[pct-l] This is CRITICAL!! Please excuse the pol post...but easy to do!

[calliger at infolane.com (Richard)]

PLEASE FAX OR CALL...SAMPLE CALL AND FAX AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL!

 REGULA RECANTS AGREEMENT

PERMANENT FEE BILL BACK ON OMNIBUS

Fee Demo Shenanigans - It still ain't over.

On Wednesday night the good news was that Congressman Regula
had backed off the attempt to attach the permanent fee bill HR 3283 to
the appropriations omnibus as a rider.  Unfortunately the story does not
end there.

On Wednesday, House leaders tried to insert into the Omnibus
Appropriations bill the language of Representative Ralph Regula's (R-OH)
fee-demo bill HR 3283. If successfully attached, upon passage of the
Appropriations Bill, HR 3283 would become the law of the land,
regardless of the fact that Regula's bill was not introduced in the US
Senate, given a hearing, voted upon or passed by a majority of Senators.

On Wednesday evening key Senators, including the Chairs of the Interior
Appropriations, Energy & Natural Resources, National Parks, and Public
Lands Committees and subcommittees solidly opposed inclusion of HR 3283
into the Appropriations Bill, and through their steadfast efforts the
fee-demo rider was not attached.

What happened after that is not precisely known, but based upon ongoing
conversations with the staffs of Senate leaders, it appear that
Congressman Regula went directly to the Speaker of the House Dennis
Hastert (R-IL) and asked for additional muscle to be brought to bear in
getting his rider attached. Hastert, in turn, appears to have gone over
the heads of the above Senators and struck a deal with either Senate
Appropriations Committee Chair Ted Stevens (R-AK) or Senate Majority
Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). The upshot is that Regula's fee-demo bill has
now been inserted into the bill.

Yet the story does not end here either. Those key Senators who
successfully fought off Regula's challenge are not giving up the fight.
Senators Domenici (R-NM), Thomas (R-WY), Craig (R-ID) and Burns (R-MT)
are now working to have Regula's language REMOVED from the Omnibus bill
before the final bill is voted upon (which may be Sunday or sooner).

They need your help and here's what you can do:

WHO TO CALL/FAX TODAY (and continue faxing through the weekend!)

(1) Senator Bill Frist (R-TN),
         Senate Majority Leader,
         phone (202) 224-3344
         fax (202) 228-1264

(2) Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK),
         Chair Senate Appropriations Committee,
         phone (202) 224-7363
         fax (202) 228-0248

(3) Rep. Bill Young (R-FL)
         Chair House Appropriations Committee
         phone (202) 225-2771
         fax (202) 225-9764

(4) Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX)
         Leader of the House
         phone (202) 225-5951
         fax (202) 225-5241

(5) Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
         Speaker of the House
         phone (202) 225-2976
         fax (202) 225-0697


WHAT TO SAY ON THE PHONE:
Please oppose HR 3283 as a rider to the Interior Appropriations bill.

SAMPLE FAX: (please vary a little)
Please oppose HR 3283 as an Interior Appropriations rider.

S. 1107, the National Parks recreation fee bill, has already been
approved by the Senate.

Permanent fees for the other public lands agencies should come before
public hearings in the next session of Congress.  It is inappropriate to
legislate permanent recreation fees by rider in a lame duck session of
Congress.

Thank you,

Yours sincerely,
(Please print your name and address very clearly).

Please call and fax today and Saturday and forward to your friends and
associates!

I will keep you posted as I learn more.

Richard