On January 19 and 20, 2006, legislative staff members from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee hosted dozens of 15-minute meetings throughout the day to allow organizations, including AIDS Action and its members, and individuals to comment on the Administration’s Ryan White CARE Act Principles and other issues related to the CARE Act.*

According to AIDS Action Political Director William McColl, the meetings were atypical because they were both “bipartisan” (i.e., both major parties, Democrat and Republican, had representation at the meeting as did the one Member from the Independent party) and bicameral (i.e., the meeting included representation from both the House and Senate). House and Senate committee staff rarely meet together, particularly in sessions which invite the public to speak.

The committee hosted 38 meetings altogether, beginning at 9:30 a.m. each day. However, at least four meetings featured a combined presentation from more than one organization. Thus at least 42 organizations made presentations. The committee stuck relatively tightly to its time limit of 15 minutes per presentation. Nevertheless, due to the sheer number of presentations, the meetings continued until nearly 7:00 p.m., an hour past the anticipated adjournment time. Additionally, on January 23, further meetings were held by telephone for organizations that could not be in Washington. A number of organizations submitted written statements as well, either in addition to or instead of vocal remarks.

AIDS Action Council along with nine AIDS Action Board members presented statements to the committee at during the two-day session of meetings, which some staffers also referred to as a “listening session.” Legacy Community Health Services and AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) presented their statements together. They were later followed by (in order of their appearance) the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, AIDS Action Council, the National Association of AIDS Education and Training Centers (NAAETC), AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services, The Harlem Directors Group, Lifelong AIDS Alliance of Seattle, and Whitman-Walker Clinic (who presented with the American Psychiatric Association).

The meetings took place in a small hearing room in the Rayburn House Office Building. Presenters stood at a podium on one side of the room. Approximately ten legislative staffers who work directly for the House and Senate committees sat together on a raised dais to the right of the podium. An additional 20 or more staff members who work in the personal offices of the Representatives and Senators who are on the committees sat in chairs to the left of the podium along with people waiting to speak and HIV lobbyists and advocates who were listening to the remarks.

Most of the full committee staffers were there from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm. “This was a major commitment of time for the staffers, so it was impressive that more than 30 were able to spend at least part of the day participating in the event,” Mr. McColl remarked.

Due to limitations of space, this issue of the CARE Act in Brief will only cover the statements and question-and-answer sessions of AIDS Action Council and its board members.