Wednesday
Jun242009
Nick Jonas, Mary Tyler Moore And Sugar Ray Leonard Request Federal Funding For Diabetes Research
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 3:54PM
By Mariko Lamb-Talk Radio News Service
Celebrity witnesses Mary Tyler Moore, Nick Jonas, and Sugar Ray Leonard testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today to stress the importance of diabetes research and urge Congress to renew funding for the Special Diabetes Program, a supplemental federal funding program for diabetes research.
Moore, actress and International Chairman of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, said, “today our goal is to persuade our Senators and Representatives to make a promise. We hope you will promise to remember us when you vote on the Special Diabetes Program and other important programs that affect all of us with diabetes.”
World champion boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, described the financial challenge he faced living with a father struggling with diabetes.
“I had to face the reality of my father’s illness and the incredible medical bills that resulted from his life with diabetes,” he said. “My decision to turn professional was based largely on the desire to help my family cover the costs of my father’s care.”
Jonas, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2005, shared his stories of living with diabetes and urged Congress to fund research to find a cure. “While technology has made it much easier for me to manage my diabetes,” he said, “technology is not a cure. Insulin is not a cure. I know that the promise of a cure lies only in research.”
The Committee’s witnesses were accompanied by Children’s Congress 2009, a delegation of 150 children living with Type 1 diabetes. Children’s Congress was started in 1999, and the delegation has since met five times on Capitol Hill to testify about living with diabetes.
Celebrity witnesses Mary Tyler Moore, Nick Jonas, and Sugar Ray Leonard testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today to stress the importance of diabetes research and urge Congress to renew funding for the Special Diabetes Program, a supplemental federal funding program for diabetes research.
Moore, actress and International Chairman of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, said, “today our goal is to persuade our Senators and Representatives to make a promise. We hope you will promise to remember us when you vote on the Special Diabetes Program and other important programs that affect all of us with diabetes.”
World champion boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, described the financial challenge he faced living with a father struggling with diabetes.
“I had to face the reality of my father’s illness and the incredible medical bills that resulted from his life with diabetes,” he said. “My decision to turn professional was based largely on the desire to help my family cover the costs of my father’s care.”
Jonas, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2005, shared his stories of living with diabetes and urged Congress to fund research to find a cure. “While technology has made it much easier for me to manage my diabetes,” he said, “technology is not a cure. Insulin is not a cure. I know that the promise of a cure lies only in research.”
The Committee’s witnesses were accompanied by Children’s Congress 2009, a delegation of 150 children living with Type 1 diabetes. Children’s Congress was started in 1999, and the delegation has since met five times on Capitol Hill to testify about living with diabetes.
Lieberman: Passing Prevention And Preparedness Act Is Urgent
The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs met Wednesday to markup the Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2009.
The bill heeds the recommendations of Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism that an attack featuring biological weapons of mass destruction is likely to occur by the year 2013.
According to a fact sheet released by the committee, the bill implements a "tiered-system" list of toxins and recommends that facilities handling the most dangerous toxins install the highest security measures.
Committee Chair Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) emphasized the need for swift passage of the legislation.
"It is my intention to reconvene as soon as possible to put the amendments on the bill," he said.
The committee will hold another mark-up session in the coming weeks.