By now you may have heard about a proposed increase in the Department of Energy's Office of Science budget for FY 2006. A proposed increase for the NSF is also being requested. Supporters are looking for signatures on a "Dear Colleague" letter, and you can help by encouraging support for the letter. The number of requests each Senator and Congressman/woman receives influences whether or not they sign onto these letters. Check the list of senators who have signed on below. If your senator has not signed it, please request that they do so. If they have signed last year, mention that and thank them, then request they sign again this year. Also request your congressman/women to sign-on the letters for both the DOE and NSF.
The best way to ask for support (before the deadline on April 22) is to send e-mail to your Senators and Representative(s) in Congress by asking them to sign the Dear Colleague letters described in the AIP bulletins below. For suggestions on what to say in a letter, look at the template letters below. Please add your own customization, such as your position, your research grant, and other research groups in your state.
!!!!!!!! NOTE: If you are sending messages to Senators or Representatives, use your home or University E-MAIL accounts or FAX machines. Fermilab Computers and Fax machines are funded by the federal government. It is against the law to use federal funds or equipment funded with federal money to lobby Congress or to advocate lobbying Congress. !!!!
If you are unsure as to whether your funding comes from the Department of Energy's Office of Science, you can get that information (by State) at this website: http://www.science.doe.gov/sc-5/SC_Funding/ In any case, the DOE Office of Science supports Fermilab, so as a Fermilab user you can ask for increased support.
And if you are unsure as to who represents you in Congress you can enter your address on this web page: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ which also provides e-mail addresses and FAX numbers for members of Congress.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact anybody on the User's Executive Committee (UEC): http://www.fnal.gov/orgs/fermilab_users_org/ to ask for help.
List of Senators who have signed on to this letter (text file)
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"Dear Colleague" letter and sign on letter(pdf file)
Please send e-mail to your Senators with these letters as an attatchment asking them to sign the letter to Domenici and Reid. Deadline for sign-on ~April 22.
Letter from Rep. Judy Biggert (IL), Rep. Adam Schiff (CA) and Rep. Ellen Tauscher (CA). to Chairman Hobson and Ranking Member Visclosky, House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee,
in support of the DOE Office of Science
Please send E-MAIL to your House of Representative member with these two letters as an attatchment. Deadline for signing is April 22