Join CAPWIZ

Area Committeepersons: Northeast AreaTerry Stehr, PA Midwest AreaKevin Beekman, MN Southeast AreaChad Scruggs Northwest AreaPaula Reed Southwest AreaKevin Dale, OK

Introduction to FSA and NASCOE	Animal Identification Plan - A NASCOE Perspective
Senate Position Papers (Those not in CAPWIZ - feel free to forward these letters on your own)	Position Papers (Those not in CAPWIZ - feel free to forward these letters on your own)
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS papers	TALKING POINTS FOR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
FSA and the Next Farm Bill	Talking Points - Next Farm Bill
FSA & Efficient Conservation Title Implementation	Talking Points - FSA Efficient Conservation Title Implementation
NASCOE CapWiz "Tell A Friend"	CapWiz Congressman Search

NOTE: See Committees Page for where to submit individual forms.

Members of Congress are home for the next two weeks.  We ask that NASCOE members contact representatives and senators on the 2007 Farm Bill Conference asking that they support including FSA administration of conservation programs in the Conference Report. Also, if your congressional member has a close tie with a conference member NOW is the time to ask them to speak to them in support of FSA administering conservation programs. Please report results of the meetings to your area legislative chairperson or notify Loren Nelson or Mike Mayfield. An easy way to report is by using the big red button on the legislative web page. Please report either positive or negative responses because that information is needed to effectively navigate the conference process.

 Senators on the Conference Committee

 Chairman Tom Harkin (IA)          Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (GA)
Max Baucus (MT)                           Richard Lugar (IN)
Kent Conrad (ND)                         Charles Grassley (IA)
Pat Leahy (VT)                               Thad Cochran (MS)
Blanche Lincoln (AR)                    Pat Roberts (KS)
Debbie Stabenow (MI)

 Probable House Conferees

 Chairman Collin Peterson (MN)  Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (VA)

Tim Holden (PA)                             Frank Lucas (OK)
Joe Baca (CA)                                 Jerry Moran (KS)
Bob Etheridge (NC)                        Steve King (IA)
Dennis Cardoza (CA)                      Randy Neugebauer (TX)
Leonard Boswell (IA)                    Robin Hayes (NC)
Mike McIntyre (NC)                       Marilyn Musgrave (CO)

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Goals for 2007-2008:

• Continue to have conference calls with Legislative Committee when needed and work with Consultant Bob Redding.
• Make sure everyone gets home email addresses from all Officers, Committee Chairs, Area Execs, and Area Chairs as well as Area Execs and Area Chairs get home emails from State designees.
• Continue recruiting membership on CAPWIZ and PAC. CAPWIZ is crucial to get our message across to membership in a timely manner. PAC is still crucial to the point of helping carry our message and competing against those that do. Continue to have Area Execs carry the message when attending State and Area conventions and be a spokesman for NASCOE.
• Continue to have Area Legislative and Area Execs carry the message to membership about the importance of getting signed up and use CAPWIZ to fully inform our membership and membership being able to get the most and best results from.
• Get Conservation language in Farm Bill.
• Coordinate information and emails to NAFEC membership after NAFEC updates their email data base.
• Get NAFEC and RASCOE included for CAPWIZ by getting Name, address, phone number, and email of their members and include in our CAPWIZ Alert actions.
• Keep Web page updated with Position Papers, etc., for membership and Congressional staffers to use to keep current with issues and be able to cut and paste if needed. It was recommended that we be specific on pages wanting updated when sending to our webmaster Diane Holowaty.

Assigned Duties for the 2007-2008 Legislative Year:

CAPWIZ – Tammy Eibey

Benefits – Terry Stehr

PAC – Chad Scruggs

Coalition Partners – Kevin Dale

Farm Bill – Loren Nelson

Reorganization (If needed) – Kevin Beekman

Web Page Updates – Mike Mayfield

NASCOE Now Articles – Kevin Beekman

NAFEC/RASCOE Coordinator – Paula Reed

• Kevin Dale will draft a Legislative Handbook Policy and get to the Legislative Committee and Executive Committee before the November Executive Board meeting.

Legislative Committee recommendations to the National Executive Board for approval:

• The Legislative Committee requests permission to hold at least quarterly conference calls and others as needed with a cost not to exceed $800 without additional board approval.
• The Legislative Committee requests approval to use up to $8000 of NASCOE funds for PAC promotion and travel. (e.g. internet lines at national, area and state rallies; travel for attendees at these various functions sometimes including RASCOE; participation in PAC sponsored events)
• To improve communication efficiency The Legislative committee is requesting that the line of communication is National Legislative Co-Chairs communicate to Area Legislative Chairs with a CC copy to the Area Execs and officers, the Area Legislative chair will then contact (email or elephone) their State Legislative Chairs with a CC to the State President. Follow-up response will come back the same way from the state Legislative chair to the Area Legislative chair with a CC to the state President. The Area Legislative chair to both the Co-National Legislative chairs and a CC to the Area Exec. This way there is always the one party in charge up and back in the communication process. Many times without this we have two parties requesting the same information and confusing everyone.

Respectfully Submitted,
Loren Nelson and Mike Mayfield