Spring Issue 2006

RALA Committee Launches Enhanced Web site

The Regulatory Affairs and Legislative Assistance (RALA) Committee revamped its section of the SOT Web site. Because of programming and design enhancements, SOT members have greater access to Congressional information and the guidance and materials to make state, regional, and national visits to representatives and their staffs . For information about past RALA Congressional Science Briefings, SOT Congressional Testimony and Legislative Alerts, go to the Washington Watch section of the web site.

From the RALA portion of the SOT Web site, all ten SOT position statements can be easily accessed. PDF versions of the statements are available, individually and grouped. By disseminating these statements to local and national decision-makers, SOT members can further affirm SOT’s commitment to the importance of research in improving the health of humans, animals, and the environment.

In addition, SOT subscribes to Capwiz·XC, an innovative government relations research tool that helps organizations effectively communicate with state and federal elected officials by increasing advocacy participation from their members.

At the present time there are nine template letters developed by SOT’s RALA Committee. The Write to Congress provides a user-friendly tool for sending personalized letters stating SOT’s position directly to an individual’s Congressional representative. The letters presently available include the following:

• National Children’s Study
• NIH Funding Amendment: Add Funds for Vital Health and Education Programs
• Support for Animals in Research and Development: Validation of Alternative Methods
• Health and Environmental Issues Facing Our Nation: Improving Our Ability to Accurately Measure Risk
• Security Issues Facing Our Nation: Improving Our Ability to Accurately Measure Risk
• Need for Nanomaterials Research to Address Safety Issues: Sound Scientific Information Reduces Uncertainties
• International Science Students and Visiting Scientists: Balancing Securing Borders and Opening Doors
• Appointment of Scientists to Science Advisory Boards and Committees: Selecting on Basis of Knowledge and Integrity
• Animal Enterprise Terrorism: SOT Advocates Human and Ethical Treatment

At the 2006 SOT Annual Meeting, 173 letters were sent to Congressional representatives in the House and Senate.

From the RALA section, you also can contact the media and make your voice heard to reporters, editors, and columnists by selecting the "Write a Letter to the Editor (Media)" option.

For more information about the work underway by the RALA Committee, please contact Marcia Lawson.

SOT “Write to Congress” Letters Help Support Animal Enterprise Protection

The National Association for Biomedical Research has been working on animal enterprise legislation of interest to the Society, H.R. 4239 and S 1926. The enactment of these bills would provide the Department of Justice the necessary authority to apprehend, prosecute, and convict individuals committing animal enterprise terror. You may wish to lend support by signing up for the Animal Enterprise Protection Coalition (AEPC) to help strengthen the efforts of this coalition. To join in this effort, click the following link or type it into your web browser: www.nabr.org/aepc/password.

To encourage support for this legislation directly from the SOT Web site, go to Write to Congress and send a letter underscoring SOT’s position that “Members of the SOT are strong advocates of the humane and ethical treatment of laboratory/research animals. Unfortunately, at present, there are no alternatives to the use of animal models in toxicology safety evaluation. Computer software and in vitro methods using isolated cells and cell components, while frequently employed, do not mimic the complex physiology and anatomy of the human body.”