Lobbying effort for Frank bill grows

[LaurieJim]

just in from congressman lincoln davis

>
> I am committed to representing the views of the Fourth District
>Dear Laurie:
>
> Thank you for recently contacting my office. The Fourth
>District is composed of 24 counties in Tennessee ranging in population
>from 70,000 to 5,000. My district is a rural area containing many
>farmers, working families, small businesses, and factories. In fact, I serve
>the fourth most rural district in the Congress.
>
>as accurately as possible. As such, I have been named one of the ten most
>independent Members of Congress as reported by the National Journal.
>As long as I serve in Congress I will continue to work for the priorities of
>my constituents. At the same time, I will consider each bill based on its
>merits. I will not oppose legislation simply because it is supported by the
>President, nor will I support legislation simply because that is the
>position of the House Democratic Leadership. What I will do is
>something that has become rare in the modern age of our democratic
>republic; I will represent the will of my constituents. I think if more
>Members of Congress did this we would have less partisanship and more
>legislation that plays to the true base of all politics-the American
>people.
>
> I appreciate your comments and the time you took to reach me.
>Once we return from August recess and continue to move through the
>110th Congress, I will keep your views in mind if this or related
>legislation comes before the House of Representatives for a vote.
>Sincerely,
>
>Lincoln Davis
>Member of Congress
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Congressman Lincoln Davis" <imatn04@mail.house.gov>
To:
Subject: Reply from Congressman Lincoln Davis
Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:57:48 -0400
>
>
>
>
>August 20, 2007

 

[sdaddy]

^^ Hate to say it, but that looks like a canned response Rep. Davis has prepared when he doesn't feel like addressing the actual topic raised by the constituent who contacted his office.

 

[jetset]

Update

BARNEY SIGNS UP ANOTHER SPONSOR FOR PROPOSAL TO REGULATE U.S. ONLINE GAMBLING

Virginia Democrat agrees to co-sponsor HR 204

Political support continues to grow slowly but steadily for HR 2046 the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act proposed by senior Democrat Congressman Barney Frank.

The latest politician to give his support to the Frank bill, which seeks to legalise and regulate online gambling in the United States, is Virginia Democrat Robert C. Scott who signed up last Friday.

Congressman Scott is serving his eighth term as a representative for Virginia and is on record as voting against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act last year when it was rushed through the House of Representatives under questionable circumstances, attached to a completely unrelated security bill.

Scott serves on the Committees for the Budget, Education and Labor, and the Judiciary. He also serves on the following subcommittees:

Consitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness

With his support, the list of cosponsors for the bill has now reached 36 - still some distance to go, but progress.

Congressman Robert Wexler's bill, the Skill Game Protection Act, which seeks to classify and therefore legalise poker as a game of skill has also added another sponsor recently. New York Democrat Congressman Eliot Engel is the latest to sign up for the Wexler bill, and is apparently another politician who refused to be stampeded into voting for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in October last year. He joins 11 other Congressman who support Wexler.

Engel is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee as well as the Foreign Affairs Committee. He serves on three subcommittees for Foreign Affairs, including the influential Telecommunications and Internet subcommittee under the Energy and Commerce Committee.

 

[Mousey]

Bill stalled

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Congressman says support growing, measure may live

By TONY BATT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., on Tuesday acknowledged his bill to overturn an Internet gambling ban has stalled, but he said pressure from foreign countries could revive the legislation.

Frank, who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, conducted a hearing on the bill in June but no further action is planned this year.

"It's not dead. It's not very active," Frank said. "It depends on whether or not there's support. I don't think there's support for it yet. It's growing."

Frank said it is up to gamblers to push efforts to overturn the ban, but then quickly corrected himself.

"I take it back. If the EU (European Union) gets into this WTO (World Trade Organization) thing, that's a lot more pressure," he said.

Frank was referring to a ruling in March by a WTO judicial panel that the United States is violating international trade law by prohibiting Americans from gambling on Web sites based in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

The U.S. Trade Representative responded in May by exempting U.S. gambling from international trade regulations.

"There an interesting hypocrisy here about the WTO obligations. They are sacred for a lot of things, but apparently not for gambling," Frank said.

So far, Frank's bill -- which would require the U.S. Department of Treasury to regulate online gambling Web sites -- has 36 co-sponsors.

There are 64 co-sponsors for a bill by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., which calls for a one-year study of the Internet gambling industry by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

But Berkley's bill has not been scheduled for a hearing, and she said she does not expect one this year.

Berkley said she is waiting on Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to introduce his own version of a bill to study Internet gambling.

In 2002, Conyers introduced the first Internet gambling study bill and tried again the next year, but neither measure advanced.

"He can replace mine with his," Berkley said.

Although Congress is running out of time this year, Berkley said ....

 

[Mousey]

Sep. 13, 2007
Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL:

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under pressure

Attorney anticipates huge WTO award
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is trying to overturn the current federal ban on Internet gambling.

What's that? You didn't know it was illegal? Well, that's one of the problems. When governments pass toothless laws intended to block voluntary activities that harm no one except the volunteers, governments can end up looking toothless and goofy.

The other problem is that a World Trade Organization panel ruled in March that the United States is violating international trade law by prohibiting Americans from gambling on Web sites based in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

In May, the U.S. trade representative responded by blithely declaring U.S. gambling to be exempt from international trade regulations.

Mark Mendel, the attorney representing the island nation in the action, doesn't believe that's going to work.

"One of the frustrating things about our case is that everyone seemed to pretend the United States doesn't have to comply (with WTO guidelines)," Mr. Mendel told a Review-Journal reporter this week in a phone interview from Ireland.

But that's not so, insists Mr. Mendel. "I feel confident that what we will get will be a massive number -- one of the two or three largest WTO awards ever."

Mr. Mendel anticipates a fine in the range of $1 billion to $3.4 billion.

In lieu of the damages, Antigua and Barbuda would be happy to reach an agreement with the U.S. to allow Americans to use the island's gambling Web sites, the attorney says.

Which brings us back to Rep. Frank, who Tuesday admitted his bill to overturn the Internet gambling ban has stalled, though he believes international pressure could yet revive it.

Rep. Frank's bill, which would require the U.S. Department of the Treasury to regulate online gambling Web sites, currently has 36 co-sponsors.

A competing bill to fund a one-year study of Internet gambling -- sponsored....

 

[jetset]

IGREA GETS ANOTHER SPONSOR

Massachusetts Democrat comes on board attempt to legalis online gambling in the USA

Another politician has signed up to Congressman Barney Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, which seeks to regulate online gambling in the United States, effectively countering the UIGEA.

The latest political support comes from Massachusetts Representative William Delahunt, who signed up as a cosponsor on Monday.

Delahunt is a Democrat who has previously gone on record as opposing further restrictions to online gambling, and who voted against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act when it was rammed through Congress last year attached to a late night security bill.

IGREA was introduced to the House by Congressman Frank back in April, and achieved wide publicity when hearings were conducted on the proposal. Since then support has grown to 37 cosponsors, but momentum has been sluggish in building despite repeated pleas for players to contact their political representatives to express opposition to the UIGEA. The Frank Bill currently sits in the House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Currently listed cosponsors are:

Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii)
Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.)
Joe Baca (D-Calif.)
Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.)
Howard Berman (D-Calif.)
Michael Capuano (D-Mass.)
Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.)
Julia Carson (D-Ind.)
William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.)
Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.)
William Delahunt (D-Mass.)
Bob Filner (D-Calif.)
Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.)
Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)
Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.)
Michael Honda (D-Calif.)
Steve Israel (D-N.Y.)
Peter King (R-N.Y.)
Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.)
Jim McDermott (D-Wash.)
James McGovern (D-Mass.)
Charlie Melancon (D-La.)
Ron Paul (R-Texas)
Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.)
Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas)
Steven Rothman (D-N.J.)
Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.)
Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
Robert Scott (D-Va.)
Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)
Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.)
Melvin Watt (D-N.C.)
Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)
Robert Wexler (D-Fla.)
Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.)
Albert Wynn (D-Md.)
Don Young (R-Alaska)

 

[SlotsWizard]

I love my state!! People may call us "Massholes" (especially on the road ) but look how many Massholes are pro-online-gaming!

On the flipside, our governor might soon approve the building of a few B&M casinos here too.