Since there seems to be some interest in the bills before the Texas
Legislature, below is the message being passed around with the names of all
the committee members and a sample letter.  Please note that (contrary to
what has been said on LACTNET) the formula companies' lobbyists are already
actively pursuing this matter.

Sarah E. Bradley, M.Ed., IBCLC
Program Coordinator

Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin

[log in to unmask]

(512) 494-0800

(877) 813-6455





Dear Breastfeeding Advocate:

The Central Texas Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition needs your help!

We are working with Senator Letitia Van de Putte and Representative Ruth
McClendon to pass Senate Bill 113 and House Bill 302. These bills would stop
formula companies from using health care professionals to advertise formula
(see the end of this letter for complete bill text).  As you know, exclusive
breastfeeding has a major impact on babies' health. Studies show that
formula advertising and free samples from doctors and hospitals reduce
exclusive breastfeeding rates.

We need you to contact members of the House Public Health Committee and the
Senate Committee on Health and Human Services to urge support for these
bills.  Don't forget to send a copy to your local Representative and
Senator. The formula companies are strongly lobbying to kill these bills.

Contact information for committee members is provided below. We've also
provided sample letters, but please feel free to customize since unique
letters make more of an impact than form letters.

Keep in mind that one mailed letter has the impact of five emails. But
please email - or call -  if you are unable to send a letter. To send an
email to a Representative, go to:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.htm
click on the name of the representative, click on Send email (in box on
right side of page).
To send an email to a Senator, send it to
[log in to unmask] .   Thus, an email to Senator John
Carona goes to [log in to unmask]   Note that Senator
Armbrister's email address uses the short form of his name:
[log in to unmask] rather than Kenneth.Armbrister.

Please pass this email along to everyone you think might support this
issue - breastfeeding groups, parenting groups, church groups, women's
groups, doctors, nurses, lactation consultants, etc. We want these
committees to be inundated with letters of support for these bills.

Thank you for your help!

Janet Rourke, President
Central Texas Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition
www.hmhbcentx.org

Texas Legislature On-line: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

Texas House of Representatives - Public Health Committee
Capitol address for House members: P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78711

Committee Chair: Rep. Dianne White Delisi
Vice-Chair: Rep. Jodie Laubenberg
B&O Chair: Rep. Vicki Truitt
Members: Rep. Garnet Coleman
Rep. Glenda Dawson
Rep. Jim Jackson
Rep. Jim McReynolds
Rep. Jim Solis
Rep. Bill Zedler

Texas Senate - Committee on Health and Human Services
Capitol address for Senate members: P.O. Box 12068, Austin, TX 78711

Committee Chair: Sen. Jane Nelson
Vice-Chair: Sen. Kyle Janek
Members: Sen. Kenneth Armbrister
Sen. John Carona
Sen. Bob Deuell
Sen. Mario Gallegos, Jr.
Sen. Jon Lindsay
Sen. Royce West
Sen. Judith Zaffirini


Here is a sample Letter of Support from an Individual.   Depending on
whether you are sending it to a Senator or a Representative, fill in the
correct information in bracketed spaces, or delete what doesn't belong:

The Honorable [name of Representative or Senator]
[Texas House of Representatives] or (Texas Senate)
P.O. Box [2910 (House) or  P.O. Box 12068 (Senate)]
Austin, TX 78711
RE: [House Bill 302 or  Senate Bill 113]

Dear [Representative or Senator]____________________:

I am writing this letter to support HB 302 (or SB 113), and to ask for your
vote for this bill.
This bill prohibits health care providers from giving non-medically
necessary formula and formula advertising to new mothers.  Research shows
that exclusive breastfeeding rates are significantly reduced when women are
given unnecessary formula samples and formula advertising by hospitals and
doctor's offices. Allowing formula companies to piggyback on the legitimacy
of health care providers undermines the message that breastfeeding is best
and results in higher costs to parents, insurers, and the state Medicaid
program since formula-fed infants get sicker and use more health care
services than exclusively breastfed babies do.  This costs Texas taxpayers
money.

The U.S. Surgeon General's Healthy People 2010 goals are to have 75% of
babies breastfed at hospital discharge, 50% breastfeeding at 6 months, and
25 % still breastfeeding at 1 year. One study has shown that reaching these
goals would save U. S. taxpayers over $3.6 billion annually, by reducing
only 3 of the many diseases formula fed babies are more prone to: otitis
media, gastroenteritis, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Prohibiting the
distribution of free, non-medically necessary formula samples and naïve
advertising by health care providers is an important step in reaching these
goals. Texas Medicaid pays for over half of all births in this state, and
reaching these goals would reduce health care costs to the state.

Your support of this bill is important to both the families and the
taxpayers of Texas.

Sincerely,


Your name
Your address



Letter of Support - Organization
To a House member: To a Senator:
The Honorable (name of Representative) The Honorable (name of Senator)
Texas House of Representatives or Texas Senate
P.O. Box 2910 or P.O. Box 12068
Austin, TX   78768-2910 or Austin, TX   78711

RE:  HB 302 RE:  SB 113

Dear Representative ____________________: Dear Senator _______________:


________________ supports HB 302 (or SB 113) prohibiting health care
providers
from distributing formula advertising and free formula to new
mothers. We further support amendments to the bill exempting the WIC and
Newborn Screening Programs and specifically excepting cases in which formula
or other supplements are medically necessary.

Exclusive breastfeeding for at least three to four months is critical for
the short and long term health of children.  Lower rates of exclusive
breastfeeding in early infancy have been clearly shown to result in
increased childhood morbidity and increased health care costs.  Moreover,
six months of exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by the American Academy
of Pediatrics.  Ironically, it is low income,
minority children who are most likely to be deprived of the benefits of
early, exclusive breastfeeding.

When health care providers participate in indiscriminant distribution of
formula and formula advertising to new mothers, they undermine early
exclusive breastfeeding and thereby undermine child health.  As a result,
health care costs for taxpayers rise.  The state of Texas owes it to the
people of Texas to set policies that protect the public welfare and make
sound economic sense. This legislation is an important step in the right
direction.

Thank you for your support of this bill.

Sincerely yours,


Your name
Your office or role
Your Organization

(print on organization letterhead if possible)


Janet Wier Rourke, MSHP, LD, CLE
512-301-8682
[log in to unmask]

See our website:  www.hmhbcentx.org





             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html