Radio Free Europe lobbying

[Leopoldo Niilus]

Word in Washington is that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
> will vote on a "State Department Authorization" bill this Wednesday.
> There are rumors that Senators Lugar and Biden will try to include
something
> that would oblige Radio Free Europe's Broadcasting Board of Governors to
> continue broadcasts to the Baltics and authorize $7 million
> for these broadcasts. Different sources give different numbers but the
> rumour persists.
>
> Could you please ask everyone on your mailing list to help save RFE by
> contacting the following three Senators today or tomorrow (even if they've
> contacted them before) and asking them to "introduce legislation to ensure
> funding for Radio Free Europe's broadcasts to the Baltics for Fiscal Year
> 2004."
>
> Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman
> Senate Foreign Relations Committee
> Phone: 202-224-4814
> Fax: 202-224-0836 or 202-228-0360
> Email: senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov
>
> Senator Joseph Biden, Ranking Member
> Senate Foreign Relations Committee
> Phone: 202-224-5042
> Fax: 202-224-0836 or 202-224-0139
> Email: senator@biden.senate.gov
>
> Senator George Allen, Chairman
> Subcommittee on European Affairs
> Senate Foreign Relations Committee
> Phone: 202-224-4024
> Fax: 202-224-5432 or 202-228-1608
> Email from the internet: http://allen.senate.gov/email.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Mazeika [mailto:tonymazeika@fea.net]
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 8:34 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: April 9, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote
Importance: High


We're facing our first test vote in the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee on continuing RFE/RL and VOA broadcasts to Croatia, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and elsewhere in Eastern
Europe.
On Wednesday, April 9, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will
vote on this year's State Department Authorization Bill which sets broad
policy for the foreign affairs agencies of the United States. The members
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have to include language ordering
the Broadcasting Board of Governors to continue funding RFE/RL broadcasts to
these seven countries and VOA's broadcasts to over 11 countries of Central
and Eastern Europe.
Any Senator's office can be reached by calling the Capitol Hill
operator at: 202-224-3121
Please call or fax a letter to your Senators today, particularly if
they serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

The message is: "Please restore funding to RFE/RL and VOA to broadcast to
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and the other countries of Central and
Eastern Europe. It is critical to retain this vital U.S. link to the Baltic
nations which helps keep Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians fully
informed, promotes democratic values, and counters anti-American prop a
ganda emanating from the region."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
Republicans Democrats
Chairman, Senator Richard Lugar, IN Senator Joseph Biden, DE
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska (NE) Paul S. Sarbanes, MD
Lincoln D. Chafee, RI Christopher Dodd, CT
George Allen, VA John F. Kerry, MA
Sam Brownback, KS Russ Feingold, WI
Michael Enzi, WY Barbara Boxer, CA
George Voinovich, OH Bill Nelson, FL
Lamar Alexander, TN John D. Rockefeller IV, WV
Norm Coleman, MN Jon S. Corzine, NJ
John E. Sununu, NH

Please note that Senator George Allen of Virginia is the Chairman of the
Europe Affairs Subcommittee within the SFRC, and Senator Joseph Biden is the
Ranking Member. The Europe subcommittee should have a special interest in
Lithuania, so please take the time to call Senator Allen if you live in
Virginia, and Senator Biden if you're from Delaware.

[Leopoldo Niilus]

For your further information.

Leopoldo

==============================

From: UdrysD@rferl.org
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 4:29 AM
Subject: First important victory for RFE!



10 APRIL 2003

SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE PROPOSES
CONTINUED FUNDING FOR RADIO FREE EUROPE

Yesterday the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved proposed
legislation that contains the following language:

"The Broadcasting Board of Governors may not eliminate foreign language
broadcasts in the following languages: Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian,
Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovene, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian,
Armenian and Ukrainian."

The legislation would be good for one year. Normally, legislation
associated with this "State Department Authorization Bill" would have been
approved for two years, however, it was decided that broadcasts should be
extended for one year only and that in the course of that year the need for
continued Radio Free Europe broadcasts be assessed. Chairman Senator
Richard Lugar (R-IN) allowed this provision to be included in the
legislation, but the provision could later be amended on the Senate floor to
include similar studies for the continued need for Voice of America, since
it may seem strange to single out Radio Free Europe in this way, especially
given that VOA broadcasts an average of only 10-15 minutes/day to these
countries, while RFE broadcasts include hours of daily programming.

Nevertheless, this is an important victory that shows your phone calls,
letters and emails are making a difference! Many thanks are due to all who
contacted members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other key
people.

Now attention shifts to the International Relations Committee of the House
of Representatives. The following members are key to ensuring "legislation
to preserve funding for Radio Free Europe's broadcasts to the Baltics":

Henry Hyde (R-IL) Chair
House International Relations Committee
tel 202-225-4561 fax 202-225-1166
www.house.gov/hyde/get_address2.htm
(email works only for district residents)

Tom Lantos (D – CA) Ranking Member
House International Relations Committee
tel 202-225-3531 fax 202-225-7900
www.house.gov/lantos/html_files/ca12_zip_verify.htm
(email works only for district residents)

Doug Bereuter (R – NE) Member
House International Relations Committee
tel 202-225-4806 fax 202-225-5686

Jose Serrano (D – NY) Member
House Appropriations Committee
tel 202-225-4361 fax 202-225-6001
jserrano@mail.house.gov

Frank R. Wolf, (R – VA) Chair,
House Sub-committee on Commerce, Justice, State
tel 202-225-5136 fax 202-225-0437
www.house.gov/wolf/ContactMe.htm


Also, supporters of RFE can check
http://www.vote-smart.org/committee.php?comm_id=9 to see if anyone from
their state/district is on the International Relations Committee.

[Sacchiridites]

Leopoldo, I am reading and very happy to hear RFE is still going!
I had made a post before the site was lost and restored from back-up.

"however, it was decided that broadcasts should be
extended for one year only and that in the course of that year the need for continued Radio Free Europe broadcasts be assessed."

Just wanted to let you know someone is listening and acting on it!
Should keep this thread open for at least one year??!!!

For those interested, one can subscribe to RFE's newsletter simply by visiting their site: www.rferl.org and following the instructions.


Peace,
Sacchiridites
Cie

[Leopoldo Niilus]

Thank you kindly, Sacchiridites, for your attention and assistance.
:)

Leopoldo