Reston, Va., October 17, 2005 -- In the proposed fiscal year (FY) 2006 federal budget, funding for molecular/nuclear medicine programs within the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research (BER) Medical Applications and Measurement Science Program has been dramatically cut from approximately $37 million in FY 2005 to $13.6 million for FY 2006. Most of the proposed $13.6 million for FY 2006 will go to research in areas unrelated to nuclear medicine.

"Responding to the advocacy efforts of the nuclear medicine community, the House of Representatives Energy and Water appropriators' report restored $35 million of the $37 million for this basic nuclear medicine research program," said Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) Government Relations Committee member and American College of Nuclear Physicians (ACNP) President Bennett S. Greenspan, M.D. "Unfortunately, the Senate Energy and Water appropriators' report does not include a similar provision," he added.

Now, the House and Senate are coming together in conference to reconcile the differences between their respective versions of energy appropriations, explained Greenspan. "It is imperative this program be explicitly restored in the final language of the Energy and Water appropriators' conference report," he noted. "If this is not done, it is likely that this program will cease. This program is vital to the future of nuclear medicine. I ask that members of the nuclear medicine/molecular imaging community write their senators, preferably by e-mail or fax, to support this program, and to support the House version, which specifically authorizes the funding for this program," he said.
To reinstate this funding, individuals should call their elected senators and representatives as soon as possible, said Greenspan. Most likely, callers will end up speaking with their legislators' respective health legislative assistants (LAs) who deal with energy and/or appropriations, he said. "Speaking with staff is just as important as speaking to a member of Congress directly," he added.

Greenspan offered tips and talking points for contacting national lawmakers: Call the Washington, D.C., offices of your House and Senate members and ask to speak to the health legislative assistant (LA). Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121; ask to be transferred to the respective senator's or representative's office. If you do not know the name of your senators and/or representatives, you may look them up on the SNM Web site at
www.capwiz.com/snm/dbq/officials/.

For complete information, visit www.acnponline.org/index.cfm?PageID=4497&RPID=66.

If you have any questions, please call SNM/ACNP public affairs staff at (703) 708-9000. The organizations thank you in advance for your efforts.

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