How You Can Help

Contact Governor Cuomo and your state Assembly and Senate members and ask them for $8.5 million in this year’s budget for the Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust.

All letters to the Governor should be sent to the following address:
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

For information on your state legislative members, visit these websites:
http://assembly.state.ny.us scroll to the “Assembly Members”
http://www.nysenate.gov and go to “find my Senator”

Drafting Points for Letters
We are providing this document containing relevant points that you should consider using in drafting your own, personalized letter.

Important Points

  • Request the Governor’s consideration of including $8.5 million in his 2014 Executive Budget to fully fund the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP)
  • The SCIRP supports New York researchers, hospitals and academic center in their quest to find cures for spinal cord injury
  • The SCIRP provides well paying, high-tech jobs
  • It helps to leverage federal and private sector funds
  • It has attracted scientists and doctors to the state
  • The SCIRP was created in 1998
  • It has provided over $71 million in research dollars to advance treatments for spinal cord injury
  • –Please add information here on some of the successes of the SCIRP program
  • According to state law, the SCIRP is funded through a surcharge on moving violation traffic tickets.  The law states that these funds are to be used to fully fund the SCIRP at $8.5 million annually
  • Unfortunately, SCIRP funds were eliminated in 2010 and used to fill state budget gaps
  • This cut has resulted in terminations and disruptions in research programs
  • Advocates were successful in getting a partial restoration of $2 million for the program last year
  • Please discuss your own experience with the SCIRP program or your experience as someone living with a spinal cord injury
  • Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, the state is in better fiscal health and can afford to fully fund this modest program
  • Thank the Governor for his consideration and state that you will be following up with his staff soon