Next Meeting:       The 2008 Minnesota legislative session is rushing to a close.  It has been a tough year for health care reform at the Capitol, and it seems like the debate will continue right up to the very end of the session on whether the Health Care Access Fund will be used for a potential expansion of MinnesotaCare or go toward balancing the budget. Since our next scheduled meeting comes just one day after the mandatory end of the legislative session, I think it might be a good opportunity to hear from our friends at the Capitol about what happened- what went right, what went wrong, and what we can plan for in the years to come. To that end, I've invited Laura Blubaugh, the Committee Administrator for Sen. John Marty's Health, Housing and Family Security Committee, and Joel Clemmer, an advocate and activist on single payer health care, to visit with us.  UPCOMING MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT: WHO:  All Health Care Action Team Members WHAT:  The May Health Care Action Team meeting! WHERE:  Hayden Center (Office for Social Justice), 328 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55104 WHEN:  Tuesday, May 20th, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM WHY:  Get a recap on the 2008 session and hear about upcoming action opportunities! Past Meeting Agendas: January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 E-Newsletters: April 2007 May 2007 Links / Resources: Writing to persuade your reader Examples of how to write a letter to your Legislator Examples of how to write a letter to the editor Additional Advocacy Tips on how to write a letter to the editor _____________________________________________________________________________ Health Care Action Team Petition Drive for Children's Health The Health Care Action Team is supporting a new campaign to ensure that all children have health insurance.  This comprehensive effort is being launched with a petition drive to gather 9 million signature for to represent the 9 million uninsured kids in our country. We are excited about this opportunity to put into Action this important initiative! We have a goal of 10,000 signatures for our entire team by January 1, 2007. In the spirit of friendly competition, why don’t we see who can collect the most signatures towards this goal?  The winner will receive recognition in our next Seeds publication. If you would like help getting started, have questions about the initiative or are encountering difficulties at your parish, please contact one of the steering committee members. Remember to think outside the parish as well – gather names from friends, relatives, co-workers, members of your various organizational groups. If you would like to receive self-addressed return envelopes to hand out with a petition sheet, you can contact Patrick Ness at 651-291-4484. HCAT_petitionsheet.pdf HCAT_petitionparishinstructions.pdf HCAT_petition-top10childrenshealthfacts.pdf HCAT_petition-healthstoryworksheet.pdf  HCAT_petition-pollingdata.pdf HCAT_petitionleave-behind.pdf