address the serious AIDS epidemic in our own country, including programs that ensure access to AIDS medications. There is no question these resources can be productively used right away. So, please use my tax dollars to help stop these diseases of mass destruction. Keep me informed of your decisions in this matter. Sincerely, YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS BACKGROUND: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar (R-IN), ranking Democrat Joe Biden (D-DE), and global health leader Senator John Kerry (D-MA), have just introduced S 1009, a strong AIDS, TB and malaria authorizing bill. This bill recommends significantly increased spending to fight these global diseases. It will not provide actual funds, but if it passes it will help us make the argument to the Congressional committees which *can* actually provide funds that the Congress backs higher spending. Senate action is expected quickly, with the full Senate scheduled to act on the matter next Thursday May 15. At that time, Senate Majority Leader Frist is expected to urge the Senate to approve what the House passed last week, HR 1298. Other Senators will back S 1009, which in most respects is better. Then there will be votes on the competing bills. HR 1298 is a step forward, but it does not contain adequate language for deeper debt relief. Plus, it's support for the Global Fund is still too weak and there are urealistic and unnecessary provisions regarding abstinence as a method of AIDS prevention, as well as other provisions. Senators Santorum and Biden will offer an amendment for deeper debt cancellation to become part of the Senate AIDS bill, whichever version is approved. We need to garner support for the Santorum/Biden amendment that would actually double existing debt relief for qualifying countries. The amendment would ensure that the bill requires (not just recommends) deeper debt relief. To find out who your Senator is, visit: www.senate.gov To call the Capitol Switchboard, dial 202-224-3121 and ask for your Senator by name. Ask for the staff person who handles issues of foreign aid and debt relief. Be sure to say where you are calling from. Ask them to co-sponsor S 1009 and to support the Santorum/Biden debt relief amendment. Tell them you support designating 10% of authorized funds for programs to meet the needs of orphaned children. Also fax a letter to the Senators' offices. Overview of Lugar-Biden-Kerry bill, S 1009: -------------------------------------------------- -- Recommends $1 billion for the Global Fund in 2004 and $1.2 billion in 2005, with $500 million in 2004 and $600 million in 2005 as guaranteed minimum funding, and the rest authorized to be provided by the U.S. on a "matching grant" basis, with the US able to provide up to 33% of total funding. -- Calls for $2.8 billion overall to fight AIDS, TB and malaria in 2004 and $3.2 billion in 2005. -- Leaves out problematic abstinence-related provisions that were included in the House bill. Overview of the Santorum/Biden debt relief amendment: ------------------------------------------------------- -- Nearly DOUBLES current debt relief for the world's poorest nations by cutting an additional $1 Billion in both bilateral and multilateral debt service annually -- Adds to the current criteria for "debt sustainability" by saying no country that currently qualifies for HIPC debt relief should pay more than 5% of its budget on debt service annually (10% if the country has no health emergency) -- Allows the poorest countries to redirect more of their scarce revenues into increased spending on education, health and the crucial fight against HIV/AIDS === Why support the Global Fund? The Global Fund is the most efficient way to get help fast to people with AIDS in Africa and elsewhere. Grants by the Global Fund are putting half a million people on life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and supporting a 6-fold increase in the number of people in Africa receiving these drugs. Supporting the Global Fund is the best way to leverage Europe and other nations to do their fair share to fight AIDS. With info from www.results.org and www.jubileeusa.org Encourage others to call for an end to the global AIDS crisis by joining the Stop Global AIDS Action Network at http://takeaction.stopglobalaids.org/join.asp And, be sure to visit our Partner Groups at http://www.stopglobalaids.com/partners/index.html ++++++++++++++++++++++++ You received this message because [log in to unmask] is a member of the mailing list originating from [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe from all mailing lists originating from [log in to unmask], send an email to [log in to unmask] _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus