Help Add Cosponsors to H.R. 1576 and S. 469

Great news! Calls from Rally participants helped add Representatives Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL) to the list of 176 Representatives supporting H.R. 1576--legislation to make the tax incentive for conservation easement donations permanent.

• Has your Representative cosponsored H.R. 1576? (list)
• Have your Senators cosponsored S. 469? (list)

Congress is preparing to leave Washington in the next few days.  That means this week may be our last good opportunity to secure cosponsors for easement incentive legislation in the 110th Congress.

H.R. 1576 and S. 469 won't pass this year, but building a long list of cosponsors now will give us a big head start in the new Congress. The first months of 2009 will be extremely busy, and it will be easier to get your delegation's support if they cosponsored identical language in the previous Congress.

Please pick up the phone today and call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak with any members of your delegation who have not yet cosponsored. If calling on behalf of your organization, don't hesitate to ask to speak directly to the staffer who handles tax policy. As someone representing hundreds of constituents, they'll be happy to talk to you.

• Ask Representatives to cosponsor H.R. 1576, introduced by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Dave Camp (R-MI). To sign-on, they can contact Travis Robey in Rep. Thompson's office at 5-3311 or Rob Guido in Rep. Camp's office at 5-3561.
• Ask Senators to cosponsor S. 469, introduced by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA). To sign-on, they can contact Jo-Ellen Darcy of the Finance Committee at 4-4515.
• Ask for the staff member's email address and offer to send them a fact sheet on the easement incentive.
  
  

This week is a good opportunity to gain cosponsors, but if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Your Members of Congress will be home in their districts for most of the rest of the year, so the next few months are a great time to invite them to visit a conserved property or schedule a meeting in their district office. Click here for creative ideas and templates for scheduling events in-district.

Last Chance to Comment on 2009 Policy Priorities

Did you miss the 2009 Public Policy Review at Rally? It's not too late to provide your input on what we should be working on in the year ahead. Please send your comments to policy@lta.org by Monday, September 29.

Click here for a memo reviewing our current priorities, and introducing options for the future. Click here for a chart to help you evaluate these options and provide feedback, or simply send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for helping!