| Dear Supporter, Just when we thought things were somewhat under control (i.e., Rep. Diaz-Balart’s amendment to restrict family travel to Cuba to Bush-era regulations – see our last e-alert here – would not remain in the final bill), another nasty amendment reared its ugly head. Last week, in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (that’s the committee chaired by Florida’s Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen – need we say more?), Rep. David Rivera (R-FL 25th) submitted an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act FY 2012 (HR 2583) that mirrors and extends language proposed by Mr. Diaz-Balart. Mr. Rivera’s amendment would repeal ALL changes made by President Obama since his inauguration, restricting travel for families AND for educational, religious, and people-to-people trips. It would be a disaster. And we cannot let this go unanswered. First, we are confident that this bill will not become law and that Mr. Rivera’s efforts are for naught. However, Mr. Diaz-Balart is sure to use this retrograde amendment as an argument to retain his family travel amendment in the Financial Services Appropriations bill. We will be back to you with updates on this family travel amendment after the August recess. But now, we must make our voices heard to those who supported Mr. Rivera’s roll-back amendment. Here’s how: Below is a list of the members that serve on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, along with how they voted on Mr. Rivera’s Cuba travel amendment. If one of these members is your representative and he/she voted correctly (i.e., OPPOSED the Rivera amendment), please show your appreciation and thanks! It takes just a click here. More importantly, if they one of the members on the list below is your representative and he/she voted wrong, voice your disappointment and outrage loud and clear. Click here to send your message. As always, thank you for your action. Together, we will defeat efforts to push Cuba travel policy back to the Stone Age. The vote list follows our signatures. And before we sign off, we want to end on a positive note, highlighting the fruitful benefits of exchange between our two countries. Last week, Cuba’s ELAM (Latin American School of Medicine) graduated their class of 2011. Among the 1,396 graduates from 22 countries, there were 19 students from the United States. These are young people who have been gifted by Cuba of a six-year, world-class, free medical school education. The catch? They must commit, after becoming doctors, to return to their home communities, which are poor and underserved communities, to serve as medical practitioners. A pretty good deal, don’t you think? Read the story, and meet some of the U.S. graduates, here. Now, please take the action outlined above. It just takes a “click.” And get your family and friends to act, too. Sincerely,
LAWG’s Cuba team (Mavis, Emily and Andrew) Voted FOR Rivera Amendment - Ackerman, Gary L, D-NY-5
- Bilirakis, Gus, R-FL-9
- Buerkle, Ann Marie, R-NY-25
- Burton, Dan, R-IN-5
- Cardoza, Dennis, D-CA-18
- Carnahan, Russ, D-MO-3
- Chabot, Steve, R-OH-1
- Chandler, Ben, D-KY-6
- Cicilline, David, D-RI-1
- Connolly, Gerald E, D-VA-11
- Deutch, Theodore E, D-FL-19
- Duncan, Jeff, R-SC-3
- Ellmers, Renee, R-NC-2
- Engel, Eliot L, D-NY-17
- Faleomavaega, Eni F.H, D-AS-At-large
- Fortenberry, Jeff, R-NE-1
- Gallegly, Elton, R-CA-24
- Griffin, Tim, R-AR-2
- Higgins, Brian, D-NY-27
- Johnson, Bill, R-OH-6
- Keating, William, D-MA-10
- Kelly, Mike, R-PA-3
- Mack, Connie, R-FL-14
- Manzullo, Donald A, R-IL-16
- Marino, Tom, R-PA-10
- McCaul, Michael, R-TX-10
- Poe, Ted, R-TX-2
- Rivera, David, R-FL-25
- Rohrabacher, Dana, R-CA-46
- Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana, R-FL-18
- Royce, Edward, R-CA-40
- Schmidt, Jean, R-OH-2
- Sires, Albio, D-NJ-13
- Smith, Christopher H, R-NJ-4
- Wilson, Joe, R-SC-2
- Wilson, Frederica, D-FL-17
Voted AGAINST Rivera Amendment
- Bass, Karen, D-CA-33
- Berman, Howard L, D-CA-28
- Meeks, Gregory W, D-NY-6
- Murphy, Christopher S, D-CT-5
- Payne, Donald M, D-NJ-10
- Schwartz, Allyson Y, D-PA-13
PASSED/NOT VOTING
NOT PRESENT
- Paul, Ron, R-TX-14
- Pence, Mike, R-IN-6
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