Space Access Political Action Alert 9/22/99 ____________________________________________________________________ HUD/VA Conference Due Late This Week Or Early Next Money May Be Available for NASA Future-X - Fax or Call These Appropriators ASAP! Summary: The job now is persuading the HUD/VA (NASA) Appropriators to "designate $50 million for NASA Future-X reusable rocket flight demonstrators, out of the funds the Senate transferred to advanced launch technology." The HUD/VA Appropriations Conference will meet as soon as the Senate finishes its HUD/VA bill (likely to be wrapped up Thursday) and the staffs then thrash out the groundwork. It is possible (not likely but possible) this conference could happen as soon as this Friday, 9/24. We ask you to, if you can, if you are from one of the listed Senators' states or Representative's districts, call or fax with the above message by Friday morning. (If you're not from one of those places, contact the Senate and House Subcommittee chairmen, Bond and Walsh.) Get their DC office numbers (and if necessary check for who your Representative is) from www.vote-smart.org. By Friday night we should know if the conference has taken place already or not - check www.space-access.org. If, as we suspect, it doesn't happen until early next week, then we ask those of you who haven't been able to call or fax so far to do so over the weekend or first thing Monday. If you're not sure, go for it - if you do get a staffer who tells you "we've already done that", thank them. We're almost there, folks. If we can nail this one down now, we'll have had a stunningly successful summer, in terms of steering low- cost launch development policy in a positive direction. Once this one's done, absent surprises, that'll be pretty much it for this funding season's activist push. Go for this one - and thanks! Senate HUD/VA Appropriators Christopher S. Bond, Chairman, Missouri Ted Stevens, Alaska Conrad Burns, Montana Richard C. Shelby, Alabama Larry Craig, Idaho Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Jon Kyl, Arizona Barbara Mikulski, Ranking Member, Maryland Patrick Leahy, Vermont Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey Tom Harkin, Iowa Robert Byrd, West Virginia House of Representatives HUD/VA Appropriators James T. Walsh, N.Y., Chairman C.W.Bill Young, Fla. Alan B. Mollohan, W.V. Tom DeLay, Texas Marcy Kaptur, Ohio David L. Hobson, Ohio Carrie P. Meek, Fla. Joe Knollenberg, Mich. David E. Price, N.C. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, N.J. Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr., Ala. Roger F. Wicker, Miss. Anne Northup, Ky. John E. Sununu, N.H Background: The good news is that the Senate appropriators worked out fiscal hocus-pocus that allowed them to fund NASA at the requested level - no overall cuts. The better news is that the House leadership appears likely to adopt the Senate's fiscal maneuver, and will probably go along in conference with restoring the House NASA cuts. The best news, from our point of view, is that the Senate saw fit to move a hundred million dollars into NASA's Aero Space Technology account, "for the design, development, and testing of future launch technologies". The Senate was vague about what specific programs this would go to, deliberately so, we are told. We, on the other hand, are not vague at all about how best to spend this - we are asking you to push hard with the confereees for fifty million of this to be added to NASA Future-X for low-cost reusable launch flight operations demonstrators. (We do regret that this money was moved from NASA's space science account rather than added, but the Senate decided that, not us - we have always asked for an add. We do note that the net effect is of a bit over a forty million dollar cut from last year's NASA space science funding level, a vast improvement on the cuts of hundreds of millions in the House version, and a wrist-slap in budgetary terms given the problems with NASA space science the Senate lists in their report on the bill. We also note that the other justification we've heard for this transfer, that lower launch costs will benefit all in the long run, space science included, is one we quite agree with.) How To Do It Get the appropriate Senator's or Representative's DC office phone or fax number, via www.vote-smart.org (have a piece of mail with your nine-digit zip handy) or by calling your local library's information desk. If you're faxing, compose a polite concise one-page letter to them, saying who you are and where you're from, telling them what you'd like them to do, then briefly explaining why - just hit one or two high points, don't overexplain. Thank them for their attention, sign the letter, and send it. If phoning, dial their DC office number, ask for whoever handles NASA appropriations questions, then when connected to that staffer (or more likely their voice mail) tell them briefly who you are ("I'm Joe Smith from Pocatello Idaho") and what you want them to do ("I'm calling to ask Senator X/Congressman Y to designate $50 million for NASA Future-X reusable rocket flight demonstrators, out of the funds the Senate transferred to advanced launch technology.") If they sound totally baffled, tell them the program is described in the House NASA Authorization - then (unless they have questions) thank them for their time and ring off. *end*
Source link