Dear Supporter of the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act:

We are trying for $2 million a year for paralysis cure research, to restore funding to the Roman Reed Spinal Cord injury Research Act. May I ask your help again?

In Sacramento, the Assembly Health Committee will be considering the bill on Tuesday, April 16th. Before then, FAXes (preferable) and E-mails in support will be printed and hand-carried to the Committee Chair’s office. So we need to get support letters now.

Please FAX or e-mail (on letterhead) your support for California’s new bill (AB 714, D-Wieckowski) to restore funding to the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act.

Important: if you sent a letter last year, you may use it again, but please alter the letter to reflect the new bill.

Changes are:

1. The new bill number is AB 714;

2.  Remove references to traffic tickets, last year’s source of funding; and

3. We are requesting $2 million from the general fund.

Ideally, send your letter to the sponsor’s office, and all committee members. If time prohibits, please send just one FAX or email to bill author Bob Wieckowski’s office:

Dharia McGrew is the Legislative Aide in charge of the effort: so send to:  FAX 916-319-2125,  or E-MAIL to: Dharia.McGrew@asm.ca.gov

Thank you very much!

Don C. Reed, citizen-sponsor, Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act

Co-chair, Californians for Cures

Here is a sample letter:

RE: support for Assemblybill AB 714 (Wieckowski, D-Fremont)

Dear Assemblyperson,

I,(YOUR NAME), support Assembly Bill 714 (Wiekowski, D-Fremont) to provide annual funding of $2 million for the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act.

For both humanitarian reasons and to reduce the tremendous financial burden on California tax payers and families, this should be a number 1 priority! Although the path to cure is never easy, (the search for the polio vaccine lasted seventeen years, from 1938-1955) even the smallest improvement gives amazing benefits to paralyzed people and their families. For instance, rigorous rehabilitation recovered one individual’s triceps muscles, thereby allowing him to drive an adapted van, rather than needing an attendant. But what kind of rehabilitation is most efficacious? Only research will tell.

The RR Act is not duplicative. While we have done stem cell research in the past, we do not seek to compete with California’s magnificent stem cell program. Our focus is primarily on the “everything else” that must be accomplished to improve the quality of life for paralysis sufferers, while working to bring together the puzzle of cure.

Roman Reed grants provide seed money for scientists, who often use success with our small grants to leverage far larger funding from the NIH and other sources.

Perhaps uniquely among all California programs, the Roman Reed Act has brought in more money than it cost taxpayers; $15 million in funding brought in an additional $86 Million in grants from out of state, new revenues for California.

Full Text of  AB 714: https://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_0701-0750/ab_714_bill_20130402_amended_asm_v98.pdf

For an electronic visit to the Roman Reed Lab, go to: https://www.reeve.uci.edu/roman-reed-core-laboratory.html

Questions? Read the 68 page progress report: https://www.reeve.uci.edu/pdf/Roman-Reed-Act-Complete.pdf)

Sample projects of the sort we fund?  https://romanreedfoundation.com/spinal-cord-stem-cell-research/

Your support for AB714 may be the most significant legislative act of the year.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Your Name

P.S. Time is short; we had little notice ourselves—do please write your letter ASAP!

P.S.S. At the very bottom of the page are some of the amazing people who have honored the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act over the years. We were saddened, however, to lose one of our earliest champions, General “Storman Norman” Schwarzkopf. He joins Christopher “Superman” Reeve in the pantheon of heroes who were never too busy to do a little more to help.

P.S.S. If you have the time, send a copy of your letter to the 20 members of the Health Committee who will hear the bill first….

Assemblyperson Richard Pan (Chair)

Dem – 09

P.O. Box 942849, Room 6005, Sacramento, CA 94249-0009; (916) 319-2009

Fax 916-319-2109

Richard.Pan@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Dan Logue (Vice Chair)

Rep – 03

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4158, Sacramento, CA 94249-0003; (916) 319-2003

Dan.Logue@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Tom Ammiano

Dem – 17

Fax 916-319-2103

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 3146, Sacramento, CA 94249-0017; (916) 319-2017

Tom.Ammiano@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Toni Atkins

Dem – 78

Fax 916-319-2117

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 319, Sacramento, CA 94249-0078; (916) 319-2078

Toni.Atkins@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Susan A. Bonilla

Dem – 14

Fax 916-319-2178

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4140, Sacramento, CA 94249-0014; (916) 319-2014

Susan.Bonilla@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Rob Bonta

Dem – 18

Fax 916-319-2114

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 6025, Sacramento, CA 94249-0018; (916) 319-2018

Rob.Bonta@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Wesley Chesbro

Dem – 02

Fax 916-319-2118

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 2141, Sacramento, CA 94249-0002; (916) 319-2002

Wesley.Chesboro@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Jimmy Gomez

Dem – 51

916-319-2102

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 2176, Sacramento, CA 94249-0051; (916) 319-2051

Jimmy.Gomez@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Roger Hernández

Dem – 48

916-319-2151

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4146, Sacramento, CA 94249-0048; (916) 319-2048

Roger.Hernandez@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Bonnie Lowenthal

Dem – 70

916-319-2148

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 3152, Sacramento, CA 94249-0070; (916) 319-2070

Bonnie.Lowenthal@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Brian Maienschein

Rep – 77

Fax 916-319-2170

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 3098, Sacramento, CA 94249-0077; (916) 319-2077

Brian.Maienschein@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Allan R. Mansoor

Rep – 74

Fax 916-319-2177

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4177, Sacramento, CA 94249-0074; (916) 319-2074

Allan.Mansoor@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Holly J. Mitchell

Dem – 54

Fax 916-319-2174

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 2163, Sacramento, CA 94249-0054; (916) 319-2054

Holly.Mitchell@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Adrin Nazarian

Dem – 46

Fax 916-319-2154

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4015, Sacramento, CA 94249-0046; (916) 319-2046

Adrin.Nazarian@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Brian Nestande

Rep – 42

Fax 916-319-2146

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4139, Sacramento, CA 94249-0042; (916) 319-2042

Brian.Nestande@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson V. Manuel Pérez

Dem – 56

Fax 916-319-2142

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4112, Sacramento, CA 94249-0056; (916) 319-2056

Manuel.Perez@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Donald P. Wagner

Rep – 68

Fax 916-319-2156

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 2158, Sacramento, CA 94249-0068; (916) 319-2068

Donald.Wagner@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Bob Wieckowski

Dem – 25

916-319-2168

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4016, Sacramento, CA 94249-0025; (916) 319-2025

Bob.Wieckowski@asm.ca.gov

Assemblyperson Scott Wilk

Rep – 38

Fax 916-319-2125

 P.O. Box 942849, Room 4153, Sacramento, CA 94249-0038; (916) 319-2038

Fax 916-319-2138

Scott.Wilk@asm.ca.gov

 

Over the years, the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act has been honored by the support of:  Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, US Senator Chris Murphy, US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, US Representative John Garamendi, US Representative Eric Swalwell, CA Lt.Governor Gavin Newsom,  CA Senate Leader Ellen Corbett, CA Assembly Speaker John Perez, Former CA Comptroller Steve Westly, Former Democratic Chair Art Torres, AL Senate Minority Leader Marc Keahey, Sherry Lansing who received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Bob Klein who led Prop 71 to be the California stem cell program, numerous members of the board of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, CIRM Chair Jonathan Thomas, the Gladstone Institute, Christopher Reeve, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, General (ret.) Norman Schwarzkopf, and Stuart M. Gordon, Dr. Hans Keirstead (UCI & CA Stem Cell Inc), Dr. Irv Weissman (Stanford & Stem Cells Inc), Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Berg (Stanford),  Dr. Paul Knoepfler (UC Davis), Dr. Candace Floyd (UAB), Dr. Stephen McKenna (Santa Clara Valley Medical Hospital), Dr. Jerry Silver (Case Western), Dr. Os Steward (UCI & SCI Director of Roman’s Law), Dr. Alisa Gean (UCSF),  Dr. Ann Tsukamoto (Stem Cells Inc), Dr. Wise Young (Rutgers), Dr. Brock Reeve (Harvard Stem Cell Institute)  Dr. Jacqueline Bresnahan (UCSF), Dr. Mike Beattie (UCSF), Dr. Marc Tuczynski (UCSD), Dr. Graham Creasey (Palo Alto VA & Stanford), Dr. Michael Fehlings (Univ of Toronto), Dr. Jan Nolta (UC Davis), Dr. Jane Lebkowski (Neuralstem Cell Inc), Dr. Ed Wirth (Neuralstem Cell Inc), Dr. Leif Havton (UCI), Dr. Deepak Srivistava (Gladstone Institute), Dr. Evan Snyder (Sanford Burnham), Dr. Tim Wick (UAB), Dr. Reggie Edgerton (UCLA), Dr. Gary Steinberg (Stanford),   Brent Jones and Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49’ers, Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi, Gary Stevens, TV Host Leeza Gibbons, TJ Atchison, Tory Minus,  Hayward Fire Chief Garrett Contreras, Fremont Fire Chief Dan Lydon (Ret.), Firefighter of the Year Jeff Leonard, legendary Hollywood director Jerry Zucker, Stem Cells Inc. California Stem Cell Inc. Neuralstem cell Inc., EKSO Bionics, Bay BIO, Santa Clara Valley Medical Hospital,  the University of California System—and, hopefully, you.

 

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