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Ask Your Senators to Support FAAMA Today!
On April 8, 2008, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (FAAMA) was passed by the House of Representatives.
FAAMA (H.R.2063 / S.1232) will next be considered by the Senate HELP Committee (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions), and if approved by the HELP Committee, the bill would then be presented to the full Senate.
Now is the time, then, to ask your Senators to support FAAMA!
What Will FAAMA Do?
If passed, FAAMA will provide schools across the country with uniform guidance on how to create appropriate management and emergency plans for children with food allergies. The bill will direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a voluntary policy for schools to implement measures to prevent exposure to food allergens and to ensure a prompt response if a child suffers a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction.
To read the text of FAAMA, click here.
How You Can Help
Senator Christopher Dodd, the Senate sponsor of FAAMA, has sent a letter
to all U.S. Senators encouraging them to co-sponsor the legislation. We are asking you to contact your
Senators (by email or phone) in follow up to Sen. Dodd's letter to encourage their
support and co-sponsorship of FAAMA.
You can make a difference! Call or email your Senators today!
To see which Senators have already signed on as co-sponsors of FAAMA, click here.
How to Contact Your Senators
To e-mail your Senators or find appropriate phone numbers, go to:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
If you call, please be sure to ask to speak to the staff person who handles health issues.
If you email, feel free to download and use this sample letter for guidance.
(.doc ~25 KB).
Need More Information?
Please contact our Washington Representative Courtney Gray Haupt at
courtney.grayhaupt@whaonline.org if you have any questions, or send an
email to advocacy@foodallergymail.org.
FAAMA Passed by House!
FAAMA was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) as H.R. 2063, and more than 75 additional Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors.
In addition to Rep. Lowey’s strong support, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) was instrumental in securing House passage of the bill and spoke eloquently on the House floor about his own granddaughter’s allergy to peanuts.
“This is a wonderful first step to ensuring that the 2.2 million school-age children with food allergy are safe at school,” says Anne Muñoz-urlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. “We would like to thank Congress and, most of all, our members for all their help.”
“We are looking forward to working with Sen. Dodd on the Senate bill and will continue to keep you posted,” says Muñoz-Furlong.
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