URGENT CALL TO ACTION!
Congress will soon begin voting on the DARK Act (H.R. 1599), a bill that could bring the GMO labeling movement to a screeching halt.
If passed, the DARK Act will overturn Vermont’s GMO labeling law and prevent other states from passing GMO labeling laws. The same will hold true for local GMO crop bans. H.R.1599 will also prevent food manufacturers from labeling their products GMO-free using independent certification, such as the certification offered by the Non-GMO Project—the only non-GMO label allowed will be a USDA-approved label under standards that have yet to be developed, and will likely be inferior to independently developed standards.
The bill, which we’re now calling the Mother of All Monsanto Protection Acts, would also guarantee the FDA never conducts independent, pre-market safety testing on GMO foods.
How do we stop this outrageous piece of legislation? By letting every member of Congress, beginning with those who serve on key committees, know that we oppose it. We’ve prioritized U.S. Representatives who are members of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, or the Biotech Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee. These subcommittees held hearings on the DARK Act on June 18 and June 25, respectively. The first vote on the DARK Act hasn’t been scheduled yet, but is expected to take place in one of these committees.
So far, with help from volunteers in key districts, we’ve met with 17 members of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, and spoken or emailed with others. We’ve also been able to determine where some of the members of the Biotech Subcommittee stand on the bill. But we still have a long road ahead if we’re going to reach out to all of the members of both subcommittees before the bill is voted on.
That’s where you come in. Below, we’ve listed the names of committee members we’ve either already met with (no asterisk) or still need to meet with (asterisk in front of the name). We also indicate whether the committee member intends to vote YES or NO on H.R. 1599, or whether he or she is still UNDECIDED.
If your Representative is listed below, with an asterisk, and he or she is UNDECIDED or planning to vote YES on H.R. 1599, can you attend a meeting/rally at your Representative’s district office? We can help organize the meeting, but we need constituents to attend. If you’d like to participate, please contact alexis@organicconsumers.org or call (218) 226-4164. If your Representative is planning to vote NO, please call or email him or her to say Thank you!
Time is running out to reach all of these key Representatives. Please review the list below and let us know if you can help. If you’re not a resident in the district of one of these U.S. Representatives, we still need your help. All members of Congress need to hear from their constituents—you—that you want them to oppose H.R. 1599. Please call Congress at 202-224-3121 (Tips for calling). and ask for your Congress member’s office. Then ask your member of Congress to vote NO on H.R. 1599.
Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research Subcommittee
UNDECIDED
*Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.): 202-225-6311
*Marcia Fudge (D- Ohio): 202-225-7032
*Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.): 202-225-5614
*Gwen Graham (D-Fla.): 202-225-5235
YES
*Rodney Davis (R-Ill.): 202-225-2371
*Jeff Denham (R-Calif.): 202-225-4540
*John Moolenaar (R-Mich.):202-225-3561
*Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.): 202-225-5816
*Austin Scott (R-Ga.): 202-225-6531
*Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.): 202-225-5121
*Ted Yoho (R-Fla.): 202-225-5744
NO
Ann Kuster (D-N.H.): 202-225-5206
Jim McGovern (D-Mass.): 202-225-5759
Health Subcommittee
UNDECIDED
*Joe Barton (R-Texas): 202-225-2002
Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.): 202-225-5755
*Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas): 202-225-7772
*Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.): 202-225-6131
Kathy Castor (D-Fla.): 202-225-3376
Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.): 202-225-2464
*Gene Greene (D-Texas): 202-225-1688
Morgan Griffith (R-Va.): 202-225-3861
Joseph P. Kennedy, III (D-Mass.): 202-225-5931
Leonard Lance (R-N.J.): 202-225-5361
Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.): 202-225-6190
Tim Murphy (R-Pa.): 202-225-2301
Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.): 202-225-4671
*Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.): 202-225-2006
John Sarbanes (D-Md.): 202-225-4016
YES
*Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.): 202-225-2811
*Susan Brooks (R-Ind.): 202-225-2276
*Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.): 202-225-4636
*G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.): 202-225-3101
*Chris Collins (R-N.Y.): 202-225-5265
Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.): 202-225-4531
*Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.): 202-225-3501
Billy Long (R-Mo.): 202-225-6536
Joseph R. Pitts (R-Pa.): 202-225-2411
*Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.): 202-225-5711
John Shimkus (R-Ill.): 202-225-5271
*Fred Upton (R-Mich.): 202-225-3761
*Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.): 202-225-3115
NO
Lois Capps (D-Calif.): 202-225-3601
Doris O. Matsui (D-Calif.): 202-225-7163
Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.): 202-225-2111
Calendar: 2015 Stop the DARK Act Congressional Meetings and Rallies
So far we’ve held 17 meetings with members of key subcommittees. We’re just now organizing the next round of meetings, and as we confirm them, we will list them here.
Friday, July 17
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.): 1 p.m., 1575 Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 180, Kalamazoo, Mich. To participate, contact alexis@organicconsumers.org
Want to help us organize a Congressional district office meeting and rally? Here’s what you need to do to get started! (Or just email alexis@organicconsumers.org and/or call (218) 226-4164).
1. Contact one of the district offices for your U.S. Representative and ask for a meeting with their staff in the next few weeks. If you can’t get a meeting, you can still hold a rally outside the district office and invite the media.
2. Email us at campaigns@organicconsumers.org to let us know about the meeting and we’ll get the word out to our supporters in your district.
3. Print an 11×17 poster for your Congressperson and take it to the meeting or rally. Download 11×17 posters here. If you’re Congressperson doesn’t have a poster on this page, email us and we’ll make one.
4. Contact us at 218-226-4164 if you need coaching on discussing the DARK Act, states’ rights to label GMOs, and why we need mandatory, not voluntary, GMO labeling laws with your Representative’s staff. DARK Act fact sheet here.
5. We’ll also send out a media advisory out to local press about your meeting or rally to help generate media coverage.
Not sure? You can use these links to identify your member of Congress, and find out if he/she is on the House Agriculture or Energy & Commerce committees, where the next votes will take place.
Find out if your Congress member serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee
Find out if your Congress member serves on the House Committee of Agriculture
Find out of your Congress member is already a sponsor of the DARK Act (H.R. 1599)
Download a poster to bring to the rally