The Public Policy Conference: MS activists will follow the money trail.

On Sunday, March 11, MS activists from across the country will meet at the National MS Society's 2007 annual Public Policy Conference in Washington, DC. They will bring fervent voices and personal connections to the political debate on research funding and other policy issues affecting people with MS.

For three days, the activists will network and debate. Then, on Wednesday, March 14, all the participants head for the Hill. National Board members, representatives from other MS organizations, and physicians, including representatives from the American Academy of Neurology, will join people with MS and other Society volunteers in asking federal legislators for support.

Funding policies--including medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Defense, and other agencies--fall under the annual federal budget process. The President kicks this off when he gives Congress his budget priorities for the coming fiscal year. Congress is not bound by his requests, so the House and Senate work toward a budget resolution. Legislators end up in an appropriations tug-of-war, deciding how to divvy up the money among government departments, agencies, and programs.

Before coming to a final resolution by April 15, legislators need to know what issues are most important to their constituents. At the 2007 Public Policy Conference, MS activists will speak out on what's important to them--including increased funding in the annual Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill that includes money for the NIH.

While MS activists are on the Hill, everyone can take action at home. Contact lawmakers by letters, e-mails, faxes, or phone calls. Call local talk radio programs. Speak out in favor of policies that support funding for the research that will move us closer to ending MS.

For more on this story, news on the 2007 Public Policy Conference, or to join the MS Action Network, visit nationalms society.org/advocacy.