April 15, 2008
Update: Debate on the Jubilee Act in the U.S. House of Representatives is currently scheduled for tomorrow, April 16, at 10:45 AM. This is an opportunity that we cannot pass up. Congress has not voted on legislation that would help Haiti this much in at least a decade. The silver lining in Haiti’s recent troubles is that for now, at least, the world is paying attention to Haiti’s pain. This opportunity will not last long, so we need to do what we can to help Haiti while we can.
The Jubilee Act may also get even better for Haiti. Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida will be offering the following amendment to the Act on Wednesday, as a response to Haiti’s recent troubles:
<< SEC. lll. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
(a) FINDING.—The Congress finds that Haiti is scheduled to send $48,700,000 in debt payments to multilateral financial institutions in 2008.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Congress that, due to the current humanitarian and political instability in Haiti, including food shortages and political turmoil, the Secretary of the Treasury should use his influence to expedite the complete and immediate cancellation of Haiti’s debts to all international financial institutions, or if such debt cancellation cannot be provided, to urge the institutions to immediately suspend the requirement that Haiti make further debt service payments on debts owed to the institutions.>>
Action: If you have not called your Representative about the Jubilee Act, please do so on Wednesday morning. If you have called, call again and ask her or him to support the Hastings Amendment to the Jubilee Act. For more information on the Jubilee Act, see the website of the Jubilee USA Network. For more on Haiti’s onerous and odious debt, see the website of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti.
Here’s Jubilee USA’s easy steps for contacting your Representative:
1. Find out who your Representative is by entering your zip code at www.house.gov (upper left corner).
2. Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
3. Ask to be connected to your Representative's office. The receptionist will answer. Introduce yourself as (your name), a constituent from (city, state). Ask to speak with the staff person who handles IMF/World Bank issues.
4. You will be connected with the staff person (or their voicemail). Say “I am calling to urge Representative________ to vote yes on the Jubilee Act (HR2634), which is scheduled for a vote on the House floor today. This bill would expedite debt cancellation for Haiti and expand debt cancellation for 24 additional impoverished countries, provided they meet criteria to ensure that the money is used for poverty reduction. This bill is vitally important right now in Haiti- starving Haitians are eating mud, and civil unrest from hunger threatens Haiti’s democratic government, while Haiti sends almost $1 million per week to the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. Do you know how Representative _________ plans to vote on the Jubilee Act?”
“Rep. Alcee Hastings plans to introduce an amendment to the Jubilee Act to provide additional debt relief for Haiti, due to the food shortages and political turmoil. I encourage Rep. ______ to support that Amendment.”
5. Be sure to thank the receptionist when you are finished.
6. Email Danielle at Jubilee with the results of your call – Danielle@jubileeusa.org. Please let us know if the staff person had questions or needs additional information.
7. Thank you for taking action – now forward this message on to 10 friends & urge them to make the call too!!
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For more information about the Half-Hour for Haiti Program, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, or human rights in Haiti, see www.HaitiJustice.org. To receive Half-Hour for Haiti Action Alerts once per week, send an email to HalfHour4Haiti@ijdh.org.
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