June 22, 1999
Web posted at: 11:59 a.m. EDT (1559 GMT)

WASHINGTON (June 22) -- A group of 100 young people with diabetes are on Capitol Hill Tuesday, lobbying congressional members for increased research funding. In an effort to get the message to the lawmakers, the kids have formed their own congress.

Tommy Solo and 99 of his newfound friends traveled to Washington with a simple goal in mind: "I want them to raise money and I want them to give money to the scientists to make a cure."

Tommy's a 9-year-old from Boston, diagnosed with diabetes, one of 16 million Americans who have the disease. It was his idea to bring other kids with diabetes to Washington to lobby lawmakers for extra research funds and cut through what Tommy's mom calls: "Washington's clutter."

"We need something maybe that could kind of cut through that and actually cause people to think and listen," said Pam Solo.

The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Children's Congress has already met with Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. The kids have also brought along star power to draw a crowd: JDF Chairwoman Mary Tyler Moore.

"I think it's going to be very difficult for the people in Congress to listen to these children tell them what it's like to live with a chronic disease like diabetes and not remember it," Moore said.

The National Institutes of Health spend more than $400 million a year researching the disease, which already consumes one of every five Medicare dollars spent on adults.

It's been estimated that the lifetime cost of caring for a diabetic can run as high as $600,000. The whole point of this lobbying effort is to convince lawmakers to boost research funding levels now with the hope of cutting the cost of that care later on.

Tuesday, June 22, 1999

• Gore pushes family agenda with his annual conference
• Sen. Hatch getting ready to launch presidential campaign
• Gov. Bush goes to Washington
• Presidential candidates vie for Latino support
• Hillary Clinton awarded Albania's highest civilian honor
• Senate OKs nearly $1 billion in U.N. back payments
• Senate committee approves Summers' Treasury nomination
• Children's congress lobbies for increased diabetes funding
• Clinton leaves Balkans hailed a hero by Kosovar Albanians
• Senate blasts Energy chief for lax nuclear security
• Clinton will help candidates who defied NRA, chief of staff says
• Court overturns ex-Arizona governor's fraud convictions
• NFL leaders oppose legislation on financing new stadiums
• Few of 88 Cisneros tapes said to have been altered
• Steel quota bill fails to clear hurdle in Senate
• Senate chairman says probes should rest with Justice Department
• Gov. Jeb Bush: Wife 'feels horrible' about run-in with Customs
• Move to scrap winner-take-all GOP primary in California gets setback
• Court limits reach of disabilities law
• Court says some with mental disabilities entitled to homelike care

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