This season marks the beginning of a new session for Congress, and we have a lot of work ahead of us: in the next few months, we'll need to get new members up to date, advocate for policy changes with both new and returning members, and organize efforts to counteract the Bush Administration's plan to extend Plan Colombia beyond its original 5-year timeframe.

Now is the time to start planning meetings with your members of Congress or their staff, either in the local office or here in DC; write letters to new and returning members; brainstorm creative ways of getting the attention of policymakers and the media; and think about ways to educate and mobilize other concerned members of your community. LAWG has compiled resources to help you with all of these efforts, and we encourage you to be in touch with any suggestions or questions in the days and weeks ahead.

What's Coming Up: The legislative plan for Colombia this year is still being hammered out, but the appropriations process could start as early as March, so please check back in February to find the latest update on Colombia legislation in Congress. There may be important congressional sign-on letters throughout the spring that will help keep Congress' attention on Colombia. Grassroots media work this year will be key: Plan Colombia's 5-year anniversary will happen in July, and hard work will need to take place in the months prior to expose the policy's failings and push for a new, more effective and humane approach.

ACTION: Make Contact and Educate! Many of you have new members of Congress who will begin their terms on January 20th. Getting in touch with them early will show them that Colombia is an issue that their constituents care about, and will help lay the groundwork for sign-on letters or debates. If you don't have a new member of Congress, it's still a great idea to get in touch with returning members now to ensure that they know the issue continues to be a concern. The session starts January 20th, but new staffers will be learning the ropes over the next couple months-- and your communication will be key during this formative period. Aim to communicate with your senators and representative by mid-February, when the Bush Administration's aid request for 2006 will be released.

The Latin America Working Group and the US Office on Colombia have complied a number of resources for you to send to your members or deliver during a meeting. A sample letter for you to use or draw from in your communications with your members of Congress is available by clicking here. You can send the letter along with some of the educational pieces listed below.

For tips on setting up a meeting with your member of Congress, either in your district office or in DC, making a phone call, or contacting your senators or representative, please see http://www.lawg.org/tools/contacting_congress.htm. If you don't know who your representative is, see http://www.house.gov/writerep.

Here are some educational resources that you can drop off with a member of Congress during a meeting, or send along with a letter in a packet:

Memo from the Washington Office on Latin America on human rights concerns in Colombia: http://www.wola.org/Colombia/evaluating_hr_progress_memo0604.pdf

Letter to the presidential candidates on Colombia from national faith communities: http://www.lawg.org/countries/colombia/faith_leaders.htm

Memo from the US Office on Colombia reviewing Plan Colombia after four years: http://usofficeoncolombia.org/documents/pcfour.pdf

Executive Summary of an Amnesty International report on violence against women in Colombia: http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/colombia/document.do?id=80256DD400782B8480256F1E0051B270

Report from the Latin America Working Group on the impact of aerial fumigation in Colombia (this is a lengthy report, but you can print out the executive summary on pages 2 and 3): http://www.lawg.org/docs/Going2ExtremesFinal.pdf

Memo by the Washington Office on Latin America on the failure of the US drug war to impact drug availability in the United States: http://www.lawg.org/docs/thereyetexerpts.pdf

Memo from the Washington Office on Latin America on human rights concerns raised by the demobilization of right-wing paramilitary militias: http://www.wola.org/Colombia/para_dialogue_memo062304.pdf

Again, CLICK HERE for a sample letter to members of Congress.

It has already been a difficult year, and the challenges ahead of us are considerable--but working together, we can retain hope and make change. Thank you, as always, for your dedication to this important work.