In case you have yet to read Ed Fallon’s letter advocating for a call to action regarding “Clean Elections” and Hog Lts Local Control.
Dear Friends,
Despite overwhelming support from citizens and community leaders, two
of the most important pieces of legislation of the 2007 session are on
life support at the Statehouse. HF 805 (SF 553), the Voter-Owned Iowa
Clean Elections law (VOICE), and HF 873, a bill regulating CAFOs, have
seen steady progress but now face strong opposition.
The VOICE bill is in an Appropriations sub-committee comprised of Rep.
Dave Jacoby (D-chair), Rep. Jo Oldson (D) and Rep. Dwayne Alons (R).
It will come up for a vote in that committee either next Tuesday (3/27)
or Wednesday (3/28). If passed, it then goes to the full committee and
becomes “funnel-proof.” That means the likelihood for debate on
the floor of the House increases. However, we learned yesterday that the
Appropriations sub-committee plans to “kill” the bill, at the
request of leadership.
The same kind of situation exists for the CAFO bill (HF 873). It seems
the bill has been sent to a sub-committee with instructions from
leadership to “kill” it. Members of that committee are Mike Reasoner
(D-chair), Delores Mertz (D), Helen Miller (D), Jack Drake (R) and Steve
Olson (R).
Adam Mason of CCI and I (Lynn Heuss) have lobbied at the Capitol on
several occasions. It is, at times, satisfying work and at other times
exasperating. Yesterday’s lobbying expedition fits into the
exasperating category. BUT – we’re not giving up, and neither should you!
Some of the good things that have happened this week:
•On Wednesday, Ed Fallon met with former Governor Tom Vilsack, who
offered to help encourage support for HF 805 (VOICE). Ed also met with
Governor Culver last week, who agreed to call a few lawmakers to
encourage their support of the bill.
•Senator John Edwards was in Des Moines this Tuesday and met with
House Democrats. He addressed several important issues, including
campaign finance reform.
•Many community leaders who donate significantly to Democratic
campaigns are signing on to support passage of HF 805.
•Former congressmen Berkley Bedell (D) and Jim Leach (R) are
collaborating on a joint letter in support of HF 805.
•In our lobbying efforts, Adam and I met with several House
Republicans, and some said they will consider supporting the bill.
•The coalition of citizens groups working to better regulate CAFOs is
running full-page ads in targeted newspapers across Iowa to bring
attention to HF 873.
•This coalition has also hired four lobbyists, who continue to
pressure lawmakers to support HF 873.
Three Democratic House members – Pam Jochum, Mark Kuhn and Marcie
Frevert – have been working tirelessly to advocate for these bills. But
they can’t do it alone. We must join the fight.
We need to inundate with calls and e-mails the legislative leaders who
control the fate of these two bills. Please call or write. If your
representative isn’t on one of the sub-committees, you can still call
or write Rep. Pat Murphy (House Speaker), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (House
Majority Leader) or Senator Mike Gronstal (Senate Majority Leader).
Everyone needs to contact those three leaders, and if you are in a district
represented by any of the lawmakers listed below, please let them know
you support these bills. Then ask everyone else you know to do the
same!
It’s time to clean up our air, our water and our elections. Thanks
in advance for your help.
Lynn Heuss
VOICE – HF 805 CAFO Regulation – HF 873
Appropriations Sub-Committee Agriculture Sub-Committee
Rep. Dave Jacoby (D) Rep. Mike Reasoner (D)
House District 30 — Johnson County House District 95 – Union County
David.Jacoby@legis.state.ia.us Mike.Reasoner@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: 319-358-8538 Home Telephone: 641-782-2693
Rep. Jo Oldson (D) Dolores Mertz (D)
House District 61 — Polk County House District 8 – Kossuth County
Jo.Oldson@legis.state.ia.us Dolores.Mertz@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: 515-255-2805 Home Telephone: 515-887-2952
Rep. Dwayne Alons (R) Rep. Helen Miller (D)
House District 4 — Sioux County House District 49 – Webster County
Dwayne.Alons@legis.state.ia.us Helen.Miller@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: 712-439-2479
Rep. Jack Drake (R)
House District 57 — Pottawattamie
Jack.Drake@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: 712-784-3538
Rep. Steve Olson (R)
House District 83 – Clinton County
Steven.Olson@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: 563-659-9096
Speaker of the House
Rep. Pat Murphy (D)
House District 28 – Dubuque County
Pat.Murphy@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: (563) 582-5922
House Telephone: (515) 281-5566
House Majority Leader
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D)
House District 67 – Polk County
Kevin.McCarthy@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: (515) 953-5221
House Telephone: (515) 281-7497
Senate Majority Leader
Senator Mike Gronstal (D)
Senate District 50 — Pottawattamie
michael.gronstal@legis.state.ia.us
Home Telephone: (712) 328-2808
Business Telephone: (515) 281-3901
House Switchboard to reach all State Representatives: (515) 281-3221