Barton gains support
Cosponsors now total 50
Texas Congressman sends
"Dear Colleague" letter
Cleaners are asked to commit
time and money to the campaign
A "Dear Colleague" letter circulated among members of Congress could boost efforts to gain cosponsors for the Barton bill, which as of mid-October had 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed on.
The bill's author, Texas Republican Joe Barton, and one of its Democrat sponsors, Owen Pickett of Kentucky, signed the letter which will be circulated among all House members. Headlined "Help Our Nation's Dry Cleaners Achieve Common Sense Environmental Regulation," the letter invites other members of Congress to join the 50 who have already agreed to sponsor the H. R. 1711, formally titled the Small Business Remediation Act.
The letter explains how the bill addresses "a very real and pressing problem" faced by drycleaners due to potential liability associated with cleanup of drycleaning solvents in soil and groundwater when the more stringent drinking water standards. Barton's bill leaves drinking water standards untouched but ties standards for soil and ground water to levels of exposure set by OSHA for people who work in drycleaning plants.
The legislation would be a "win-win," the letter says, because it offers certainty to drycleaners, their neighbors, surrounding businesses, banks and the community while setting standards that will lead to more prompt and efficient improvement of the environment.
"By supporting the Small Business Remediation Act, Members can help improve the environment, strengthen small business and promote the prosperity or our neighborhoods and towns," the letter concludes.
A call for industry support
Meanwhile, another letter is being circulated, this one written by drycleaner and Barton bill supporter Barney Deden urging cleaners to make personal commitments of both time and money to help pass Barton bill.
The letter was been sent out by the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International following Deden's talk in September at NCAI's Tex-Care trade show in New Jersey. There, as in the letter, Deden said all cleaners need to take action by contacting their representatives in Congress and contributing money to the cause.
"If you have not contacted your Congressperson or made a financial contribution to this project you are guilty of expecting a free solution to a problem you helped create and, even worse, expecting a small portion of your industry to provide that solution," Deden wrote.
The commitment need not be a large one, Deden wrote. "Experience in several states has proved that a small group of committed drycleaners, spending 5 or 10 minutes per week and contributing a small amount to the legislative fund, can convince a U.S. Representative to cosponsor this bill."
Deden suggested that each cleaner send $20 per month to one of the trade associations backing the effort with the money be forwarded to the national account established to fund the campaign.
Associations pitch in
An opportunity to contribute was offered by the Korean American Cleaners Association of New Jersey to the 4,600 cleaners and allied trades people who attended NCAI's Tex-Care show. Among other efforts on behalf of the legislation at its booth, the association set out a box into which passing cleaners could drop donations. The box was opened in ceremonies at the KACANJ office and the total -- $2,180 -- was presented to Charlotte Giddings of the Baise & Miller law firm, which is working for passage of the bill in Washington, DC.
KACANJ president Tae Hee Han also presented Giddings with about 700 petition letters supporting the bill signed by people at the show. A nationwide campaign by KCANJ to get cleaners to sign a petition letter for the Barton bill had collected 1,446 signatures from cleaners in 32 states by late September.
Strong financial support is also being generated by the Michigan Institute of Laundering & Drycleaning whose members have made commitments to contribute more than $40,000 for the legislative fund. The association reported in September that nearly half of that amount has been received, including half a dozen donations of $2,000.
Association support is also coming from the Northwest Drycleaners Association whose board of directors has formally endorsed the Barton bill. The vote was taken because board member Dan Ferrelli of Daniel's Dry Cleaners was told by Rep. Jennifer Dunn that an official endorsement from the association would influence her decision to support the bill. That would carry more weight than a request from a lone individual, she said.
NWDCA also allocated funds to reimburse the Southwest Drycleaners Association for a portion of the Texas-based group's efforts for the Barton bill at the Clean show. SDA put money up front for a Barton bill campaign at the Las Vegas exhibition and asked other state and regional trade groups to help out by reimbursing the association for its expenses of approximately $2,400 on an equal-share basis.
For its part, NCAI announced it is forming a Political Action Committee, called CLEANPAC, to raise money for industry legislative efforts. Donald Halperin, NCAI's lobbyist explained that a PAC is a legal entity authorized to collect money to be used for campaign contributions. A PAC lets a group of individuals with common interests coordinate their political efforts to help support candidates who are serving those interests.
All NCAI members are being solicited for PAC contributions. A minimum contribution of $100 is encouraged, but any amount will be accepted. Call NCAI, (212) 967-3002, for more information on CLEANPAC.
Sponsor list grows
These labors continue to bear fruit. With the addition of four new October, cosponsors of the bill now number 50. Rep. Barton said at the Clean Show in Las Vegas last June that if 100 cosponsors can be collected he will be able to convince House leadership that there is sufficient support for the bill to proceed with hearings.
Recent additions to the list of cosponsors Republicans Kay Granger of Texas, Thomas Petri and Democrats Scotty Baeseler of Kentucky and Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas. That makes 13 Democrats and 37 Republicans from 21 states signed on to the bill.
Texas leads the way with seven Democrats and seven Republicans of its 40-member delegation signed on.
Virginia and Kentucky each have four representatives signed on while Nebraska and Arizona each have three each.
States with two representatives singed on include Louisiana, Kansas, California, Idaho, Michigan and Georgia.
States with one member of its delegation sponsoring include Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, Washington, South Carolina, Ohio, Minnesota, New Mexico and Alaska.
The Barton bill is still looking for its first cosponsor from any of the populous Northeastern states -- New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts -- which have a total of 75 representatives. Nor are there any cosponsors from any of the other Eastern Seaboard states north of Virginia.
The Details...
- Barton's "Dear Colleague" letter
- Deden's letter to drycleaners
- The Barton bill Scorecard
- The problem and solutions
Be Your Own Lobbyist
- Text of the Barton Bill
- Summary of HR 1711
- Sample Congressional Letter
- Talking Points
- How the Barton Bill Protects Cleaners from Excessive Clean-up Costs
- Environmental Problems Facing Drycleaners
- Possible Arguments Against The Bill
Information from FLARE to help cleaners get the message to Congress
