Government Relations

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What We Do

We are volunteer-advocates who work to secure funding and policies that will accelerate us toward a cure. We actively seek support for federal funding, primarily through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and we encourage lawmakers to vote for policy legislation important to diabetes research.

JDRF advocates Janice Merdgen, with son Will, and Peggy DeGregory, with daughter Nicole, recently met with Representative Jay Inslee (1st district) to discuss diabetes issues.

Why It Is Important

Elected officials are accountable to their constituents—and they do listen. JDRF advocates have a positive impact on the thinking, and voting, of Congress. Because of grassroots JDRF advocacy, federal funding for diabetes research has increased substantially, including a special NIH diabetes program funded at $750 million over five years (FY04-08). JDRF advocates have successfully garnered bipartisan support for embryonic stem cell research, and continue to press for an expansion of current federal guidelines for this promising field.

How You Can Help

Register as an advocate! Advocates receive legislative updates and action alerts via e-mail. Typically advocates are asked to contact their Members of Congress by e-mail, phone calls or personal visits two to four times a year. JDRF provides background information, “talking points,” and contact information for your elected officials. The power of these individual contacts, as quick and easy as they are, is enormous.

• Sign up to be a JDRF advocate today!
• Other Government Relations opportunities include JDRF’s Promise to Remember Me campaign and Children’s Congress.
• Read about a Washington teen who's advocating for diabetes research in local, state, and national government!

Questions?
Contact us at govrelationsNW@jdrf.org

Northwest Legislators Renew SDP, Keep New Research On Track

On July 15, 2008, Congress passed a two-year $150 million a year extension of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) that was included in a broader Medicare bill. When combined with the $150 million extension passed by Congress in 2007, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and type 1 diabetes researchers across the nation can now move forward with long-range planning for three years of funded clinical trials and basic research grants.

The Special Diabetes Program's unique funding method allows scientists at 14 different Institutes and Centers at the NIH to focus on long-range research that has more quickly led to extraordinarily productive results. The program also brings a collaborative approach to research that involves other federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private partners such as JDRF. Now funded through 2011, the SDP will continue to be the cornerstone of our federal investment in type 1 diabetes research.

This renewal effort is a huge success that took two years of hard work by JDRF advocates, staff, researchers, leadership, and other partners. Now ongoing clinical trials will have the funding to continue and enroll new patients. JDRF families can participate in new pilot studies on prevention of type 1 diabetes. New research studies on islet cell transplantation and regeneration, halting the immune system response of type 1, and preventing complications of the disease can be expanded and continue the exceptional pace of discovery.

JDRF's Northwest legislators worked hard to renew the Special Diabetes Program. JDRF's champion in this long-term effort is Senator Max Baucus of Montana.  Without his strategic guidance and leadership, our effort would not have been possible!  We are grateful to Finance Committee Chairman Baucus for his ongoing commitment to diabetes research and our JDRF families as well as Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) for her work on the Finance Committee and dedication to renewing the program this year. Their vote of support for this critical program and that of Senators Jon Tester (MT), Patty Murray (WA), Lisa Murkowski (AK), and Ted Stevens (AK) made type 1 diabetes research a reality. 

In the House of Representatives, Washington State Representatives Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Brian Baird, Doc Hastings, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Norman Dicks, Jim McDermott, Dave Reichert, and Adam Smith voted for the SDP renewal.  In addition, Montana's Representative Dennis Rehberg and Alaska's Representative Don Young both voted for this critical program.

With such strong support from Northwest legislators, scientists can aggressively pursue our timeline to a cure for type 1 diabetes!

Make Your Promise Today

JDRF’s Promise to Remember Me Campaign—which started in August and runs through May 2008—is an organized effort to generate pledges of support for research funding from legislators around the country. During meetings with Congressional representatives, local families share their stories of life with diabetes, and ask lawmakers to make a significant promise: to endorse a $1 billion federal funding extension for type 1 research over the next five years.

The stakes are high. Federal funding of type 1 research will plummet by 35% if we don’t secure this much-needed extension.

To reach our goal, we need you and your child to participate in a meeting with members of Congress in your community. Take the first step by e-mailing advocacy@jdrf.org to register for a meeting. A volunteer Promise campaign coordinator will contact you to schedule a meeting with legislators.

With such critical research funding on the line, your promise to get involved is more important than ever. Please help us carry the JDRF message to every legislator in the Northwest.