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Functional GI & Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act is in the House of Representatives

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 7/1/2011 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
U.S. citizens, on June 16th, thanks to the work of IFFGD, the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2011 (HR 2239) was introduced in the House of Representatives with support from both parties. This is major legislation on behalf of people with IBS and other functional GI or motility disorders, but it will take time, effort and advocacy from affected people and our supporters to show Congress that this is important enough to pass and enact.

Please write or call your federal Representative (not your Senators, the President, your Governor or other local officials. They have no control over anything that happens in the House of Representatives!) and ask for his/her co-sponsorship of this bill. State who you are and where you live in his/her district. This is very important so the Representative's staff knows you are a real person and you are actually an eligible voter in that district. They will not pay attention to people who do not live there. If you feel comfortable, tell briefly why you are interested in this bill, again so they know who you are and why the bill is important-- such as have had IBS for X years, have had difficulty finding adequate relief or have a family member with IBS, etc. Then say thank you. That's it.

For more information on the bill itself, go to the IFFGD site here
http://www.iffgd.org/site/advocacy/legislative-alerts/action#hr2239

To find your Representative's contact information, go here and enter your zipcode.
http://www.congress.org
Posted 7/12/2011 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
Bumping this back up to the first page. This is very important for everybody with IBS, GERD, gastroparesis, CIP, cyclic vomiting, functional dyspepsia, chronic bowel incontinence, Hirschsprung's disease and many other functional GI or GI motility disorders. Please call or write, post here to encourage others, and pass the information on.
Posted 7/28/2011 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Bumping this back to the first page. This is something all U.S. citizens with IBS or any functional gastrointestinal or motility disorders can do right now to help yourselves and all people with FGIMDs over the long term. Please ask your Representative for support, post here to encourage others, and pass the information on. It only takes a few minutes, the same time as a post on this board.
Posted 9/12/2011 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
Congress is back in session after the summer recess. This legislation currently has 3 Representatives from both parties supporting it. It needs 217 to pass the House of Representatives. If you or a loved one has IBS or another functional GI or GI motility disorder, please consider writing or calling your Representative to urge him/her to support this legislation, known as HR 2239.
Posted 9/13/2011 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
I just contacted my Representative-thank you
Posted 10/14/2011 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, MadlyInLove.

A 4th Representative recently signed on. This is progress, but still a long way away from a simple majority of the House. Please contact your Representative to urge him/her to support this legislation or to thank him (they are all men at the moment.) for his support.
Posted 10/17/2011 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
A 5th Representative has signed on. Please consider using this momentum to contact your Representative.
Posted 11/11/2011 6:52 PM (GMT 0)
A 6th Representative has recently signed on. No new taxes or spending are involved in the provisions of this Act, which is supported by members of both political parties; it's just a matter of budget priorities for funds already available at the National Institutes of Health. Please contact your Representatives.
Posted 12/19/2011 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
A 7th Representative, (1 sponsor, 6 cosponsors) has signed on as of last week. Please contact your Representatives.
Posted 3/7/2012 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders now has Capwiz installed on its website. Capwiz is a popular and reputable software program that many advocacy organizations use to mobilize support for legislation. Type in your zipcode and the program will automatically look up the correct representative and generate a partial form letter. You add a paragraph or so of your own comments, type in your contact information (so your Representative's staff knows who you are and that you are actually their constituent and they can reply to you eventually) and submit. Very easy and quick. This legislation is for anyone with a functional GI or motility disorder, of which IBS is the most common. It is not for IBDs.

http://capwiz.com/iffgd/home/
Posted 3/9/2012 4:55 PM (GMT 0)
Shortly after posting the last message, I learned that 2 more Representatives have signed on. The legislation now has 9 sponsor/cosponsors, both Republicans and Democrats, in Wisconsin (3), Virginia, Vermont, California, Illinois and New York (2). It needs 218 by December 2012 to pass during this Congress or the process has to start again with the new Congress after the elections.
Posted 4/20/2012 11:29 PM (GMT 0)
2 more Representatives have signed on from Colorado and North Carolina. Please consider going to the link above in the March 7 post and adding your voice to support this legislation.
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