DRAFT letter to Chairman Ralph Regula,

pending signatures by Representatives

(To urge your Representative to sign the letter,

see our Action Alert.)

May --, 2005

Hon. Ralph Regula, Chairman
Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
2358 Rayburn Building

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Thank you for your commitment to fighting the health crisis of underage drinking, especially for providing funds in your last two appropriations bills for the Ad Council to carry out a national media campaign to combat underage drinking directed at parents.  The Ad Council has worked in a transparent way with SAMHSA, advocacy groups and the alcohol beverage industry, and ads will begin running across the country this fall.

This national media campaign is an important component of recommendations by the Institute of Medicine in 2003.  We are writing to request $850,000 be included in the FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill for the third year for this important effort.  The Ad Council would use the funds to continue the campaign and to produce new TV, radio spot, web banner, and out-of-home ads based on research and measurement results.  The Ad Council will be evaluating the campaign by monitoring hits to the campaign Website, calls to the 1-800 number, and tracking studies that measure attitudinal, behavioral and awareness shifts among the campaign's target audience.

The Ad Council’s multi-media (TV, radio, Internet, print, outdoor) public service campaign will target parents.  The Ad Council has conducted initial research and focus groups, and will now create PSAs and distribute them to 28,000 media outlets nationwide, monitor the placement of the ads (media monitoring) and conduct on-going longitudinal studies for evaluation of the campaign's success.  The average return of such a donated-media model is nearly $30 million in free media per year -- a return of 70:1.

We appreciate your commitment to the health of our children and the health of our society, and we look forward to working with you on the important issue of combating underage drinking.
 

Sincerely,
 

Rep. Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Rep. Wolf (R-VA), Rep. Osborne (R-NE), Rep. DeLauro (D-CT), Rep. Wamp (R-TN), Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Waxman (D-CA), Rep. Doggett (D-TX), Rep. B. Lee (D-CA), Rep. G. Miller (D-CA), Rep. Delahunt (D-MA), Rep. Kildee (D-MI), Rep. Berkley (D-NV), Rep. Sanders (I-VT), Rep. J. Davis (D-FL), Rep. T. Davis (R-VA), Rep. Moran (R-KS), Rep. Reichert (R-WA), Rep. Maloney (D-NY), Rep. McDermott (D-WA), Rep. Manzullo (R-IL), Rep. Farr (D-CA)