If you were not able to attend May’s Monthly Policy Forum, you can check out the recording and slides below. Reach out to [email protected] with any questions or if you need support in your state!
The theme of May’s Policy Forum was Summer Advocacy & September Impact. We spent the hour adding context to a busy month in the disability policy space and outlined a roadmap for turning summer momentum into September action. As always, a recording of the forum and the slides can be found at the bottom of this post, and the video is also posted on the FASD United YouTube.
Organization Update
We opened with a look at where this community has been showing up. The Interagency Coordinating Committee on FASD (ICCFASD) held their annual meeting on May 7th, bringing federal partners together around FASD. FASD United’s Jennifer Wisdahl and Laura Bousquet participated, and advocates from Virginia and Maryland attended. SAF France, in collaboration with FASD Ireland, hosted an International Policy Roundtable. FASD United’s Chris Melfi joined virtually as a panelist to hear how Canada, Ireland, Australia, Brazil, and France are putting FASD on the agenda. FASD United was also represented at the AUCD National Leadership Innovation Summit.
Impact Week: September 27th-30th
Impact Week 2026 will be held September 27th through 30th at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. The week will include our Symposium, the Red Shoes Gala, Hill Day, a Poster Reception, and more to be announced. Impact Week is free to attend, and the Red Shoes Gala is the only paid event of the week. Click here to register for Impact Week!
If you are planning to join us, the most important step right now is to begin setting up your Hill Day meetings for September 29th. Once you have registered, reach out to your two Senators and one Representative to request meetings, and email [email protected] if you would like support. Log your Hill Day meetings here!
Lay of the Land
May was a busy month on the appropriations front, and it started with a remarkable show of community voice. Thanks to advocates like you, more than 100 outside witness testimonies were submitted to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee. That total included 86 from individuals, 20 from affiliates, and 4 from other organizations, with Texas, Florida, and California leading the way. If you submitted testimony, the next step is to send it to your Representative and your two Senators to let them know you want them to support increased funding for FASD. This is especially important if your Representative or Senator sits on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (see lists below.) Click here for email templates to help get your outreach started.
Senate
- Shelley Moore Capito (WV) — Chair
- Lindsey Graham (SC)
- Jerry Moran (KS)
- John Kennedy (LA)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS)
- John Boozman (AR)
- Katie Britt (AL)
- Markwayne Mullin (OK)
- Mike Rounds (SD)
- Tammy Baldwin (WI) — Ranking Member
- Patty Murray (WA)
- Richard Durbin (IL)
- Jack Reed (RI)
- Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
- Jeff Merkley (OR)
- Brian Schatz (HI)
- Chris Murphy (CT)
House
- Robert Aderholt (AL-04) — Chair
- Mike Simpson (ID-02)
- Andy Harris (MD-01)
- Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03)
- John Moolenaar (MI-02)
- Julia Letlow (LA-05) — Vice Chair
- Andrew Clyde (GA-09)
- Jake Ellzey (TX-06)
- Stephanie Bice (OK-05)
- Riley Moore (WV-02)
- Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) — Ranking Member
- Steny Hoyer (MD-05)
- Mark Pocan (WI-02)
- Lois Frankel (FL-22)
- Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)
- Josh Harder (CA-09)
- Madeleine Dean (PA-04)
2026 is a major election year, with 36 governorships, 35 Senate seats, and all 435 House seats on the ballot, and a notable number of incumbents are not running. Even where members change, Congressional staff tend to stay on the Hill, so the relationships you build now will matter regardless of how the elections play out. That is why we are urging advocates to schedule Hill Day meetings and request proclamations early.
Hill Day
This year’s Hill Day will take place September 29th, just a few days before Members of Congress head home for a long recess. Hill Day, and the months leading up to it, provide advocates with an excellent opportunity to keep FASD on the agenda.
Getting ready comes down to three steps.
- Register for Impact Week and Hill Day
- Plan ahead by finding your Members of Congress, contacting the scheduler, and logging your meetings. Email [email protected] for help contacting your Members’ offices.
- Work together. Join our weekly Policy Drop-In on Wednesdays at 12:00 pm Eastern, ask to be connected with other advocates in your state, and get listed on our Policy site.
FASD United can help you identify your members, find a scheduling contact, coordinate with other advocates in your state, and prepare for your meetings. Just email [email protected].
FASD Awareness Day Proclamation Requests
September is FASD Awareness Month, and you can help your Governor recognize September 9th as FASD Awareness Day in your state. One thing a state advocate can do to raise awareness is request an official proclamation from their Governor. Our goal is a proclamation from every single state, ideally with one lead advocate per state coordinating the request. Because timelines vary by state and these requests can take a while, the message is the same as everything else this month: start early. Click here to get started!
