Jubilee Act Vote Coming Up!
 
Resent-Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2008 23:56:14 -0500 (CDT)


Nicaragua Network www.nicanet.org Jubilee Act Vote Coming Soon!
Call Reps! [The Nicaragua Network has received this urgent action
alert from the Jubilee USA Network, of which we are a member.]

The US House of Representatives will vote on the Jubilee Act for
Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation (HR 2634) very
soon.  A vote on the House floor will almost definitely come between
now and April 15th!

Please take action by calling your Representative TODAY!

Join us today as we call on Congress to pass the Jubilee Act and
break the chains of debt for the world's impoverished countries
(additional information below the call script).

Please take the simple steps below:

1. Find out who your Representative is by entering your zip code
at www.house.gov
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XE2xg3DWPj3aR9J1_P1xSYm3NoRP6AngHG4cUn1BrNG3M4LVy82PR95cEijXheR4BCMdDWBC0QKukVbE9z0JXdEkW5zuR6weZlyCoRJ-H04=)
(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).
"I am calling today to urge Representative________ to vote yes on
the Jubilee Act (HR2634), which will be considered on the House
floor between now and April 15th.  This bill would expand eligibility
for debt cancellation to 24 additional impoverished countries
provided they meet criteria to ensure that the money is used for
poverty reduction. (If you'd like, add an additional sentence about
why this issue is important to you).  Do you know how Representative
_________ plans to vote on the Jubilee Act?"  If the staff person
doesn't know or if you are leaving a message, request that they
call you back with the Representative's position.

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!!

Background Information:

Today, the world's most impoverished countries spend more than $100
million each day in debt payments to wealthy governments and financial
institutions like the World Bank and IMF.  In countries where the
majority of the population lives on less than $1 per day, this money
should be spent on clean water, basic health care, and education,
not sent to the world's wealthiest financial institutions.

In 2000 and again in 2005 world leaders came together to cancel
billions of dollars of debt in dozens of impoverished countries
around the world.  The money freed by debt cancellation so far has
been used to fight global AIDS, enroll children in school, provide
clean water, improve rural infrastructure and more.  But there is
still much more that needs to be done - dozens of impoverished
countries around the world are still waiting for debt justice!

The most important and prophetic debt legislation in 7 years, the
Jubilee Act will expand access to debt cancellation to all the
countries that need it to fight extreme poverty.  Without debt
cancellation, it will be nearly impossible for many countries to
achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme poverty
in half by 2015.

The Jubilee Act also requires that debt cancellation be provided
without harmful economic policy conditions attached, calls for the
initiation of a responsible lending framework, and requires a debt
audit in countries like South Africa and the Democratic Republic
of Congo which have a heavy burden of odious debt.

For more information go to www.jubileeusa.org
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XE2xg3DWPj0YPJm0aUnt6tfyEaaI3CpmtHtGSUV1E9KEUk8cNpGexmkrUurNG9P5lI0YIIztbiXbr8IHEFyoFfqTyTxcz7W_3wgCkeBwXuL6TfdbJrlhFA==)or
contact Jubilee Policy Fellow Danielle Pals at 202-783- 0215 /
Danielle@jubileeusa.org.

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