> Take Action: Help prepare America for the flu season!

Experts have warned that a potential flu pandemic can strike the United States at anytime. A flu pandemic will spread rapidly and easily from person to person, affecting all age groups.  It will cause illness in a high proportion of those infected. We must make sure the United States is better prepared for the flu season regardless of whether a flu pandemic occurs in this year or in several years.

Funds must be available to ensure that we are prepared for influenza outbreaks. Further, please make sure we are ready for any flu pandemics. Leadership is needed to prevent these pandemics. Learn more about how you can help.

> Take Action: Tuberculosis Control Legislation

Please contact your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives today and ask them to cosponsor the Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Act of 2006 (H.R. 5836).

In 2005, over 14,000 cases of tuberculosis (TB) were diagnosed in the United States.  The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 9 million new cases of active TB and almost 2 million deaths resulted from TB in 2004 worldwide.  While TB can be cured, early diagnosis and treatment are critical.

> Guilty! Judge Finds Tobacco Companies Guilty of Federal Racketeering

Seven years after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to stop the deceptive practices of the tobacco industry, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler found on August 17, 2006, that Big Tobacco was guilty of federal racketeering charges.  After reviewing millions of pages of evidence and expert testimony, Judge Kessler correctly concluded that tobacco companies have engaged in a long-term, fraudulent scheme to mislead the American people about the health risks of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, the addictiveness of their products, and in their tactics for marketing their products to children.

> Take Action: Clean Up School Buses

Millions of children will ride buses each day to school. Many of these buses emit far too much diesel exhaust which can trigger asthma attacks and cause other health effects. Although, school buses are the safest way for children to get to school, they should not expose our children to high levels of pollution.

> Urgent Action Needed to Save Critical Clean Air and Health Programs

Update:  In response to the strong outpouring of opposition to this legislation, the U.S. House of Representatives has delayed the votes on these two bills until September. Members of Congress will be working on this legislation throughout the month of August, so please take action today to ensure your voice is heard!

Two bills are moving rapidly through the U.S. House of Representatives that would undermine or eliminate critical public health and environmental protection programs. The legislation creates un-elected and unaccountable commissions with the authority to eliminate federal programs and agencies behind closed doors with no opportunity for public input.

> Take Action: Smokefree U.S. Capitol

This morning, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona released a report revealing that no exposure to secondhand smoke is safe and that secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in those who are exposed to it.   The Surgeon General's report also finds that children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma.

> Take Action: Pulmonary Rehabilitation Legislation

Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) have introduced legislation (H.R. 4824) to create a category for pulmonary rehabilitation under the Medicare statute.  Currently, many Medicare beneficiaries with respiratory conditions have access to pulmonary rehabilitation programs that are scientifically proven to improve the health and well being of patients with COPD and other diseases.  These pulmonary rehabilitation programs have also been shown to reduce health care costs by reducing health care utilization by patients with COPD.