CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE BEFORE
WEDNESDAY MARCH 8 TO CO-SPONSOR BILL TO GRADUATE UKRAINE FROM JACKSON-VANIK
HOUSE WILL VOTE ON CONGRESSMAN GERLACH'S BILL, H.R. 1053, THIS WEDNESDAY
The bill to graduate Ukraine from the Jackson-Vanik Amendment,
H.R. 1053, is scheduled for a vote this Wednesday, March 8
in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Please call, email, or fax your U.S. Representative prior
to Wednesday's vote to ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 1053, and to vote
in favor of graduating Ukraine from Jackson-Vanik on Wednesday.
To find out your Representative's contact information,
please visit the U.S. House of Representatives.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marta Matselioukh
at martam@usukraine.org.
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JACKSON-VANIK GRADUATION COALITION
Moving Ukraine Forward
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URGENT CALL TO ACTION
FEBRUARY 2006 JACKSON-VANIK GRADUATION MONTH: Please fax letters to
Congress now to graduate Ukraine from Jackson-Vanik
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February 3, 2006
The Jackson-Vanik Graduation Coalition is pushing to
persuade the House of Representatives to pass legislation in February
to graduate Ukraine from the provisions of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment.
This is now a matter requiring URGENT action.
The Coalition is urging Congress to take action now, due
to concern that, with the approaching March 26 Rada elections, a failure
by Congress to act will be seen as a failure of the Ukrainian government’s
foreign policy and an indication of Western disinterest in Ukraine. Congressional
inaction thus could be used by opponents of the government’s pro-reform,
pro- West course in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. The
Coalition thus seeks passage of legislation by the House of Representatives
in February, to send a strong signal of U.S. support to Ukraine.
The Senate passed by unanimous consent legislation to graduate
Ukraine in November 2005, but the House of Representatives adjourned without
taking parallel action. The House returned to work on January 31.
Our understanding continues to be that there is no opposition
per se to graduating Ukraine in Congress; indeed, there is general agreement
that Ukraine has long met Jackson-Vanik’s freedom-of-emigration requirements.
However, the House Ways and Means Committee (the House committee with
primary jurisdiction for Jackson-Vanik) is reluctant to take up legislation
until it has the opportunity to review the U.S.-Ukraine bilateral protocol
on Ukraine’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Both
U.S. and Ukrainian government sources report that significant progress
has been made on the protocol and that only a handful of issues remain,
but it is not known how soon the protocol will be finished.
The Coalition is urging members of Congress to support and
co-sponsor H.R. 1053, introduced by Rep Gerlach of Pennsylvania. Of the
three House bills pending on Jackson-Vanik graduation for Ukraine, H.R.
1053 has the greatest receptivity in the Ways and Means Committee. As
of January 31, H.R. 1053 had almost 40 co-sponsors.
Coalition co-chairmen Steven Pifer and William Miller sent
letters on February 2 to members of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus
who have not yet co- sponsored H.R. 1053 urging them to do so and graduate
Ukraine this month (see text below). They also sent letters to the co-sponsors
of H.R. 1053 and to members of the Ways and Means Committee urging action
this month.
The Coalition urges all those who are interested in seeing
Ukraine graduated from Jackson-Vanik to fax letters NOW urging Congressional
action THIS MONTH to their members in the House of Representatives, to
the members of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, and to members of the
House Ways and Means Committee. The Coalition suggests faxing letters
to district offices as well as to the Representatives’ Washington
offices.
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Suggested points for use in letters or in calls
to Congressional offices follows below.
- In November 2005, the Senate passed by unanimous consent legislation
to graduate Ukraine from the provisions of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment.
The House of Representatives now must take similar action, and pass
the graduation bill H.R. 1053 by the end of February.
- Independent Ukraine fully meets the freedom-of- emigration requirements
of Jackson-Vanik, with an exemplary emigration record. This has been
acknowledged by Presidents Clinton and Bush.
- Urgent action is required. Ukraine holds parliamentary elections in
March. Opponents of the Ukrainian government’s pro-reform, pro-West
course will seize on Congressional inaction as a failure of the Yushchenko
government’s foreign policy and an indication of Western disinterest.
- Congress must act now to pass H.R. 1053 to graduate Ukraine and send
a positive signal of support for a democratic, market-oriented Ukraine
that is fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic community. This is not
just good for Ukraine; it is in the U.S. national interest.
- Moreover, graduating Ukraine from Jackson-Vanik is necessary to meet
one of the key U.S. commitments from the April 2005 Bush-Yushchenko
Joint Statement.
- Early action is supported by a broad coalition, which now numbers
more than 250 Ukrainian- American groups, Jewish-American groups, American
business and NGOs.
For more information about the Jackson-Vanik Graduation Coalition,
please email martam@usukraine.org
.
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Text of letter sent from JVGC to Congressional Ukrainian
Caucus members who have not yet co- sponsored H.R. 1053:
Dear Congressional Ukrainian Caucus member,
We are writing to urge your support, as a member of the Congressional
Ukrainian Caucus, for graduating Ukraine from the provisions of the
Jackson-Vanik Amendment by the end of February. In particular, we ask
that you join now in co-sponsoring H.R. 1053.
The Jackson-Vanik Graduation Coalition, which currently represents
more than 250 businesses and Ukrainian-American, Jewish-American and
other non- governmental organizations, believes this is a matter of
urgency. Congressional action in February will send a critical signal
of support for strong U.S.- Ukrainian relations in the run-up to the
very important March 26 parliamentary elections in Ukraine. Lack of
action, on the other hand, will be seized upon by opponents of Ukraine’s
pro-reform, pro-West government as both a failure of its foreign policy
and an indication of Western disinterest. Congressional action now will
have the optimum positive impact in Ukraine and promote the U.S. national
interest in integrating a democratic, market- oriented Ukraine into
the Euro-Atlantic community.
Ukraine fully merits graduation; it has long met Jackson-Vanik’s
freedom-of-emigration requirements. Moreover, it has created conditions
in which religious minorities can freely practice their beliefs. This
has been recognized by both Presidents Clinton and Bush. The Senate
last November passed by unanimous consent legislation to graduate Ukraine
from Jackson-Vanik. Action thus now lies with the House.
The Coalition supports H.R. 1053 as we have heard repeatedly that,
of the three House bills pending on Jackson-Vanik graduation for Ukraine,
it has the most receptivity in the Ways and Means Committee. As of January
31, H.R. 1053 had almost 40 co-sponsors, double the number in November.
We urgently ask you to please support Ukraine’s graduation by
joining now as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1053 and urging your fellow members
to take like action, with the objective of passing legislation by the
end of February.
Sincerely,
Ambassador Pifer and Ambassador Miller
Jackson-Vanik Graduation Coalition Co-Chairmen
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Members of Congressional Ukrainian Caucus
who have not yet co-sponsored H.R. 1053:
1. Corrine Brown (D-FL)
Fax: (202) 225-2256
2. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
Fax: (202) 225-2947
3. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
Fax: (202) 225-7810
4. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Fax: (202) 225-1171
5. Tim Holden (D-PA)
Fax: (202) 226-0996
6. Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Fax: (202) 225-3303
7. Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Fax: (202) 225-6393
8. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
Fax: (202) 226-2356
9. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Fax: (202) 225-5745
10. Tom Lantos (D-CA)
Fax: (202) 226-2722
11. Sander Levin (D-MI)
Fax: (202) 226-1033
12. Dan Lipinski (D-IL)
Fax: (202) 225-1012
13. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Fax: (202) 226-6025
14. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
Fax: (202) 225-9665
15. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ)
Fax: (202) 225-5782
16. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Fax: (202) 225-8259
17. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Fax: (202) 225-0816
18. Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Fax: (202) 225-5879
19. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Fax: (202) 225-7822
20. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Fax: (202) 225-4099
21. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Fax: (202) 226-7253
22. Joe Wilson (R-SC)
Fax: (202) 225-2455
