FCNL: Legislative Action Message
FCNL
FCNL LEGISLATIVE ACTION MESSAGE
MAY 28, 1998
The following are updates and action suggestions from
the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) for
the coming week. These messages focus on selected
legislation which Congress is considering now, and
suggest some points that you may wish to make in your
communications with Congress. These messages are
intended as a supplement to other FCNL materials and do
not reflect FCNL's complete policy position on any
issue, nor do they include all pertinent facts on any
topic.
This update was prepared and uploaded at 4:00 pm on
Thursday, May 28. It includes information and action
suggestions on FOOD STAMPS FOR DOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS,
LANDMINES, and CUBA.
FOOD STAMPS FOR DOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS: On Friday, May
22, the House delayed approval of the conference report
on the Agricultural Research Bill (HR 2534). The
conference report was carefully crafted to balance a
broad range of interests including crop insurance,
agriculture research, rural development, and food stamps
for documented immigrants in need. The bill would
provide $818 million (over five years) to the food stamp
program in order to restore eligibility to 250,000 of
the more than 900,000 documented immigrants who lost
their eligibility as a result of the 1996 welfare
overhaul. Included in the eligibility restoration would
be children, elderly and disabled individuals, and
refugees. The Senate has already approved the report by
an overwhelming 92-8 vote.
The House delay was caused by a maneuver by the House
leadership to strip the food stamp provisions from the
conference report. The House rejected this attempt 289
to 120, but the report could not be passed before the
Memorial Day recess began. The House vote reflected a
combination of factors, including a concern of
representatives from rural districts that, without the
food stamp provision, they will not get the crop
insurance which their constituents desire.
ACTION: (1) Please contact your representative. Urge
her/him to support restoring food stamp eligibility for
documented immigrants and to press the House leadership
to bring the Conference Report (HR 2534) promptly to the
House floor for a final up or down vote, without other
procedural ploys. (2) Please join advocates from across
the country on Thursday, June 4 for a National Call-In
Day. Phone your representative in Washington (Capitol
switchboard: 202-224-3121) with your message.
LANDMINES: On May 21, the Clinton Administration
released a Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) on
landmines. The PDD stated that the U.S. intends to
sign the Ottawa Treaty banning all anti-personnel
landmines by 2006. In the meantime, the PDD noted, the
U.S. will "aggressively" search for alternatives to the
mixed anti-tank systems. A PDD outlines the
Administration's policy on landmines for the coming
years, but is not legally binding.
This commitment to sign the Ottawa Treaty is a
tremendous victory for the U.S. Campaign to Ban
Landmines. The debate over landmines has now shifted
from a question of whether the U.S. will ban anti-
personnel mines, to when a full ban will be implemented.
However, President Clinton's continuing delay in signing
the Ottawa Treaty and his insistence on having
alternatives to landmines before giving up these
indiscriminate weapons is unacceptable.
After Congress returns from recess, Sen. Leahy (VT) will
offer an amendment to the FY99 Defense Authorization
bill which would advance the Administration toward
implementing its stated commitment. The Leahy landmines
amendment would codify the PDD into law by confirming a
U.S. commitment to sign the Ottawa Treaty. The
amendment also calls on the U.S. to seek alternatives to
landmines that are consistent with the Ottawa Treaty,
but does not require that alternatives be found before
the U.S. signs the treaty.
ACTION: Please contact your senators. Encourage them to
support the Leahy landmines amendment to the FY99
Defense Authorization bill. Note that the amendment
simply codifies what the Administration has already
agreed to in the PDD. The following senators on the
Armed Services Committee especially need to hear from
constituents: Levin (MI), Robb (VA), Cleland (GA),
Lieberman (CT), Kennedy (MA), McCain (AZ), Warner (VA),
Kempthorne (ID) and Snowe (ME).
CUBA: On May 14, Sen. Helms (NC) introduced the Cuban
Solidarity Act (S 2080) with 21 cosponsors. If
passed, this bill would be a step backward in U.S.
policy towards Cuba. The bill maintains the current
restrictions on the donation and sale of medicine and
medical supplies and the sale of food. It offers
limited humanitarian assistance and designates the Cuban
Catholic Church and its aid organization, CARITAS, to be
the main distributers of this aid. It puts new
restrictions on the ability of private U.S. donors to
ship medical donations by air. It is unlikely that this
bill will improve the access of the Cuban people to food
and medicine. The Catholic Church and CARITAS have
already stated that they cannot be the conduit for the
aid.
Meanwhile, support is growing for the far better Dodd-
Warner Cuban Women and Children Humanitarian Relief Act
(S 1391). This bill would permit the President to lift
the embargo on the sale of food, medicine and medical
supplies to Cuba. It currently has 27 cosponsors.
ACTION: Please contact your senators. Thank those who
have cosponsored S 1391. Urge those who have not to
please do so. Tell them that the Dodd-Warner bill is
the best way to provide the Cuban people with a
consistent reliable source of food, medicine and medical
supplies. Urge them not to support S 2080. Calls are
needed especially to senators in the following states
who have not signed on to either bill: Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho,
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan,
Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota,
Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin,
West Virginia, Wyoming.
This concludes our message. For further information,
please contact FCNL directly to request the FCNL
Washington Newsletter and other background documents
(see address below). Not all of these documents are
available electronically at present.
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