Winning Spirit Newsletter Winter 2010

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I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each of you for being a part of our state advocacy initiative, The Hemophilia Standards of Care Act. With the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passing HB 620 in August, our work will now focus on gathering support for this Act in the state Senate. We need to work quickly, as we have just about one year to have this important legislation passed as well in the Senate and signed into law. We must complete this whole process by the end of 2010 (the end of this current 2-year legislative session); otherwise, we must reintroduce in both the House and Senate and start the same process all over again beginning in 2011!

Senate Bill 668, The Hemophilia Standards of Care Act is sponsored by Senator Sean Logan of Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties and he introduced our bill in the Senate early this year. Although we haven’t focused our efforts yet in the Senate, we need to get going right now. Following are the current co-sponsors of SB 668:
Logan, Tartagione, Kitchen, Gordner, Fontana, Costa, Browne, Wonderling, Hughes, Musto, O’Pake, Ferlo, Ward, Greenleaf, Leach, Argall and Washington

We need to continue to encourage other Senators to sign on to SB 668 right now!! Please let the DVC office know by e-mail hemophilia@navpoint.com if you would be willing to make a local Senate visit, right in your own area, to tell your personal story about hemophilia and to ask your Senator to sign on to SB 668. It is so simple. Just talk about how bleeding disorders have affected your own life! We are all very good at doing that.

We will send you the local contact information for your state Senator and some talking points for your visit. Please be a part of the DVC team!! We need your help and we need it right away!!!!

We shouldn’t underestimate the power of common people. Look what we did in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives!! I would say we are “uncommonly powerful!!” Congratulations!!