March 30, 2007

95 House cosponsors; 15 Senate cosponsors; May 1 and 2 Cuba Call-in Days; 785+ petition signers....

Spring greetings. We hope spring is taking hold in your part of the country; the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, are lovely!

Our topics for today are: (1) Updates on the two travel bills we are asking you to promote (HR 654 and S 721), (2) Save the date for National Cuba Call-In Days, May 1 and 2, (3) Please visit your members of Congress during the April recess, (4) You can still sign the petition on travel.

(1) Updates on the two travel bills we are asking you to promote (HR 654 and S 721)

Current House sponsors of HR 654, end the travel ban - 95, including Rep. Rangel:

If your member of Congress has indicated his/her support and isn't listed below, it is going to take a few more phone calls to get her/him officially on the list (accomplished only by calling Congressman Rangel's aide, Vivian Catalino.) If your member hasn't responded to your efforts, please try again.

HR 654 Cosponsors (95)

1. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
2. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
3. Thomas Allen (D-ME)
4. Brian Baird (D-WA)
5. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
6. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
7. Howard Berman (D-CA)
8. Marion Berry (D-AR)
9. Judy Biggert (R-IL)
10. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
11. Robert Brady (D-PA)
12. Lois Capps (D-CA)
13. Michael Capuano (D-MA)
14. Julia Carson (D-IN)
15. Donna Christensen (VI-Delegate)
16. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) - new member
17. William Lacy Clay (D-MO)
18. Stephen Cohen (D-TN) - new member
19. John Conyers (D-MI)
20. Barbara Cubin (R-WY)
21. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
22. Danny K. Davis (D-IL)
23. Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
24. Diana DeGette (D-CO)
25. Bill Delahunt (D-MA)
26. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
27. Mike Doyle (D-PA)
28. Keith Ellison (D-MN) - new member
29. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
30. Sam Farr (D-CA)
31. Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
32. Bob Filner (D-CA)
33. Barney Frank (D-MA)
34. Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX)
35. Bart Gordon (D-TN)
36. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
37. Jane Harman (D-CA)
38. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
39. Michael Honda (D-CA)
40. Jesse Jackson (D-IL)
41. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
42. William Jefferson (D-LA)
43. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
44. Tim Johnson (R-IL)
45. Dale Kildee (D-MI)
46. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
47. Ron Kind (D-WI)
48. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
49. Ray LaHood (R-IL)
50. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
51. John Lewis (D-GA)
52. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
53. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
54. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
55. Jim Matheson (D-UT)
56. Betty McCollum (D-MN)
57. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
58. Jim McGovern (D-MA)
59. Michael McNulty (D-NY)
60. Marty Meehan (D-MA)
61. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
62. Michael Michaud (D-ME)
63. George Miller (D-CA)
64. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
65. Gwen Moore (D-WI)
66. Jerry Moran (R-KS)
67. Jim Moran (D-VA)
68. John Olver (D-MA)
69. Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
70. Ron Paul (R-TX)
71. Donald Payne (D-NJ)
72. Collin Peterson (D-MN)
73. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
74. David Price (D-NC)
75. Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
76. Bobby Rush (D-IL)
77. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
78. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
79. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA)
80. Jose Serrano (D-NY)
81. Chris Shays (R-CT)
82. Vic Snyder (D-AR)
83. Hilda Solis (D-CA)
84. Pete Stark (D-CA)
85. John Tanner (D-TN)
86. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA)
87. Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
88. Mike Thompson (D-CA)
89. Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
90. Timothy Walz (D-MN) - new member
91. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
92. Diane Watson (D-CA)
93. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
94. Peter Welch (D-VT) - new member
95. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

Current Senate sponsors of S 721, end the travel ban - 15, including Senator Enzi:

It is time to ratchet up our efforts in the Senate. We'd like to get to a minimum of 30 senators on this list by July 4 (a goal set by Senator Enzi's staffer). Please help us get your two senators on board!

1. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY)
2. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)
3. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
4. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
5. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID)
6. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
7. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
8. Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI)
9. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
10. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
11. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
12. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
13. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
14. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
15. Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY)

(2) Save the date for National Cuba Call-In Days, May 1 and 2

The Latin America Working Group and the Washington Office on Latin America, along with multiple partners here in DC and across the country, are sponsoring National Cuba Call-In Days on May 1 and 2. Please mark your calendars now to participate in this broad effort to support the freedom of travel to Cuba. We'll be sending you additional information (talking points, phone numbers, partners joining us in this effort, etc., etc.) soon. We are promoting this kind of a grassroots effort - a flood of phone calls to Congress - instead of an on-the-ground action day here in DC so more people may participate and so the effort is less costly and time-consuming for all the participants and organizers. We will need your organizing skills, your networks, your participation, and your energy to make it a success.

(3) Please visit your members of Congress during the April recess

The House and Senate are on recess in April: House of Representatives members are in their home districts March 30 - April 13; senators are in their home states April 2-9. We urge you to take this opportunity to gather a small group of people (ideally a group that represents a variety of sectors - activist, educators, the faith community, sister cities, the agricultural community, etc.) to visit your senators and representative in their home offices to talk about Cuba policy, urge them to cosponsor the travel bills, and promote the rights of U.S. citizens to travel without restriction to Cuba. A face-to-face meeting in your members' state or district is very effective. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. If you'd like our help in connecting to other Cuba policy advocates in your state, let us know. We'll do our best to assist.

(4) You can still sign the petition on travel

You still have the opportunity to sign a statement on travel to Cuba that is available on-line, sponsored by organizations with long involvement in issues of U.S.-Cuba relations. It currently has been signed by about 800 people representing a broad cross section of U.S. not-for-profit institutions and civil society, including leaders of religious, humanitarian, academic, cultural and people-to-people organizations. Joining them are two former chiefs of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana and the former chief of staff of Secretary of State Colin Powell. Virtually all of the signers have direct personal experience with Cuba, either because it is their birthplace and/or they were able to carry out programs of exchange and humanitarian cooperation under policies in place during the Clinton and early Bush Administrations. This statement and list of signers has been provided to the sponsors of the travel bills in the House and Senate, and these offices have access to the increasing list of signers through the website. Please go to http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Cubatravelbill/index.html to read the statement and add your name to the list.