Rally Hill Day Training Webinar

September 12, 20141:00 p.m. EDT

Rally Hill Day Mission

To mobilize a broad coalition of groups from the medical research advocacy community to urge Congress to invest in the National Institutes of

Health (NIH) to improve health, spur more progress, inspire more hope and save more

lives.

History of the Rally for Medical Research Hill Day

• In Sept 2013, nearly 200 groups from across the medical research advocacy community came together to advocate for an increased investment in the NIH for the health and economic security of our nation.

• This unprecedented effort continued the momentum generated from the Rally for Medical Research, which garnered nearly 10,000 participants in April 2013 to call on Congress to make NIH funding a national priority.

Rally Hill Day 2014 Stats

• Nearly 300 organizations and institutions have signed on in support of the 2014 Rally for Medical Research Hill Day

• Over 300 individuals from these partnering groups will meet with Congressional offices.

• Approximately 200 meetings with House and Senate offices from 32 states have been scheduled

Rally 2014 Hill Day Calendar of Events

Rally Hill Day Training SessionWednesday, Sept. 17, 3:00 – 4:30 PMHyatt Regency Washington – Capitol Hill, Columbia Room

Reception to Celebrate Medical Research Wednesday, Sept. 17, 5:00 – 7:00 PMKennedy Caucus Room, Russell Senate Office Building, Room 325

*Dress Code for all events is business attire*

Rally Hill Day 2014 Calendar of Events

Rally Hill Day Kick-Off BreakfastThursday. Sept. 18, 7:30 – 9:30 AMHyatt Regency Washington, Capitol Hill, Ballroom A**The group will convene for a photo in Upper Senate Park following the kick-off breakfast.

Rally Hill Day Congressional MeetingsThursday Sept. 18, 9:45 – 5:00 PM

Online Communications

http://rallyformedicalresearch.org

• “Resources” tab – “Hill Day Materials”• “Get Involved” page includes:

Grassroots ToolkitRally Style GuideSample Action AlertSocial Media Opportunities

Twitter handle: #rallymedres

NIH Budget Update

• NIH funding was essentially flat from 2003 to 2013, and continues to lag behind the rate of cost growth for health research

• Across the board cuts, known as sequestration went into effect in March 2013, inflicting a $1.6 billion cut to the agency– Approximately 640 fewer competitive grants were funded in 2013– Approximately 750 fewer patients were admitted to the NIH Clinical

Center – Success rates are now at historic lows

• In 2014, NIH funding remains below pre-sequestration levels– NIH currently funded at approximately $30 billion after approximately

$1B increase in FY 2014 funding

NIH is not keeping pace with biomedical inflation

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Congress’ Fall Agenda

• Given the limited days remaining in the congressional calendar and the politics of the midterm elections, Congress will need to agree on a plan to fund the government before the start of the new fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1

• A short-term spending bill or continuing resolution (CR) is the likeliest scenario to keep the government running past Oct. 1.

• A CR would provide policymakers additional time to finalize the fiscal year (FY 2015) spending bills for agencies, including the NIH.

Congress’ Fall Agenda

• The CR is expected to maintain level funding and last 2 to 3 months –pushing the larger debate on spending levels for FY 2015 into mid-December

• Members from both parties have acknowledged that a post-election, omnibus spending bill for FY 2015 would be the most likely outcome during a partisan midterm election year.

• Déjà vu All Over Again

Congress’ Other Priorities

• White House’s request for extra funding to help speed the development and manufacturing of Ebola drugs

• Extra border funding

• Issues in the Middle East

Important Time to Highlight Value of Medical Research

• The next few months present a critical window for the medical research community to underscore the value of medical research in saving and improving lives.

• The Rally for Medical Research Hill Day will be an important opportunity for the NIH advocacy community to highlight the critical need for increased funding for the agency.

Our Message

Now is the Time for Congress to Work Together to Support the National Institutes

of Health

Increase the Nation’s Investment in the NIH!

Additional Talking Points

• Medical research funded through the NIH, the largest source of funding for medical research in the world, has been a driving force behind decades of advances that have improved the health of millions of Americans.

• Flat funding or continued cuts threaten NIH’s ability to support ground-breaking research, moving the nation’s commitment to medical research backwards at a time when other countries are investing heavily in science.

• NIH funding remains below pre-sequestration levels. Despite the approximate $1 billion increase over FY 2013, the new funding level still falls more than $600 million short of restoring the $1.6 billion that was cut in March 2013 when sequestration took effect.

Additional Talking Points

• Funding provided to the NIH does more than just save lives – it fuels the US economy and creates jobs in our communities

• NIH funding supports research by more than 325,000 scientists at more than 3000 universities, research institutions, small businesses and other entities

• Every $1 in NIH funding generates about $2.21 in local economic growth

Additional Talking Points

• The United States' leadership in the global life sciences industry is under threat due to a constant dollar decline in NIH biomedical research funding and intensifying global competition from countries such as China, Germany, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom

• By prioritizing the growth of the NIH budget at a predictable, robust pace by providing annual budget increases at least comparable to the biomedical inflation rate, we begin to seize the momentum at this exciting time in medical research.

Your Schedule

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Special cases:• Group Leaders / GR Professionals• VIP Schedules

Advocacy Day App

Preliminary App Codes will go out via email at COB on Friday, September 12th.

Other Helpful Websites

• Metro Website– http://www.wmata.com/

• U.S. House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov

• U.S. Senate: http://www.senate.gov

Q & A

Thank you for participating in the Rally for Medical Research Hill Day

2014!