Action Alert: Urge Your Representative to Pass Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act

July 15th, 2004

WHAT: We need your help in urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (HR 4799). This legislation includes the Campus Care and Counseling Act, introduced in December 2003 by Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Rep. Tom Osborne (R-NE), that expands mental and behavioral health services on college campuses. We are encouraging the House to pass this bill as soon as possible, with no amendments.

WHEN: Please act TODAY. The House bill sponsors need your help in generating attention and garnering support for this so that it can be passed by the end of this session. Therefore, we need you and your colleagues to contact your representative immediately.

ACTION NEEDED: Please call, e-mail or FAX your Representative and urge passage of this important legislation. Also, request that your Representative contact the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and ask them to consider HR 4799 with no amendments as quickly as possible before the end of the session. If you call, ask for the Health Legislative Assistant and leave a voice message if that person is not available.

SAMPLE SCRIPT TO URGE SUPPORT:
Note: Ask for (or address your email/FAX to) the Health Legislative Assistant.

“Hello, this is [NAME/TITLE] from [YOUR INSTITUTION/TOWN], and I am calling [WRITING] to urge [YOUR Representative’s NAME] to support the passage of HR 4799, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, which was introduced with bipartisan support by Representatives Bart Gordon (D-TN), Tom Osborne (R-NE), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Greg Walden (R-OR), John Duncan (R-TN) and Bart Stupak (D-MI).

HR 4799 will authorize funding for youth suicide prevention as well as a competitive grant program for colleges to address the increasing mental and behavioral health problems of students. These problems affect the ability of students to function normally and successfully in a college environment. They may cause physical problems (i.e., eating disorders and violence), academic failure, inability to complete college, anxiety, depression, and suicide. For these reasons, I ask Representative [YOUR Representative’s NAME] to support HR 4799. I also urge Representative [YOUR Representative’s NAME] to contact Rep. Joe Barton and Rep. John Dingell, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and ask them to pass HR 4799 quickly and with no amendments. Thank you for your time and consideration for my request.”

Note: Be sure to include your name, title, and contact information at the end of your e-mail or fax. If you need to leave a voicemail message, include your name and phone number.

HOW TO CONTACT: You can find out your member of Congress by following this link to the Web site of the U.S. House of Representatives and typing in your zip-code at the appropriate space at the top of the Web site.
Find your 9-digit zip code (you will need this to locate your Representative)

WE NEED FEEDBACK: Please let Catharina Ablasser know when you and your colleagues contact your Representatives, so that we can follow-up.

BACKGROUND: On Thursday, July 8th the United States Senate unanimously passed the Campus Care and Counseling Act, which was contained within the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (S. 2634). The Campus Care provisions were developed by APA (as part of our recommendations to amend the Higher Education Act) and introduced as separate legislation back in March by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY). In recent weeks, Senator Smith has taken on a leadership role in passing the Campus Care and Counseling provisions, as well as a youth suicide bill (a proposal endorsed by APA) in an effort to honor the memory of his son, Garrett, who committed suicide last September. The legislation is now named after his son. In order for the bill to become law, the U.S. House of Representatives must act and the President must sign the bill all before the legislative branch adjourns for this 108th Congress.

Thank you so much for your help with this request. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Jenny Smulson in APA's Public Policy Office. We very much appreciate your support.

Useful links:

Find your 9-digit zip code (you will need this to locate your Representative)
How to write your Representative
U.S. House of Representatives
Campus Care and Counseling Act Passes Unanimously in U.S. Senate
APA Appaluds U.S. Senate for Adopting Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (APA Press Release)