JBANC ACTION ALERT September 17, 2002 contact: Karl Altau tel. 301-340-1954
- House Mark-up Scheduled for September 25- SUPPORT NEEDED FOR GALLEGLY AND SHIMKUS RESOLUTIONS
Washington, DC (JBANC) - Resolutions supporting the importance of NATO and its enlargement and support for Baltic NATO membership, are poised to be brought up in House committee next week. H. Res. 468, sponsored by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA), and H. Con. Res. 116, sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), are scheduled to be marked up together by the House International Relations committee on September 25. Action on the measures is expected in the days immediately following the mark-up.
Calls and messages to House members for support are needed to ensure successful passage of both measures.
H. Res. 468 was introduced on June 27 by House International Relations Committee European subcommittee chairman Gallegly. Under Gallegly’s leadership, that subcommittee has held a series of hearings this year regarding NATO and the enlargement process. H. Res. 468 affirms “the importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), supporting continued United States participation in NATO, ensuring that the enlargement of NATO proceeds in a manner consistent with United States interests.”
H. Con. Res. 116 specifically supports NATO membership for the three Baltic countries, and was introduced by House Baltic Caucus co-chairman Shimkus in April of 2001. The resolution currently has 54 co-sponsors.
Co-sponsors for H. Res. 468 are: Representatives Doug Bereuter (R-NE), Christopher Cox (R-CA), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Jim Davis (D-FL), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Joel Hefley (R-CO), Earl Hilliard (D-AL), Tom Lantos (D-CA), John Shimkus (R-IL), Bart Stupak (D-MI), Lee Terry (R-NE), Robert Underwood (D-GU), and Robert Wexler (D-FL). The text of both resolutions is available at
http://thomas.loc.gov by entering bill numbers in the Search field.
Your help is needed in getting your Representative to support both the Gallegly and Shimkus resolutions. Please let our friends in Congress know that we are counting on their support.
Congressman Gallegly spent a week in the three Baltic countries in August. Both he and Congressman Shimkus spoke at a September 4 reception in the United States Capitol for visiting Estonian Prime Minister Siim Kallas. The event was sponsored and organized by the Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC), the U.S.-Baltic Foundation and the Baltic-American Freedom League. Rep. Gallegly used the occasion to announce his intention to join the House Baltic Caucus, now with 72 members. The other House Baltic Caucus co-chair, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), recently participated in the opening of the Latvian Occupation Museum exhibit in Madison, Wisconsin.
It is widely expected that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will be among countries receiving invitations in Prague to join NATO. Once the 108th Congress convenes in January, it is believed that the Senate will begin debate on ratification of new members of the Alliance. This process may take up much of 2003.
JBANC represents the Estonian American National Council, Inc., the American Latvian Association, Inc. and the Lithuanian American Council, Inc.
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JOINT BALTIC AMERICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, INC.
Representing: Estonian American National Council, Inc. American Latvian Association, Inc. Lithuanian American Council, Inc.
400 Hurley Avenue Rockville, MD 20850
Tel: (301) 340-1954 Fax: (301) 309-1406 E-Mail: Net:
http://jbanc.org 