From jessea@uclink2.berkeley.edu Tue Sep 20 11:38:48 1994 Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 08:38:54 -0800 The following is a compilation of dozens of action alerts that I have received. The information came mainly from the Human Rights Campaign Fund and the AIDS Action Council, both based in Washington, DC. Other groups such as the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network, have indicated that Senators are recieving on average 1000 letters a day in favor of the Smith amendment! These and numerous other action alerts that the Bridges Project has received, all say basically the same thing: Please call your senator or representative TODAY!!! (N.B. There is a TOLL-FREE 800 number sponsored by the right-wing so use it and cost them money...see below) CALL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TODAY! PROTECT LESBIAN AND GAY YOUTH! Joint Conference Meeting This week, a joint House-Senate conference committee will consider the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). As part of their consideration, this committee will take action on two vital amendments which attack lesbian and gay youth -- the Hancock amendment and the Helms amendment. Culmination of Six Month Fight In this session of Congress, Repressivel Right members of the House and the Senate, particularly Representative Mel Hancock (R-MO) and Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC), cynically manipulated the ESEA to attack lesbian and gay youth by offering amendments to prohibit schools that receive federal dollars from having any program or activity that has "the purpose or effect of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative." HRCF, our coalition partners, and our allies in Congress resisted their mean-spirited efforts and succeeded in passing second - degree or alternative amendments by Representative Jolene Unsoeld (D-WA) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) which mitigated the effect of the original amendments. The Unsoeld amendment to the Hancock amendment affirmed local control over school programs and restricted federal intrusion into local educational decisions. The Kennedy alternative prohibited the direct use of federal funds to "promote or encourage sexual activity" of any kind. Hancock/Helms Language Unacceptable The Hancock/Helms language would have a devastating effect on schools and youth in this country if passed into law. It would send the message that lesbian and gay youth are dispensable and it would force schools to choose between providing an environment of support and tolerance for all students and receiving essential federal dollars. We must protect our youth by removing this language! Urge Conferees to Strike Language The purpose of the conference committee is to resolve differences among the language passed by the House and the Senate. HRCF is urging the appointed conferees to remove the Hancock/Helms language from the ESEA by using the Unsoeld/Kennedy language. Please study the sample phone script and call your Representative and your Senators. This week the conference committee intends to finish its work, so please call today! (1-800-768-2221 is a toll-free number set up by pro-Helms groups. This number will connect you directly to the capitol and lobby with no cost to you and at the expense of the right. If you have any problemswith the 1-800 line, specific conferee numbers are listed below and all begin with area code 202.) ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT (ESEA) CONFEREES Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources Edward Kennedy (D-MA) 224-4543 Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS) 224-4774 Claiborne Pell (D-RI) 224-4642 James Jeffords (R-VT) 224-5141 Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH) 224-2315 Dan Coats (R-IN) 224-5623 Christopher Dodd (D-CT) 224-2823 Judd Gregg (R-NH) 224-3324 Paul Simon (D-IL) 224-2152 Strom Thurmond (R-SC) 224-5972 Tom Harkin (D-IA) 224-3254 Orrin Hatch (R-UT) 224-5251 Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) 224-4654 Dave Durenberger (R-MN) 224-3244 Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) 224-5521 Paul Wellstone (D-MN) 224-5641 Harris Wofford (D-PA) 224-6324 House Committee on Education and Labor William Ford (MI-13) 225-6261 William Goodling (PA-19) 225-5836 William Clay (MO-01) 225-2406 Thomas Petri (WI-06) 225-2476 George Miller (CA-07) 225-2095 Marge Roukema (NJ-05) 225-4465 Austin Murphy (PA-20) 225-4665 Steve Gunderson (WI-03) 225-5506 Dale Kildee (MI-09) 225-3611 Dick Armey (TX-26) 225-7772 Pat Williams (MT-AL) 225-3211 Harris Fawell (IL-13) 225-3515 Matthew Martinez (CA-31) 225-5464 Cass Ballenger (NC-10) 225-2576 Major Owens (NY-11) 225-6231 Susan Molinari (NY-13) 225-3371 Thomas Sawyer (OH-14) 225-5231 Bill Barrett (NE-03) 225-6435 Donald Payne (NJ-10) 225-3436 John Boehner (OH-08) 225-6205 Jolene Unsoeld (WA-03) 225-3536 Duke Cunningham (CA-51) 225-5452 Patsy Mink (HI-02) 225-4906 Peter Hoekstra (MI-02) 225-4401 Robert Andrews (NJ-01) 225-6501 Buck McKeon (CA-25) 225-1956 Jack Reed (RI-02) 225-2735 Dan Miller (FL-13) 225-5015 Tim Roemer (IN-03) 225-3915 Michael Castle (DE-AL) 225-4165 Eliot Engel (NY-17) 225-2464 Xavier Becerra (CA-30) 225-6235 Robert Scott (VA-03) 225-8351 Gene Green (TX-29) 225-1688 Lynn Woolsey (CA-06) 225-5161 Carlos Romero-Barcelo (PR) 225-2615 Ron Klink (PA-04) 225-2565 Karan English (AZ-06) 225-2190 Ted Strickland (OH-06) 225-5705 Ron deLugo (VI) 225-1790 Eni Faleomavaega (AS) 225-8577 Scotty Baesler (KY-06) 225-4706 SAMPLE PHONE SCRIPT 1 Call the Capitol Switchboard at 1-800-768-2221 or 202-224-3121 to obtain your Senators' and Representative's phone numbers. 2 If a Member is a conferee, tell the office: "As a conferee on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, I urge you to remove the Hancock/Helms language which attacks lesbian and gay youth. That language gives the message that these youth are dispensable and would send them back to the isolation that leads to despair. Please use the Unsoeld/Kennedy language instead." If a Member is not a conferee, tell the office: "Please encourage your colleagues on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act conference committee to remove the Hancock/Helms language which attacks lesbian and gay youth. That language gives the message that these youth are dispensable and would send them back to the isolation that leads to despair. Please urge them to use the Unsoeld/Kennedy language instead." 3 Ask your friends and acquaintances to call and activate the phone trees of any other organizations in which you are involved. 4 Ask local education or youth organizations to write official letters to the conference committee. Send us copies. 5 Please contact our(HRCF) national FAN team (202)628-4160 with any notable feedback.