Let's Do This

Hello all, THIS ONE IS CRITICAL

Well, the news is both really good and really challenging. It looks like we have a very good chance of gaining inclusion in the House's Budget Bill for Higher Education. This is fabulous and further than we've ever gotten before. In simple terms, it appears we may have passed on the House side. We have yet to know whether we will gain inclusion on the Senate side, but should have a committee hearing scheduled sometime in the coming weeks. Bills in MN have to be

mirrored in both the House and Senate to make it into law.

And herein lies the challenge. We do not yet know how much will be appropriated, in other words how much money will be committed to funding research. And that's why we need you, your family, friends and co-workers now more than ever to call, email or write the legislators I will list below.

Before I do that I want to tell you something that happened in one of our last committee hearings. In preparation for committee hearings we meet with our Bill author and give them talking points to use as they see fit for their introduction of the bill to the committee. In this case it was Rep. Rod Hamilton. He is our author and enthusiastic champion in the House.

Well he didn't use any of the talking points we put together. He addressed the committee and said simply, in my paraphrased recollected quotes: 'this is what its all about, and why we're here'...and 'this is a true grassroots effort by folks who got together with something they care about and have come up here to try and make some change'...and 'its time to pass this bill, that's why we're here'. The committee hearing ended with tears, a few hugs (between legislators) and plenty of excitement on our part from the unanimous support.

I'm telling you this because its true. This is a grassroots effort 5 years in the making and right now we have the best shot at passing this Bill. So we REALLY NEED TO GROW OUR GRASS AND DEEPEN OUR ROOTS. Please call, email or write (in that order of importance) the legislators below and ask your friends and family to do the same so that our voices are heard loud and clear. Tell them this:

"Please pass the Spinal Cord Injury/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Grant Program fully funded at the $8 million dollar appropriation request so that we can accelerate the research that seeks to provide functional improvement to those living with these injuries" (House File #777 when addressing Representatives or Senate File #766 when addressing Senators)

Rep. Bud Nornes Chair of Higher Ed. Committee in the House

651-296-4946 [email protected]

Rep. Rod Hamilton our author and champion in the House

651-296-5373 [email protected]

Rep. Jim Knoblach Chair of House Ways and Means

651-296-6612 [email protected]

Sen. Terri Bonoff Chair of Higher Ed. Committee in the Senate

651-296-4314 [email protected]

Sen. John Hoffman our author and champion in the Senate

651-296-4154 [email protected]

Sen. Richard Cohen Chair of Senate Finance Committee

651-296-5931 www.senate.mn/senatorcohenemail

Let's All make this happen! And if anyone wants to join us at the Capitol, we'll be there on

Wednesday the 25th at 10am. You can join us as we talk with legislators. email us at

[email protected] and we'll tell you where to meet up.

Thanks

Matthew