- Joined
- Mar 7, 2008
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- 19
AKTI House Action NOW (8/27)
8/27/09 Time for House Action !!!
U.S. Representatives will be back in D.C. right after Labor Day. AKTI has been working behind the scenes to get them on board with the Senate amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2892).
Now we need you to support this effort! If you are a company representative or an individual, its time to ask for amendment support from key House committee and subcommittee chairs and ranking members.
Please help us If you have a business in, sell products in, live in, or plan to vacation in, or hunt or fish in WI, CA, NC, KY, TX, IL, NY, MI
Go to the AKTI website (www.akti.org) for key links to help us get this done for you. On the homepage, you will find a list of key Congressmen with addresses and fax numbers. You will find Company letter to House Member or Individual Letter to House Member that you should personalize, sign, then both fax and mail.
Please choose the appropriate letter and do this ASAP. The fate of the sporting knife industry and your ability to carry/use folding knives depends on it.
David D. Kowalski
AKTI Communications Coordinator
715-209-7389 (cell)
Now here is background update on what weve been doing in last three weeks
AKTI Keeps Working in House
(8/26/09) As I told you in my report in early August, the Customs fight is NOT over. During this August recess, AKTIs DC lobbyists are contacting staffers of important House committees and subcommittees. With their bosses typically spending time in their home districts, staffers have more time to meet in August.
AKTIs lobbyists are focusing on key committees to get them to support House adoption of Senate amendment 1447 to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2892). This amendment would add a fifth exemption to the Federal Switchblade Act at Section 1244 that would exempt any folding knife with a bias toward closure from being declared a switchblade.
Customs supported this amendment in a conference call with key Senators in July where the AKTI lobbyists were the only lobbyist participants. AKTI keeps working on this critical effort because it is so vital and is not done until the bill becomes law.
If you are a constituent of any committee chairs or ranking members, please contact me so we can work on these key lawmaker contacts ASAP. I am putting together a list of contact information. AKTI has also developed model letters.
Here is a summary from our DC lobbyist about the committees and subcommittees where we need support and are working to get it.
As we discussed, just briefly, I will summarize with whom we have been meeting on the Switchblade issue.
There are three committees in the House of Representatives that are involved. The Senate passed an appropriations bill with extra-jurisdictional legislation attached. Meaning, the appropriations committee deals with the budget issues of an agency, they do not deal in making new laws. However, as you all know, we were able to get the Senate appropriations committee to accept legislation that would amend the 1958 Switchblade Act.
In the House the Appropriations Committee has jurisdiction over the DHS appropriations bill. The Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee each have some jurisdiction over the 1958 Switchblade Act. Thus we are working with these committees and the subcommittees of jurisdiction to keep the bill intact.
I wanted to share the names and states of those members whom we are contacting in case you have some members that might have facilities in or live in, or workers that live in these members districts that we can use as a direct contact.
On the Appropriations Committee we are working with the Chairmans office, Rep Obey, (WI) and the ranking member Rep Jerry Lewis (CA). On the Homeland Security Subcommittee, we are working with Chairman Price (NC) and ranking member Rep Rogers (KY).
On the Energy and Commerce Committee, we are working with Chairman Waxman (CA) and ranking member Rep. Barton (TX) and the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Rep Rush (IL) and ranking member Rep Radanovich (CA).
On the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman Rangel (NY) and ranking member Rep. Camp (MI), and subcommittee on Trade Chair Rep Levin (MI) and ranking member Rep. Brady (TX).
September is coming next week and Congress will kick back into high gear. We need to be ready.
Remember, AKTI needs your financial support to keep this going. And we need you to join the Grassroots Supporter group at www.akti.org. Please ask your knife friends to join. Its free. Thats how youll get first notice of important calls to action coming soon, as well as the hottest AKTI updates.
8/27/09 Time for House Action !!!
U.S. Representatives will be back in D.C. right after Labor Day. AKTI has been working behind the scenes to get them on board with the Senate amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2892).
Now we need you to support this effort! If you are a company representative or an individual, its time to ask for amendment support from key House committee and subcommittee chairs and ranking members.
Please help us If you have a business in, sell products in, live in, or plan to vacation in, or hunt or fish in WI, CA, NC, KY, TX, IL, NY, MI
Go to the AKTI website (www.akti.org) for key links to help us get this done for you. On the homepage, you will find a list of key Congressmen with addresses and fax numbers. You will find Company letter to House Member or Individual Letter to House Member that you should personalize, sign, then both fax and mail.
Please choose the appropriate letter and do this ASAP. The fate of the sporting knife industry and your ability to carry/use folding knives depends on it.
David D. Kowalski
AKTI Communications Coordinator
715-209-7389 (cell)
Now here is background update on what weve been doing in last three weeks
AKTI Keeps Working in House
(8/26/09) As I told you in my report in early August, the Customs fight is NOT over. During this August recess, AKTIs DC lobbyists are contacting staffers of important House committees and subcommittees. With their bosses typically spending time in their home districts, staffers have more time to meet in August.
AKTIs lobbyists are focusing on key committees to get them to support House adoption of Senate amendment 1447 to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2892). This amendment would add a fifth exemption to the Federal Switchblade Act at Section 1244 that would exempt any folding knife with a bias toward closure from being declared a switchblade.
Customs supported this amendment in a conference call with key Senators in July where the AKTI lobbyists were the only lobbyist participants. AKTI keeps working on this critical effort because it is so vital and is not done until the bill becomes law.
If you are a constituent of any committee chairs or ranking members, please contact me so we can work on these key lawmaker contacts ASAP. I am putting together a list of contact information. AKTI has also developed model letters.
Here is a summary from our DC lobbyist about the committees and subcommittees where we need support and are working to get it.
As we discussed, just briefly, I will summarize with whom we have been meeting on the Switchblade issue.
There are three committees in the House of Representatives that are involved. The Senate passed an appropriations bill with extra-jurisdictional legislation attached. Meaning, the appropriations committee deals with the budget issues of an agency, they do not deal in making new laws. However, as you all know, we were able to get the Senate appropriations committee to accept legislation that would amend the 1958 Switchblade Act.
In the House the Appropriations Committee has jurisdiction over the DHS appropriations bill. The Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee each have some jurisdiction over the 1958 Switchblade Act. Thus we are working with these committees and the subcommittees of jurisdiction to keep the bill intact.
I wanted to share the names and states of those members whom we are contacting in case you have some members that might have facilities in or live in, or workers that live in these members districts that we can use as a direct contact.
On the Appropriations Committee we are working with the Chairmans office, Rep Obey, (WI) and the ranking member Rep Jerry Lewis (CA). On the Homeland Security Subcommittee, we are working with Chairman Price (NC) and ranking member Rep Rogers (KY).
On the Energy and Commerce Committee, we are working with Chairman Waxman (CA) and ranking member Rep. Barton (TX) and the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Rep Rush (IL) and ranking member Rep Radanovich (CA).
On the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman Rangel (NY) and ranking member Rep. Camp (MI), and subcommittee on Trade Chair Rep Levin (MI) and ranking member Rep. Brady (TX).
September is coming next week and Congress will kick back into high gear. We need to be ready.
Remember, AKTI needs your financial support to keep this going. And we need you to join the Grassroots Supporter group at www.akti.org. Please ask your knife friends to join. Its free. Thats how youll get first notice of important calls to action coming soon, as well as the hottest AKTI updates.