feedback from the Senate lobbying effort

05/03/03 00:00:00    

By Michael Mealling

For those of you that have not already heard, a group of 10 of us DC-area rocketeers (NAR and TRA) spent the afternoon of April 30 over on Capitol Hill, lobbying Senators on behalf of the Enzi bill. Supported by John Kyte, a professional lobbyist and dedicated rocketeer who told us exactly how to do this kind of thing effectively and organized our activity, we distributed packets of material on the safety of the hobby and the reasons for why we need legislative relief to the offices of virtually every Senator. In many cases we were able to spend 10-15 minutes with the staffer who is handling this issue for the Senator. I even got to see a Senator directly (SEN Crapo, a co-sponsor of the bill).

To those of you who have donated materials for making up these packets, thanks – they were excellent and effective. To those of you who have written your Senators, it's working! Nearly every Senator's staff was well aware of the Enzi bill because of the volume of constituent letters and faxes they had received. One Senator's staff (Michigan) reported being “buried” by over a hundred – nice job by the Michigan rocketeers!

Please don't think that we are done just because of one volley of letters, it will take sustained, stronger, even broader pressure to earn us a good chance of being one of the small percentage of the special-interest bills that goes all the way from introduction to enactment. But it was sure nice to know that our first step has been effective. Your DC-area rocketeers are standing ready to go back over and lobby again on all our behalf when this is needed again to move the bill one more step down the road to law.

Trip Barber

NAR Vice President

[ reposted from ROL by iz ]