HR 1161 Must be Stopped!

[Jack Bulkin]

I just received this from Joseph Phelps Winery. Write your Congressman.

Dear Jack,


A bill recently introduced in the U.S. Congress (HR 5034) potentially threatens your rights as a consumer and the relationship we enjoy with you. If passed, HR 5034 will likely reverse reasonable wine shipping legislation and further restrict consumer choice for wine lovers like you.

Here is what you can do to help. Please click here to personalize a letter to your U.S. Congressional representatives in both the House and Senate urging them to oppose HR 5034. More information about HR 5034 is also available on this website.

Thank you for your continued support!



Your friends at Joseph Phelps Vineyards

http://www.capwiz.com/freegrapes/iss...ertid=14948676

WA Permit: 087643 The Winery | Wines | Shopping | News and Events | Links | Phelps Preferred | Contact us | home

Joseph Phelps Vineyards
200 Taplin Road
St. Helena, California 94574
US

[Daniel Posner]

A sample letter to send...this is very important!

As an adult voter, I urge you to OPPOSE HR 5034, a special interest power grab by beer wholesalers that could overturn legal, regulated winery-to-consumer shipping working successfully in 37 states.

The National Beer Wholesalers of America (NBWA) is asking you to weigh in on an intra-industry dispute to protect their monopoly distribution system. Their legislation is couched as addressing public safety and states’ rights, but it will likely reverse reasonable wine shipping legislation and further restrict consumer choice for wine lovers like me.

The bill will put state laws supporting wine, beer and spirits wholesaler middlemen beyond the reach of the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

HR 5034 has been immediately condemned by winery and retail associations (representing America’s 6,700 wineries plus countless wine retailers), as well as voters. We are 80 years past prohibition. Restricting wine shipping, which, by passing this law, would be the ultimate effect, would take away years of progress that consumers have made to attempt to get wines from wineries and merchants from all over the country. There is still much work to be done on this matter. Passing HR 5034 is a clear indication that Congress is okay with wholesalers dominating this industry, which is the intent of the law. There is a reason why Craig Wolf, president of the WSWA, called the the three tiered system the "most profitable system in the world today."

Please let me know how you intend to vote on this important consumer rights issue.

[Jack Bulkin]

A sample letter to send...this is very important!

As an adult voter, I urge you to OPPOSE HR 5034, a special interest power grab by beer wholesalers that could overturn legal, regulated winery-to-consumer shipping working successfully in 37 states.

The National Beer Wholesalers of America (NBWA) is asking you to weigh in on an intra-industry dispute to protect their monopoly distribution system. Their legislation is couched as addressing public safety and states’ rights, but it will likely reverse reasonable wine shipping legislation and further restrict consumer choice for wine lovers like me.

The bill will put state laws supporting wine, beer and spirits wholesaler middlemen beyond the reach of the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

HR 5034 has been immediately condemned by winery and retail associations (representing America’s 6,700 wineries plus countless wine retailers), as well as voters. We are 80 years past prohibition. Restricting wine shipping, which, by passing this law, would be the ultimate effect, would take away years of progress that consumers have made to attempt to get wines from wineries and merchants from all over the country. There is still much work to be done on this matter. Passing HR 5034 is a clear indication that Congress is okay with wholesalers dominating this industry, which is the intent of the law. There is a reason why Craig Wolf, president of the WSWA, called the the three tiered system the "most profitable system in the world today."

Please let me know how you intend to vote on this important consumer rights issue.

I wrote to my Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) the day the Bill was exposed. He never responded. He usually writes back within hours of emails sent. I discovered from Carrie's recent Facebook posting that he is now of the list of supporters. This Bill is very dangerous and we need to respond.

[Chris Buddress]

Sent an email and fax to my Congresswoman and Senator. This is a huge issue. Takes two mins to send the email.

[C. Bowman]

Jack,

Thanks, I was going to start a thread on this.

Below are links to all the different places to find info for H.R. 5035

If you want to contact your congressperson and ask them not to support HB 5034, you can find their contact info at this page: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

If you want to read the bill you can do so here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.5034:

The STOP HR 5034 Facebook Page is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/STOPHR503 ... all&ref=ts

I've written about this bill here: http://www.fermentation.typepad.com/

Done Carrie. The other Mac and Cheese maker.

[C. Bowman]

There are now 51 Co Sponsors of this bill. I heard today there is a chance this could go to hearing in June. There is lots of work to do to get the word out.

If you have off-site storage and can put flyers out it may help spread the word, or anyplace where there are wine lovers to help with the opposition.

There should be a Stop H.R. 5034 Web Site by the end of the week.

[C. Bowman]

Follow the money !

http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacg...877&cycle=2010
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacg...173&cycle=2010

https://www.opensecrets.org/industri....php?ind=N02++

[Daniel Posner]

Thanks, Carrie. $90,000 spent by Southern Wines and Spirits this year...

more than they spent in 2008 or 2006...funny how that works?

[C. Bowman]

102 Cosponsors

Click on the link for a full list
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquer...1:HR05034:@@@N

[Mark F r a n k s]

My congressman is not a supporter and as long as he remains so, he may yet receive a vote from me in the future.

[Daniel Posner]

Supporter or cosponsor, Mark?

All indications are that my Congresswoman will support this bill, but she has not sponsored it.

[Mark F r a n k s]

As far as I can tell so far, neither.

[C. Bowman]

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/42823

alcohol wholesaler PACs have donated $1.78 million to the members of Congress who currently support the bill.

[C. Bowman]

As of this morning 106 Co Sponsors

[Daniel Posner]

Nice, keep em coming, Carrie!

[C. Bowman]

I received a letter back from Diane Feinstein. Even though it hasn't made it to the senate, I wanted to start putting a bug in their ear in case it does. It sounded like she was opposed to this but a little hard to decypher but at least she also sent her phone number should I want to call her in D.C. it didn't sound quite as canned as some of the other responses people have gotten.

[C. Bowman]

http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bil...ntroduced.html
CA is fighting back

[C. Bowman]

For unknown reasons there has been a block put on Stop H.R. 5034 Facebook page making posting new content/updates difficult..
You can go directly to the Facebook page & post comments but for latest developments go directly to

http://www.stophr5034.com/

[David Baghdassarian]

My reps support this bill. I sent them a letter - don't expect a response.

[Daniel Posner]

David

I got the form letter response. I hate politics.

[C. Bowman]

As of yesterday there are now 113 co-sponsors of H.R. 5034.
New co-sponsors:
Rep. King [R-NY3]; Rep. Castor [D-FL11]; Rep. Boccieri [D-OH16]; Rep. Latta [R-OH5]; Rep. Cole [R-OK4];
Rep. Peterson [D-MN7]; Rep. Kosmas [D-FL24]

[Daniel Posner]

Great commentary by Tom Wark

http://fermentation.typepad.com/ferm...on-hr5034.html

[Ty Hockstaff]

Good stuff, I hope to God this doesn't go through...................half my cellar is filled with bottles I have had shipped to me in Oregon!

[C. Bowman]

3 more Reps have signed on as cosponsors, this brings the total to 118

Rothman (NJ-9)
Courtney (CT-2)
Heinrich (NM-1)

If these are your Reps please write them with your opposition

[C. Bowman]

As of June 21 there are 2 additional cosponsors for a total of 121. Please continue to write all your Reps with your opposition. Below is a link with all reps if you are not sure whether yours is a co sponsor or not .

Rep. Daniel Lipinski ( IL -3)
Rep John F Tierney ( Ma-6)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquer...1:HR05034:@@@N