Proposition One

CONGRESSIONAL CO-SPONSORS

Immediately after Delegate Norton first introduced her "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act," there were eight co-sponsors to the bill: Earl Hilliard (D-Alabama), Walter Tucker III (D-California), John Lewis and Cynthia McKinney (D-Georgia), Albert Wynn (D-Maryland), James Oberstar and David Minge (D-Minnesota), and Charles Rangle (D-New York). All but Walter Tucker were re-elected in November 1996.

All were the result of a single letter or visit from a constituent.

During the 104th Congress (1995-96), most progressive Congressional leaders were caught up in the Republican Revolution, and had time for little else. But this is a new Congress, in a substantially different mood. With the recent revelations by retired generals and admirals that nuclear weapons are unsafe, unnecessary, and insane, with the growing global pressure for abolition of nuclear weapons, with constituents still looking for the "Peace Dividend," this bill's time has come.

Co-sponsors are needed from Republicans as well as Democrats before the bill is likely to pass through the House Committees on International Relations (formerly Foreign Affairs), and on National Security (formerly Armed Services), much less hope to succeed on the floor in a general vote. Much remains to be done. It's not difficult to convince Congressional leaders that the bill is in the best interest of their constituents, when they understand that domestically it would earmark funds for conversion and cleanup, and internationally it requires ALL countries with nuclear weapons to join the U.S. in disarming.

LOBBY!!!

You can help. Write letters. Make phone calls. Two thousand bills are introduced into Congress each year. Your politicians say they NEED to hear from you. Educate them. Ask them to actively co-sponsor Eleanor Holmes Norton's Conversion/Disarmament Act of 1997: HR-827.

Address: (Your Representative), c/o U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20015; 202-225-3121.

Sponsors are also needed in the Senate. Washington DC has no Senators. Therefore we must rely on people from the 50 states to seek sponsors in the Senate.

Address: (Your Senators), c/o U.S. HSenate, Washington, DC 20010; 202-225-3121.

Let us know the results.

Support for HR-827 should also be directed to the relevant House committees: the "Committee on International Relations," Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY), Chairman, Lee H. Hamilton (D-IN), Ranking Democrat; and the "Committee on National Security," Floyd D. Spence (R-SC), Chairman; Ron Dellums (D-CA), Ranking Democrat.

All members of these two key committees are listed on this page, by order of state, to expedite letter writing. Hill aides advise that Representatives are most likely to personally read mail that is sent to them via their Committee staff.

Proposition One Committee, P.O. Box 27217, Washington, DC 20038 202-462-0757 (phone); 265-5389 (fax); e-mail prop1@prop1.org

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1997(one vacancy)

ALABAMA: Earl Hilliard (CO-SPONSOR!) (D).

ALASKA: Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D).

ARIZONA: Matt Salmon (R).

CALIFORNIA: Howard Berman, Walter Capps, Tom Lantos, Matthew G. Martinez, Brad Sherman (D); Tom Campbell, Elton Gallegly, Jay Kim, Dana Rohrabacher, Edward R. Royce (R).

CONNECTICUT: Sam Gejdenson (D).

FLORIDA: Alcee Hastings, Robert Wexler (D); Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R).

GEORGIA: Cynthia A. McKinney (CO-SPONSOR!) (D).

ILLINOIS: Henry J. Hyde, Donald A. Manzullo (R).

INDIANA: Lee Hamilton, Ranking Member (D), Dan Burton (R).

IOWA: James A. Leach (R) (good voting record).

KANSAS: Jerry Moran (R).

MISSOURI: Pat Danner (D); Roy Blunt (R).

NEBRASKA: Doug Bereuter (R).

NEW JERSEY: Robert Andrews, Robert Menendez, Donald M. Payne, Steve Rothman (D); Christopher Smith (R).

NEW YORK: Gary Ackerman (D); Amo Houghton, Peter T. King, John McHugh (R).

NORTH CAROLINA: Cass Ballenger (R).

OHIO: Sherrod Brown, Dennis Kucinich (D); Steven J. Chabot (R).

PENNSYLVANIA: Jon Fox, William Goodling (R).

SOUTH CAROLINA: Lindsey Graham, Marshall ("Mark") Sanford (R).

COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY - 1997(one vacancy)

ALABAMA: Terry Everett, Bob Riley (R)

ARIZONA: Bob Stump (R).

ARKANSAS: Vic Snyder (D).

CALIFORNIA: Ronald V. Dellums (Ranking Member), Jane Harman, Loretta Sanchez (D); Sonny Bono, Duncan Hunter, Howard "Buck" McKeon (R).

COLORADO: Joel Hefley (R).

CONNECTICUT: James H. Maloney (D).

FLORIDA: F. Allen Boyd, Jr. (D); Tillie Fowler, Joe Scarborough (R).

GEORGIA: Saxby Chambliss (R).

GUAM: Robert A. Underwood (D).

HAWAII: Neil Abercrombie (D).

ILLINOIS: Rod R. Blagojevich, Lane Evans (D).

INDIANA: Steve Buyer, John Hostettler (R).

KANSAS: Jim Ryun (R).

KENTUCKY: Ron Lewis (R).

MAINE: Tom Allen (D).

MARYLAND: Roscoe G. Bartlett (R).

MASSACHUSETTS: Martin T. Meehan (D).

MISSISSIPPI: Gene Taylor (D).

MISSOURI: Ike Skelton (D); James Talent (R).

NEVADA: Jim Gibbons (R).

NEW JERSEY: Michael Pappas, Jim Saxton (R).

NEW YORK: James McHugh (R).

NORTH CAROLINA: Mike McIntyre (D) Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R)

OHIO: John R. Kasich (R).

OKLAHOMA: J.C. Watts, Jr. (R).

PENNSYLVANIA: Paul McHale (D); Curt Weldon (R).

RHODE ISLAND: Patrick J. Kennedy (D).

SOUTH CAROLINA: John M. Spratt, Jr. (D); Lindsey Graham, Floyd D. Spence (Chairman) (R)

TENNESSEE: Van Hilleary (R).

TEXAS: Solomon P. Ortiz, Owen Pickett, Silvestre Reyes, Jim Turner (D); Mac Thornberry (R).

UTAH: James V. Hansen (R).

VIRGINIA: Norman Sisisky (D); Herbert H. Bateman (R).

WASHINGTON: Adam Smith (D).