Join us and call on
On April 16, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the bi-partisan Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has already held a hearing on the bill on April 24.
Now it is time to TELL THE SENATE to pass the Jubilee Act before time runs out!
The Jubilee Act has strong bi-partisan support in Senate, including over half the members of Foreign Relations Committee, but in order to move the bill forward we need more Senators to show their support by signing on as co-sponsors.
The most important and prophetic debt legislation in seven years, the Jubilee Act will expand access to debt cancellation to all the countries that need it to fight extreme poverty.
If you live in Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New York or Oregon: Congratulations, both of your Senators have already signed on to the Jubilee Act (S 2166). But you can still take action by telling your friends and family who live outside of your state to urge their Senators to cosponsor the Jubilee Act. Send a quick email to your loved ones and ask them to make the call.
If you don't live in CT, IL, ME, MN, NY, or OR please show your support for Jubilee by calling ONE or BOTH of your Senators TODAY!
1. Find out who your Senator is by selecting your state from the drop down menu at www.senate.gov (upper right corner). See if one of your Senators has already co-sponsored: List of co-sponsors. If one is a co-sponsor then call the other Senator.
2. Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
3. Ask to be connected to your Senator's office. The receptionist will answer. Introduce yourself as (your name), a constituent from (city, state).
4. You will be connected with the staff person (or their voicemail). Say:
"I am calling to urge Senator ________ to support the Jubilee Act (S. 2166), which was passed by the House and had a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, April 24. The Jubilee Act has bipartisan support and would expand debt cancellation for 24 additional impoverished countries, provided they meet criteria to ensure that the money is used for poverty reduction. Do you know Senator _________'s position on the Jubilee Act?"
(You can stop there, or add an additional sentence about why this issue is important to you).
Be sure to thank the receptionist when you are finished.
5. Email Policy Fellow Danielle Pals at danielle@jubileeusa.org with the results of your call. This will enable us to register your Senator's support/opposition and follow up with the office if necessary.
OTHER WAYS TO TAKE ACTION ON THE JUBILEE ACT
If you've already made the call to your Senators, there's still work to do! Here's some ideas of additional ways to push the Jubilee Act forward in the Senate.
- Send An Email to your friends and family, asking them to take action.
- Send a Letter to the Editor (LTE) to your local newspaper.
- Order Measure Up! Postcards to send to your Senator.
Thank you for all of your hard work. Let's keep up the call for Jubilee justice!
In solidarity,
Jubilee USA
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