TITLE VII HEALTH PROFESSIONS TRAINING PROGRAMS

JANUARY 17, 2007 

*ACTION ALERT* *ACTION ALERT* *ACTION ALERT* 

TITLE VII HEALTH PROFESSIONS TRAINING PROGRAMS 

On January 4, 2007 the first session of the 110^th Congress began. The new Congress, however, has much unfinished business to complete. Specifically, the Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07) Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS)-Education Appropriations Bill has not yet been finalized. This bill provides the annual funding for the Title VII Health Professions Training Programs.

In the absence of an approved FY07 appropriations bill, federal health and education programs, including Title VII, are currently funded under a continuing resolution (CR). Unfortunately for Title VII, this means that these programs are being funded at the low FY06 level of $145 million, 51.5 percent below FY05. The present CR will expire on February 15^th and in its place a funding resolution (FR) will be passed, lasting through the end of FY07. 

Due to the critical role of federal health and education programs, appropriators are considering boosting funding for some programs over the FY06 level in the yearlong FR. The proposal would add $2 billion to the funds available for the yearlong FR. It is crucial that all members of Congress understand that an additional $2 billion is essential to adequately fund federal health and education programs.

It is also imperative that all members of Congress understand the role that Title VII programs play in maintaining our nation’s healthcare safety net and why appropriators must restore Title VII funding to the FY05 level of $300 million under the yearlong FR.

The House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriation Subcommittees will decide what programs have the highest priority and fund them accordingly. These subcommittees include new members that may be unfamiliar with Title VII. The newly appointed members of the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee are: Barbara Lee (D-CA-9^th), Mike Honda (D-CA-15^th), Tom Udall (D-NM-3^rd), Betty McCollum (D-MN-4^th), Tim Ryan (D-OH-17^th) and Dennis Rehberg (R-At Large). The new members of the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee are Jack Reed (D-RI) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).In order for Title VII funding to be restored an additional $2 billion dollars must be added to the yearlong FR and members of the House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittees must view the programs as a high priority. 

Consequently, we are recommending that you contact your legislators about the following: 

1. Adding $2 billion to the FY07 Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill to adequately fund health and education programs. 
2. Restoring Title VII Health Professions Training Programs to the FY05 level of $300 million. 

In order to ensure that $2 billion is added to the yearlong funding resolution and that Title VII is funded at $300 million, please contact members of Congress and ask for their support. 

As an advocate for Title VII programs, you are urged to: 

1. www.congress.org and enter your zip code. This website also lists the contact information for each congressional office. 
2. Call and fax letters to the members of the House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittees, as well as the members of the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees. The names and contact information for the Members of Congress who sit on the House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittees and the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees are listed below. 
3. Remind everyone you know who is connected to, or a supporter of, Title VII programs to also call and fax letters to their legislators and the members of the House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittees and the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees. The more people calling and faxing letters, the better. 

CALL AND FAX LETTERS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO URGE THEM TO ADD $2 BILLION TO THE YEARLONG CR AND RESTORE TITLE VII FUNDING TO $300 MILLION. 

When calling congressional offices, you should ask for the Health Legislative Assistant. These offices receive numerous calls and faxes everyday and they may not respond to your initial call, but be persistent and follow-up. 

Below are two sample outlines of letters to fax or talking points to use for a conversation or a voicemail; one is for a senator's office and one is for a representative's office. 

The Honorable [full name of the senator] 

United States Senate 

Washington, D.C. 20510 

Dear Senator [last name of the senator], 

Introduce yourself and explain your interest in supporting Title VII programs. If you are an alumnus of a Title VII program, elaborate on the positive impact it had on your education. 

• Urge your Senator to support adding an additional $2 billion to the yearlong funding resolution to fund vital health and education programs. 
• Urge the Senator to join you in supporting a restoration of Title VII funding to the FY05 level of $300 million. 
• Explain why you believe that Title VII programs are essential to maintaining the nation’s healthcare safety net. 
• Voice your concerns over the negative effects of cutting Title VII funding. 
• Thank the Senator for his/her leadership in ensuring better healthcare outcomes for all Americans. 
• Ask the legislator to keep you advised of his or her actions on these important issues. 

Sincerely, 

[Your name and title] 

The Honorable [full name of the representative] 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington, D.C. 20515 

Dear Congressman/Congresswoman [last name of the congressman/congresswoman], 

Introduce yourself and explain your interest in supporting Title VII programs. If you are an alumnus of a Title VII program, elaborate on the positive impact it had on your education. 

• Urge your Representative to support adding an additional $2 billion to the yearlong funding resolution to fund vital health and education programs. 
• Urge the Representative to join you in supporting a restoration of Title VII funding to the FY05 level of $300 million. 
• Explain why you believe that Title VII programs are essential to maintaining the nation’s healthcare safety net. 
• Voice your concerns over the negative effects of cutting Title VII funding. 
• Thank the Representative for his/her leadership in ensuring better health care outcomes for all Americans. 
• Ask the legislator to keep you advised of his or her actions on these important issues. 

Sincerely, 

[Your name and title] 

When speaking to congressional offices it is important to remember that: 

• You should always be honest; there is no need to exaggerate problems or results. 
• You should give specific examples of your experiences. 
• You should make sure the conversation stays polite and respectful. Listen to what they have to say and engage in constructive dialogue, even if it’s agreeing to disagree. 
• You should never get frustrated or engage in an argument. Irreparable harm can be done by unnecessarily upsetting a legislator’s staff member.  
• You should always begin and end the conversation by thanking them for taking time out of their busy schedule to discuss these issues with you. 

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies 

Full House Appropriations Committee 

Full Senate Appropriations Committee 

Title VII Health Professions Programs 

FY 2007 Funding 

($ in thousands)