|
| |
Senate Joint RESOLUTION 21 is DEAD!!!
(an update - and editorial)
UPDATE
In mid April, Board member Karen Upperton talked with Kathy in Senator
Judy Robson's about the progress of Resolution 21. After unanimous
passage in the State Senate, Resolution 21 was sent to the State
Assembly. Representative Peter Bock asked the Chair of the Health
Committee for a Public Hearing and several patients plus one physician
testified at this hearing in March. The Committee needed to vote on the
Resolution and send it to the Assembly floor for a vote before the
legislature recessed at the end of March. This DID NOT happen. The
Resolution is dead, considered a non issue.
If you recall, Senate Joint Resolution 21, sponsored by Senators Robson
and Chvala, was a resolution to recognize CFS as a disabling illness
that affects approximately 16,000 people in the state of Wisconsin. The
Resolution was to be a first step toward creating a bill that would
provide funds to a public health agency that would begin an education
and awareness campaign in the state of Wisconsin.
I called my representative, Tom Hebl, my Senator Chuck Chvala and
Representative Frank Urban, the Chair of the Assembly Health Committee,
to find out what happened. Representative Hebl's staff told me that some legislation takes 6 years
to get through and this Resolution was probably a low priority. Also it
appeared that we had primarily liberal Democratic sponsorship and we
might consider looking at Republican sponsorship in the future.
Representative Urban's office staff told me that they received the
resolution from the Senate too late for full consideration and that had
the Resolution gone onto the Assembly floor for a vote, it may very well
have passed. Apparently, at the end of this legislative session,
delegates were scrambling to vote on a few important issues. Our
Resolution, like others, was not a priority.
Senator Chvala's staff said that the Resolution could have passed out of
Committee, but became one of the issues, a small one, that did not move
because of political battles between a Democratic Senate and a
Republican Assembly.
I asked each staffer what our options are at this point. The next
legislative session begins in January 2001. One suggested that we do
nothing until then. Another said we might try to meet with Health
Committee personnel in the upcoming months and yet another said to ask
as many people as possible to write or call their Assembly
representative. Senator Robson's office has several other ideas we plan
to pursue.
EDITORIAL
I am upset about this. Upset that we went to two hearings, waited to
testify for 4 hours at the first and two hours at the second, and asked
many people to write or call their delegate about Resolution 21. This is
a small effort for healthy people, but a huge effort for us. Many people
with their bills and resolutions were left hanging at the end of this legislative session.
SO 16,000 CFS patients in the state of Wisconsin are not a priority? The
fact is, as I made these calls, two staffers didn't know a thing about
CFS. One said to me, "Is that an illness or something?" They were all
very nice after I explained that the illness is called Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis and that we don't turn out in droves because many
people are housebound with severe symptoms on a daily basis.
My personal opinion is that if the Packer legislation could come before
the assembly and pass within a week, why could not our tiny resolution
pass in 5 minutes? I see too much suffering to be concerned about
Lambeau field.
We have people in this state who have complication after complication.
How many CFS patients do you know who have one diagnosis? The incidence
of Neurally Mediated Hypotention or some form of Autonomic disorder is
huge in our patient population. Diabetes, osteoporosis, pancreatitis,
Lupus, Celiac Sprue, Ulcerative Colitis, Fibromyalgia and Cancer are not
at all uncommon conditions within our group. People are suffering and I
for one am NOT going to let this pass.
LET ME BE CLEAR that your Assembly delegates did not have the chance
to even vote on Resolution 21. Republican or Democrat, s/he may have
supported it. YOU NEED TO CALL OR WRITE TO YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE. BY
CALLING THE LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE - 1800 362 9472, you can find out who
that person is.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO THIS, PLEASE, PLEASE, ASK A FRIEND, RELATIVE OR
SIGNIFICANT OTHER TO CALL FOR YOU.
In a call you might start out by saying that you have CFS and that you
would like to express your disappointment that Resolution 21 was not put
to a vote on the Assembly Floor. You might give a brief description of
how CFS has affected your life and that we need action in the next
session of the legislature. If you have any personal connection to this
delegate, it is important to mention it!
In a letter you could do the same. Handwritten letters, even short, are
very good!
The key is numbers. The key is numbers. Please make that one call. In
the Fall issue of the lifeline, we will ask you to call one more time.
By January of 2001, I want every delegate in the state legislature to
know we are not going to give up on this thing!
One more point...If you feel comfortable now and not inclined to make
that communication, will you do it please for the young person we have
sitting up at UW hospital. She has CFS, and FM, has had 6 surgeries
since December, has multiple infections, and has a life in ruin.
Pat Fero
April 28, 2000
|
