This weekend, Congress completed work on a large spending bill that maintains funding for colorectal cancer research and prevention. In the current budget-cutting environment, holding the line on research and prevention programs is a remarkable accomplishment and reflects the power of grassroots advocacy.

I congratulate the Fight Colorectal Cancer volunteers who took action this year to protect colorectal cancer research and prevention funding. We should be proud of our achievements, but we cannot become complacent. We must prepare for the Fiscal Year 2013 budget battle that lies ahead. Please register to attend Fight Colorectal Cancer’s Call-on Congress next March – where advocates from around the country will be urging their legislators to continue to protect colorectal cancer research funding.

The following are the spending outcomes on Fight Colorectal Cancer’s three appropriations priorities:

• The Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP)
• The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and
• The Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP)

Note: The funding levels described below for the CRCCP and NCI do not reflect a 0.189 percent across-the-board cut that will be applied to all discretionary programs under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, with the exception of the Pell Grant Program.

Colorectal Cancer Control Program
Despite threats of deep spending cuts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received a slight increase, which allowed funding for the CRCCP to be preserved at its current level of $43.07 million. The CRCCP currently funds colorectal cancer programs in 25 states and four tribal organizations. Funded sites can use up to one-third of funds to provide no-cost screening services to eligible low-income men and women age 50-64. The remaining two-thirds of funds are for colorectal cancer education and outreach strategies. Maintaining CRCCP funding allows education and screening programs currently underway to continue. If funding for CRCCP was increased, education and screening programs could be expanded to more states.

National Institutes of Health

For FY2012, the NIH will receive a $299 million increase in its budget, with the various Institutes and Centers receiving
proportional increases, resulting in $5.082 billion for the NCI. The outcome reflects compromise between the $1 billion increase for the NIH in the House Labor-HHS -Education spending bill and the $190 million cut in the Senate bill. In addition to $30.698 billion for the NIH, the bill also includes $10 million for the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN), which was established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The purpose of CAN is to accelerate the testing of high-need cures – drugs, biologics and devices – that are not attractive for development within the commercial market.

Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program
Another important victory for the colorectal cancer community was the inclusion of $12.8 million for the Department of Defense’s (DoD) PRCRP. Comparatively, the PRCRP received $16 million for FY2011. While the program’s budget was decreased, some in Congress have called for the elimination of non-defense spending, including funding for medical research, from the DoD spending bill. The PRCRP funds research on several forms of cancer, including colorectal cancer.

On Wednesday March 9, advocates from all across the country are heading to the hill to talk to Congress as part of Fight Colorectal Cancer’s annual Call-on Congress lobby day. You can join them in the fight from your home or office. We’ve put together everything you need to be a virtual lobbyist.

The Virtual Lobby Day is an opportunity for patients, survivors, caregivers, health care providers, and researchers across the country to join together with one voice to tell Congress that you believe that the time has come for Congress to make colorectal cancer a top legislative priority!

Between your phone calls and the in-person visits from advocates who are in DC, Congress will hear us loud and clear. Join us today, and raise your voice.

When you call your legislators, you will be asking them to support the following 5 legislative priorities:

• The Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act (H.R. 912; S. 494).
• The Fight Colorectal Cancer Stamp Act (H.R. 893).
• Funding for the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program at the Department of Defense for Fiscal Year 2011 and 2012.
• Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) for Fiscal Year 2011 and 2012.
• Funding for the National Cancer Institute for Fiscal Year 2011 and 2012.

Before you call, please review the following documents (click each to download PDF file):

• Colorectal Cancer Basic Facts
• Background on the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act (H.R. 912/S. 494)
• Background on the Fight Colorectal Cancer Act (H.R. 893)
• Background on the need for continued funding for colorectal cancer research and cancer control programs (use this to backup/support the requests for appropriations funding)

Each of the documents has talking points on each bill and request. You don’t need to use all of the talking points just pick out one or two that you are most comfortable with to tell the offices when you call them.

You should plan out what you want to say before you call so that you can get the “ask” across in a few brief sentences.

Below is a step-by-step guide of what to say when you reach your legislators.

1. The first thing to do when you call is identify yourself as a constituent. Give the office your name and address. You want to make sure your legislators know you live in their state and district!
2. Then go through the “ask.”You should say, “I’m calling today to ask my Senator/Representative to:
   • COSPONSOR the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act (H.R. 912; S. 494).
   • COSPONSOR the Fight Colorectal Cancer Stamp Act (H.R. 893).
   • SUPPORT funding for the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) at the Department of Defense for Fiscal Year 2011 and 2012. At a minimum I request that you fund the CRCCP at its current level of $16 million for the remainder of FY2011. And for Fiscal Year 2012, please fund this program at $75 million.
   • SUPPORT funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) for Fiscal Year 2011 and 2012. At a minimum I request that you fund the CRCCP at its current level of $45 million for the remainder of FY2011. And for Fiscal Year 2012, please fund this program at $70 million.
   • SUPPORT funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for Fiscal Year 2011 and 2012. At a minimum I request that you fund the NCI at its current level of $5.1 billion for the remainder of FY2011. And for Fiscal Year 2012, please fund this program at $5.76 billion.”
3. At the end of the call, remember to thank the staffer you talk with for their time and for “passing my request on to your boss.”

Please call all three of your legislators (your two Senators and your Representative) with this request. Simply dial the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask the operator to transfer you to your legislators.

The time you take to prepare and call-in as a virtual lobbyist will make a big difference. We need your voice to help us get members signed onto these bills as cosponsors.

If you have any questions about exactly what to say during your phone calls, please call Fight Colorectal Cancer’s policy director Catherine Knowles at 202-276-5682 or email her at Catherine@FightColorectalCancer.org.

The House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved its fiscal year 2011 funding bill on Thursday, July 15 by a vote of 11-5.

The bill would provide $76.7 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services.  This is $3.8 billion more than last year’s funding level and about $270 million more than the President requested.

For the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the bill would provide $32 billion.  This is an increase of $1 billion over last year’s funding level or about a 3.2% increase and is equal to the President’s request for NIH.  The funding for NIH includes $50 million for the Cures Acceleration Network.

Chairman Obey’s statement identifies NIH funding as one of the bill’s priorities:

“this year’s bill puts the emphasis on translating basic research results into practical and available cures and treatments. Among other things, it permits NIH to use up to $50 million to launch a newly authorized program aimed at that objective, which is called the Cures Acceleration Network.”

For the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the bill would provide nearly $6.8 billion.  This is an increase of $32 million over last year’s funding level and $170 million over the President’s request.  The bill also appropriates an additional $594 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to the CDC.

The CDC funding includes:

• $7.6 billion for the Health Resources and Services Administration
• $3.58 billion for the Substance Abuse and the Mental Health Services Administration
• $411 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to consider its funding bill on Thursday.