Congressional Portuguese American Caucus
Update and Call to Action
April 12, 2011 |
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If you have any questions about the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus, federal policy, and proposed federal legislation, please contact NOPA's Government Affairs Team at [email protected] or 703-389-3512.
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Update on the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus Membership |
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Last month, NOPA's government affairs team began reaching out to Members of Congress, inviting them to join the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus in the 112th Congress. We're happy to report the Caucus has been joined by its first Senator and currently has 17 Members and growing:
Rep. Joe Baca (D CA-43)
Website: http://baca.house.gov/
Contact: http://baca.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=7�iontree=7
Rep. Dennis Cardoza, Co-Chair (D CA-18)
Website: http://cardoza.house.gov/
Contact: http://cardoza.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=3�iontree=3
Rep. Jim Costa, Co-Chair (D CA-20)
Website: http://costa.house.gov/
Contact: http://costa.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=369&Itemid=31
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D TX-25)
Website: http://doggett.house.gov/
Contact: https://forms.house.gov/doggett/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Rep. Barney Frank (D MA-4)
Website: http://www.house.gov/frank/
Contact: http://www.house.gov/frank/contact/index.html
Rep. Mike Grimm (R NY-13)
Website: http://grimm.house.gov/
Contact: https://grimm.house.gov/contact-me
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D HI-1)
Website: http://hanabusa.house.gov/
Contact: https://hanabusa.house.gov/contact-me
Rep. Mike Honda (D CA-15)
Website: http://honda.house.gov/
Contact: https://forms.house.gov/honda/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D TX-18)
Website: http://jacksonlee.house.gov/
Contact: http://jacksonlee.house.gov/Contact/
Rep. Bill Keating (D MA-10)
Website: http://keating.house.gov/
Contact: https://keating.house.gov/contact-me
Rep. Jim Langevin (D RI-2)
Website: http://langevin.house.gov/
Contact: http://langevin.house.gov/contact/
Rep. Jim McGovern (D MA-3)
Website: http://mcgovern.house.gov/
Contact: http://mcgovern.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=47�iontree=47
Rep. Richard E. Neal (D MA-2)
Website: http://neal.house.gov/
Contact: http://neal.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118&Itemid=6
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D CA-39)
Website: http://lindasanchez.house.gov/
Contact: https://forms.house.gov/lindasanchez/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Rep. Pete Stark (D CA-13)
Website: http://www.stark.house.gov/
Contact: http://www.stark.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1524&Itemid=98
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D MA-5)
Website: http://tsongas.house.gov/
Contact: http://tsongas.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=116�iontree=116
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D RI)
Website: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/
Contact: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
Please contact these Members' offices to thank them for supporting the Portuguese American community by becoming a Member of the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus. It is extremely important for our elected officials to hear from the community and we hope that you will thank them, particularly if you reside in one of their districts.
Please remember to call and/or email the caucus co-chairs, Congressmen Cardoza and Costa, especially if you are one of their constituents, to thank them for co-chairing the caucus and for their commitment to the Portuguese-American community. |
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Call To Action - Growing the Caucus Membership |
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Over the next month, we will continue our outreach efforts to Members of Congress, inviting them to join the caucus, and we urge all individuals and organizations in the Portuguese American community to reach out to your Members and ask them to join the caucus.
Contacting your Representative/Senators makes a difference. It's important for your policymakers to hear from their constituents to know what is important to you. We have received some responses from Congressional offices saying that it would be helpful for them to get requests to join the caucus from constituents in their districts/states.
Below are sample thank you and invitation letters along with some talking points, tips for contacting Congress, and useful resource links for you to use in an email, letter, or phone call to your Members of Congress.
Please email or call your Members of Congress to thank them for joining the caucus, or, if they have not already joined, to ask them to support the Portuguese American community by joining the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus for the 112th Congress.
Feel free to contact us for assistance or guidance on contacting your Members of Congress -- and pass this alert on to your friends and colleagues in the Portuguese American community -- the more our community is active in the process, the more Congress can learn of our concerns and successes.
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Find Your Members of Congress |
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You can follow the links below to locate your Members of Congress:
U.S. House of Representatives Contact Information:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
U.S. Senate Contact Information:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm |
Sample Thank You Letter/Email |
SUBJECT: Thank you for joining the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus
LETTERHEAD
(Date)
The Honorable _______________
United States House of Representatives/United States Senate
### _____ House Office Building/### _____ Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515/20510
Dear Congressman/Senator _________:
As ('title' of 'org/company'), and your constituent from (your place of residence), I writing to thank you for your membership in the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus.
The Portuguese American community is proud to have you as a member of the caucus dedicated to the more than 1.3 million Americans of Portuguese descent and the critical ties between the United States and Portugal, with diplomatic relations dating back to 1791.
<< Option to add brief personal details about you or your organization >>
Working in the spirit of cooperation, I believe the caucus will be of great benefit to Portuguese Americans, raising the level of awareness in Congress of the issues facing our community.
Thank you again for joining the caucus and for your continued support of the Portuguese American community.
Sincerely,
(your full name)
(your address of residence)
or
('title' of 'org/company')
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Sample Invitation Letter/Email |
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SUBJECT: Please Join the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus
LETTERHEAD
(Date)
The Honorable _______________
United States House of Representatives/United States Senate
### _____ House Office Building/### _____ Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515/20510
Dear Congressman/Senator _________:
As ('title' of 'org/company'), and your constituent from (your place of residence), I am asking for your support of the Portuguese American community by joining the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional Portuguese American Caucus in the 112th Congress.
The caucus is dedicated to the more than 1.3 million members of the Portuguese American community and the critical ties between the United States and Portugal, with diplomatic relations dating back to 1791 and important defense relationships that include a U.S. military base at Lajes Field, in the Azores, where the U.S. Air Force's 65th Air Base Wing is stationed and supports deployed U.S. forces throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
The caucus is not about political ideology. This Congressional Member Organization is open to Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who will work together on issues affecting the Portuguese American community. The community is proud to have a voice in the federal government in the form of a caucus and we hope that you will join.
<< Option to add brief personal details about you or your organization >>
To join the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus, or should you have any questions about this caucus, please have your staff contact one of the following staff members in the offices of the caucus co-chairs.
Ben Parmentier, Office of Congressman Jim Costa, [email protected]
Marilyn Shapley, Office of Congressman Dennis Cardoza, [email protected]
I sincerely hope you will join this bipartisan caucus and thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
(your full name)
(your address of residence)
or
('title' of 'org/company')
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About the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus:
- The caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators dedicated to strengthening the long-standing bilateral ties between the United States and Portugal and helping the community build on centuries of contributions American citizens and residents of Portuguese descent have made, and are continuing to make, in our society.
- The caucus aims to raise the level of awareness in Congress of the issues facing the Portuguese American community.
- This Congressional Member Organization (CMO) is open to Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who will work together on issues affecting the Portuguese American community.
The Portuguese American population:
- The latest census estimates that 1.3 million individuals living in the United States are of Portuguese ancestry and there are about 20,000 Americans living in Portugal.
The contributions that Portuguese have made to the United States have been formally recognized by state governments throughout the country:
- Since 1935, California has celebrated Cabrillo Day on September 28, honoring the discoverer of that state. In 1969, former President Ronald Reagan, who was at the time the governor of California, proclaimed March 2nd -8th Portuguese Immigrant Week. In 1974 Massachusetts set aside March 15th as Peter Francisco Day. Peter Francisco enlisted in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War at the age of 16 and later became known as 'Hercules of the Revolution'. Portuguese Americans have continued to serve with distinction in the United States armed services since the Revolution.
The ties between the United States and Portugal are critical:
- According to the U.S. Department of State, bilateral ties with Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was among the first countries to recognize the United States. On February 21, 1791, President George Washington opened formal diplomatic relations and the oldest continuously-operating U.S. Consulate in the world, since 1795, is in Ponta Delgada on the island of S�o Miguel in the Azores.
The United States-Portugal defense relationship is strong and enduring:
- The current U.S.-Portugal Agreement on Cooperation and Defense (ACD) was signed in 1995; however, a U.S. military forward presence at Lajes Field, in the Azores, extends back to World War II and it remains a critical logistic hub for U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. European Command, and NATO Allies. The U.S. Air Force's 65th Air Base Wing is based in Lajes. This access supports deployed U.S. forces throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. U.S. missions currently supported by a presence at Lajes Field include counterterrorism, humanitarian, and combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Portugal also hosts NATO Allied Joint Force Command Lisbon, which is one of the three main subdivisions of NATO's Allied Command Operations.
To join the Caucus, please contact one of the following staff members in the offices of the caucus co-chairs:
The Business impact of the Portuguese American Community:
- We're in the process of digging up citable and credible evidence on the economic and business impact of the Portuguese American community. We'll update our information when we do.
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Tips for Contacting Congress |
- Keep the email/letter/phone call brief and to the point.
- Write on personal, organization, or business letterhead if possible.
- Members and their staff want to hear about personal experiences.
- Don't be argumentative. Threatening and combative language doesn't help the community's cause.
- Make it clear that you are a constituent. Also be sure to mention if you have met the Member of Congress personally or have some connection or association beyond being a constituent.
- Ask the Member of Congress or their staff for a reply.
- Express your own ideas and opinions as much as possible. Do not copy the form letters, but use them for guidance.
- Put a thoughtful effort into it. it really matters. You might bring something to light for the first time which can influence the position of a Member on a given issue.
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Additional Resource Links |
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U.S. Department of State - Background Information on Portugal: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3208.htm
Embassy of Portugal to the United States: http://www.embassyportugal-us.org/
U.S. Census Bureau American Fact Finder: http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-parsed=true&-ds_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-_caller=geoselect&-format=
Report: 'Portuguese-Americans in the Massachusetts Power Structure: A Positional Analysis, Prepared by UMass Dartmouth's Center for Policy Analysis, Sponsored by Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, September 2005: http://www.portstudies.umassd.edu/docs/power_structure050920.pdf
Countries and Their Culture, Portuguese Americans: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Portuguese-Americans.html
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For any questions or comments, please contact NOPA's Government Affairs Team at [email protected] or 703-389-3512. The National Organization of Portuguese-Americans is a national non-profit, tax exempt organization that supports and works with individuals and organizations in the community to advocate for and empower Portuguese-Americans. If you feel inspired to join our mission, contact us. Remember to join us on facebook for the latest updates.
NOPA, Inc.
PO Box 2652
Falls Church, VA 22042 |
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