Interest Statement
State Senator Liz Figueroa has been the leading voice in the California legislature for those with RSD and Chronic Pain over the past several years. She chaired a Senate informational hearing about RSD (the first of its kind in the country) in 2001; also she was a leading organizer of a Senate informational hearing in 2004 that examined the gender disparity in treatment and care toward women in pain.
Senator Figueroa has either authored or co-authored three pain related awareness months; May as RSD Awareness Month, September as Pain Awareness Month and February as Women In Pain Awareness Month.
Below please read an announcement Senator Figueroa recently released to the pain community…
September 2, 2005
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to announce that the California State Legislature has approved my Senate Concurrent Resolution 59 which proclaims September 2005 as Pain Awareness Month. This resolution calls on all Californians to recognize the need to provide practical information for people with pain, to inform health care professionals about pain management, and to advocate for people experiencing pain.
I want to thank Cynthia Toussaint for bringing this important issue to my attention nearly four years ago. Since that time, I’ve been an advocate for those living with pain. I look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that pain sufferers receive the best possible care from their practitioners.
Sincerely,
Senator Liz Figueroa
Biography
Liz Figueroa, is a former California State Senator who as a Democrat represented the 10th District until she termed out in November 2006. Prior to being a Senator, Liz served two terms in the California State Assembly. She was the first Northern California Latina to be elected to the Legislature.
Senator Figueroa served on a variety of committees and was Chair of the Senate Committee on Business and Professions, the Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee, the Senate Select Committee on International Trade Policy and State Legislation and the Senate Select Committee on Technological Crime and the Consumer. In her first year with the Assembly, Figueroa delivered nine bills to the Governor’s desk, all of which were signed into law—the highest percentage of any freshman legislator. She has been a leader in the high profile fight to reform managed care in California. Figeroa has been named Legislator of the Year by numerous organizations, including the March of Dimes, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of Retarded Citizens, Leadership California and the California National Organization for Women.