|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PCF Attends Reception for Rep. Bart Gordon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PCF representative Scott Barstow attended a reception for Tennessee Representative Bart Gordon on Tuesday, July 29th. Rep. Gordon, a Democrat, is a high-ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and its Subcommittee on Health, which has jurisdiction over Medicare. Rep. Gordon is the lead Democratic sponsor of H.R. 1588, legislation to establish Medicare coverage of licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists. At the reception, Scott talked to both Rep. Gordon and to Rep. Dan Lipinski, who was at the event, about licensed professional counselors and their coverage under Medicare. Scott also discussed legislative strategy for the counselor coverage legislation with a member of Rep. Gordon's staff. Rep. Gordon will be a key player in counselors' work next year to finally gain enactment of counselor coverage language under Medicare. |
PCF Joins Senator Blanche Lincoln for Lunch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Wednesday, July 30th, PCF representative Scott Barstow attended a fundraiser luncheon with Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) for her campaign committee. Although she is not up for reelection this year, Senator Lincoln indicated that it was important for her prospects for reelection in 2010 to receive campaign contributions in the current election cycle. Senator Lincoln is a champion on counseling issues. She is the lead Democratic sponsor of the Medicare coverage legislation in the Senate, S. 558, and will be playing an even more important role next year, through her work on the Senate Finance Committee. The Senate Finance Committee is the only committee with jurisdiction over Medicare issues in the Senate, and is likely to play a more central role in the development of Medicare legislation next year than it did this year.
In addition to her work on Medicare coverage of counselors, Senator Lincoln is also a sponsor of legislation important to school counselors. The same day as the luncheon, Senator Lincoln joined colleagues in sponsoring S. 3364, the "Increased Student Achievement Through Increased Student Support Act," which would authorize grant funding for partnerships between graduate programs training school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists and local education agencies serving low-income student populations. At the luncheon, Senator Lincoln talked about her commitment to improving health and education services, and the importance of social programs to her constituents and the nation as a whole. |
PCF Attends Dinner With Rep. Patrick Kennedy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, July 30th, Scott also attended a fundraising dinner for Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). Rep. Kennedy has been a passionate advocate for improving health care services and increasing access to care, especially in the area of mental health and addictive disorder treatment. At the dinner, Kennedy talked about his work on health care issues, mental health parity legislation, and supporting drug court programs, and mentioned how frustrating it can be trying to increase support for social programs while huge expenditures on defense programs are seldom challenged. At the dinner, Scott talked to the congressman about counselors, and about working to advance mental health policy issues. Rep. Kennedy is the lead sponsor of the landmark House mental health parity legislation, H.R. 1424. Next year Kennedy will either be leading the charge again on this issue, or, should parity legislation be enacted this year, will be well positioned to engage in mental health policy issues within Medicare and other public health programs. PCF is pleased to be able to support the congressman. |
We hope this information is of interest, and we thank you for your support. Please click on our website or call the number below to make a contribution to the fund.
Sincerely,
Pat McGinn
President, Professional Counseling Fund
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
phone: 773-363-8313
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
ACT!
Write Congress!
It is extremely helpful for you as a professional counselor to provide your elected federal representatives with information about legislation affecting their counselor/constituents. Let your legislator know your opinion about pending legislation. Write, fax, call and email frequently in order to participate in the democratic process. What you have to say does matter to legislators. If your legislator only hears from professional counseling’s opponents, he or she will think there is no contrary opinion and we will have only our own passivity to blame if laws which adversely affect professional counseling are passed.
To Contact your member of the U.S. House of Representatives:
http://www.house.gov
To Contact your member of the U.S. Senate:
http://www.senate.gov
|
|
Can I Contribute?
