Top On May 1st, we left for DC, caravaning with members from Ohio AIDS Coalition. Upon arriving in DC we checked into our Hotel and prepared for the next day of planning strategy with other from around the country with one unified purpose, "To meet with our state legislators asking them for their support and continued support over AIDS issues and funding." We met on May 2nd, to discuss what areas we were to highlight in our meetings. The key issues we pushed were to keep the funding levels up and increase in the following areas: Ryan White Care Act (although this has been funded, some of the funding was not released), The Epidemic of New Infections in the Afro-American & Hispanic Communities, National Institute of Health (areas of AIDS research), Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS ~ HOPWA, HIV Prevention [not just education, but also needle exchange (the push for needle exchange was not to make a federal law that would remove federal funding if they had a needle exchange program, but instead allow state and local areas to fund it on their own not using federal funds)], Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (the push here was to get individuals into treatment when they are ready and do not have to go through a 3 month waiting period to get help). One other area that was addressed is, The Global AIDS Crisis. The idea is to start thinking about AIDS as a global issue, if we are to gain control of the infection rates. The meetings lasted from noon till 6pm.
On Monday, May 3rd, I started my meetings with our legislators. This year, I was the only person representing Kentucky. I found this to be a challenge and got an early start to meet with all of Kentucky’s House Representatives and Senators, over the next two days. I made prior contacts to all of the legislators to inform them of my arrival. I ended up meeting with all the legislators on May 3rd and did not have any meetings on the May 4th. My meetings went from 15 to 25 minutes each, I feel when you talk nonstop by yourself for that length of time, you have had a good meeting. My meetings were with the legislator’s, Legislative Directors. In the meetings I would outline the issues that we were to be addressed, giving personal experience and experiences of others to make it relate to Kentuckians. Most of my meetings were productive, although they did not agree on the increases that NAPWA wanted, but agreed that they would keep funding at current levels and would not decrease them. They all agreed to increases in NIH funds because they recognized the need for research and the benefits that research in AIDS have helped out with other infections, such as diabetes, cancer and other immune response disorders. I pushed the education issue, because being a teacher I realize that students are not getting the message and that young people are one of the fastest rising groups being infected with AIDS. The two main sticking points in my talks were the needle exchange issue (still seen as supporting drug usage) and the global AIDS crisis (not my problem). The question needs to be asked: "Was AIDSWatch’99 a success?" I would say yes!!! I gauge this by the responses I got this year as compared to this year. I met with some of the same people from last year and my meetings were more productive because I had established that credibility from last year. Interestingly enough most remembered me and two even asked me about how my dog was doing. I plan to keep in contact with their offices over the next year and will present to them a chance to have AVNK as a contact and a source of information to them in the future.
AIDSWatch’99’s motto this year is:END AIDS / STRONG LEADERSHIP / SAVE LIVES MAKE A COMMITMENT!
by Bill Siller
AIDSWatch ‘98 was a successful event, opening doors of communication with our legislators in Washington DC. My journey started Saturday, May 2nd in Columbus, Ohio. I was the only Kentuckian traveling to DC with thirty Ohioans. The bus ride included practice sessions on how to talk with legislators. We were informed about issues and how to present them effectively. This "bus workshop" ended the nervousness I was feeling and made me more confident about my mission.
Sunday, May 3rd we met for an all-day briefing in Washington. Funding issues were explained to us. Again we had practice sessions on how to have an effective meeting. Since we practiced on the bus I was one step ahead of the game. During the meeting a member of ACT UP spoke. ACT UP was upset because they were not given time to talk to board members who sit on various AIDS committees. ACT UP feels these people get large salaries and do little to earn them. During the meeting I met the other AIDSWatch representative from Kentucky, Barry Norris. Barry and I planned our strategy for the next day. On Monday, May 4th we descended upon Capital Hill. Barry and I did our meetings together, visiting Representatives from all six districts in Kentucky. Although we met with legislative staffers rather than the Representatives, the meetings were productive and educational.
Most staff people were surprised to see anyone from Kentucky in Washington speaking to them about AIDS. It was as if they didn’t know we existed. Clearly continued personal of this sort are of the utmost importance. The staffers were open and honest but reserved in some of their comments. Barry and I both were surprised by the assurances of support we received on funding for programs such as HIV Prevention, the Ryan White CARE Act, HIV/AIDS Research, Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS, and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Blockgrants. Although the staffers did not agree with the costs increases that the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA) want, they did agree with the increases that President Clinton proposes.
The clean needle exchange issue is a hot item in DC. The points we made about the issue to the staffers were ones they had not thought of before and they agreed to share them with their bosses. A few staffers admitted that many reactions to the needle issue were purely political. Our meetings lasted about 30-45 minutes. We started off by talking about ourselves and how AIDS has affected our lives and the lives of our loved ones. This personalizing of AIDS was a very good tool; it showed our compassion and dedication to AIDSWatch. The staffers were quite impressed with our experiences and our knowledge of the issues. When speaking to Jim Bunning’s staff member, Kim Joiner, I expressed concern over people going back to work when it causes them to lose their medical insurance. She informed me that Representative Bunning is sponsoring a bill called "Ticket to Work" Bill, which would protect those medical benefits. The day ended at 7 PM with a reception in the House Office Building to honor us for all the hard work we had done that day.
On Tuesday we had a productive meeting with Senator Wendell Ford’s legislative aide, Dana Stewart. She agreed with Clinton’s proposals for increases in funding. When I expressed concern over the needle exchange issue, she assured me that the House action was political posturing and she felt it was a dead issue in the Senate. I pressed further, asking if the bill to prohibit exchange programs came up for a vote in the Senate, would Ford oppose it. She felt that Sen. Ford may be able to help in this matter.
AIDSWatch ‘98 was a success for Kentucky. We opened doors and made our representatives in Washington aware of our presence. We offered ourselves as references who can be used in the future. Our work has only begun and I intend to keep in contact with all the legislators I met. The next step is to organize an AIDSWatch ‘98 at the state level to insure the disbursements of funding. Please keep writing to your Federal and State Legislators for increases in HIV/AIDS funding.
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Date Revised: Saturday, September 04, 1999