Congress Two Votes Short of Approving Increase for Cancer Funding Bill

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) reported this week that they came very close to getting the two-thirds majority they needed to override President Bush's veto and secure a modest but vital increase for cancer research funding.

On Nov. 15th the U.S. House of Representatives voted on whether to override the veto for Fiscal Year 2008 Labor-HHS Bill. (Source: Pancan.org).

"Many elected officials tell their constituents that they support their issues, but the proof is in the way they vote," stated PanCAN in a press release. "We've done a great job of making our voices heard in Congress."

You can sign an online petition urging your representatives to vote for the increase by going to capwiz.com/pancan/issues/alert or pancan.org.

If you want to write your own letter, just click on "Legislative Alerts & Updates" on the top left corner and select "Write your own letter to your Representative to let them know how you feel about their vote to override the Presidential veto of cancer research funding."

PanCAN is also having an Ebay auction for the cause.

In unrelated non-profit news, a new Canadian law that will expedite the citizenship process for children adopted from overseas came into effect Nov. 8, according to the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. Also U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and John Rockefeller introduced legislation Nov. 16th that would establish a pilot program "designed to effect long-range improvements in the adoption process by increasing prospective adoptive parent access to adoption information and strengthening such agencies' responsiveness to prospective adoptive parents." (Source: Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute).

The Institute published a major report during National Adoption Month in November, representing the most comprehensive examination to date of one of the most controversial, emotionial issues in the modern adoption world: whether adopted people, once they become adults, should have access to their original birth information. The company's ground-breaking report, "For the Records: Restoring a Right to Adult Adoptees," has been widely reported in national print and broadcast media, too. Executive Director Adam Pertman, in a Nov. 28th WCVB-TV broadcast "Mass. To Set Open Adoption Records," questions the new Massachusetts law allowing adopted adults to obtain their original birth certificates because it only applies to those born before records were sealed and those adopted after Jan. 2008.

In unrelated event news, the Fair Park Tree Lighting Festival will take place at Fair Park in Dallas, TX Dec. 2nd, 4-8 p.m. Loads of activities run throughout the evening including SkyWay, hay and carriage rides, treats, bands, concert choirs, bell choirs, tap dancers, the Clauses', and more, according to Donna Harris.

Over in Southlake, Free Fee Sunday will be held Dec. 2nd at Sunshine Glaze Creative Studio, 405 N. Carroll Avenue from 12-5 p.m.

For more information, call 817-424-1417.