Including weekly top bills, top comments, product announcements
For those wondering what would follow the record-breaking week of internet advocacy around SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act):
The issue that brought the most activity in messages to Congress this week on POPVOX was the “Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act.” H.R. 3359, pitting animal rights advocates against those who work with animals in traveling shows.
While H.R. 3359 moved fewer people than the over 10,000 who weighed in last week on SOPA using POPVOX, its opponents and proponents demonstrated similar passion. From January 20 to January 27, nearly 700 people weighed in on the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, 54% in support, 46% in opposition. While messages came in from constituents in every state and nearly every Congressional district, the most active was that of Vern Buchanan (R, FL-13), with thirty-six people weighing in (14% supported and 86% opposed).
The bill is pending in the House Agriculture Committee, chaired by Representative Frank Lucas (R, OK-3). Three constituents from Mr. Lucas’ district opposed the bill. None weighed in from the district of Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN, 7).
The Top Five Trending Bills on POPVOX for the week of January 20 are:
1. H.R. 3359: Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act from Rep. James Moran [D, VA-8].
1330 TOTAL, 678 for the week (53% support, 47% oppose)
2. H.R. 3814: To prohibit the Department of Justice from tracking and cataloguing the purchases of multiple rifles and shotguns, from Rep. Justin Amash [R, MI-3].
595 TOTAL, 571 for the week (75% support, 47% oppose)
3. H.R. 3594: Second Amendment Protection Act of 2011, from Rep. Joe Walsh [R, IL-8].
611 TOTAL, 596 for the week (89% support, 11% oppose)
4. S. 1973: A bill to prevent gun trafficking in the United States, from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D, NY].
421 TOTAL, 400 for the week(29% support, 71% oppose)
5. H.R. 3261: Stop Online Piracy Act from Rep. Lamar Smith [R, TX-21]
14,720 TOTAL, 383 for the week (3% support, 97% oppose)
Looking forward to participating in “Better Activism Day” on January 18 hosted by Clay Johnson .
From the announcement:
[I]n honor of the blackouts on the 18th, I’m holding a “Better Activism Day” with my friends at O’Reilly and PopVox — a livestream of experts, most of the day, who will talk about how to improve your power in Washington from people who’ve been successful at moving it. It’s time we started getting some of the inside-the-beltway expertise outside of Washington.
“one of the most dangerous problems we have in America is the disconnect between how people think Congress works, and how Congress actually works.”
We just received the following press release issued by Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Darrell Issa. We can’t find the link up yet online, so given the interest in this bill by POPVOX users, we are posting here. See links below to weigh in on the bills mentioned in the release.
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 01:16 AM
Subject: Press Release — SOPA Not Headed to House Floor, OGR hearing postponed
Issa: Flawed SOPA Bill Not Headed to House Floor
OGR hearing planned for Wednesday postponed following assurances, removal of DNS provisions
Washington, DC – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today announced that a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, which was to examine the impact of Domain Name Service (DNS) and search engine blocking on the Internet, has been postponed following assurances that anti-piracy legislation will not move to the House floor this Congress without a consensus.
“While I remain concerned about Senate action on the Protect IP Act, I am confident that flawed legislation will not be taken up by this House. Majority Leader Cantor has assured me that we will continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus prior to anyanti-piracy legislation coming before the House for a vote,” said Chairman Issa. “The voice of the Internet community has been heard. Much more education for Members of Congress about the workings of the Internet is essential if anti-piracy legislation is to be workable and achieve broad appeal.”
“Earlier tonight, Chairman Smith announced that he will remove the DNS blocking provision from his legislation. Although SOPA, despite the removal of this provision, is still a fundamentally flawed bill, I have decided that postponing the scheduled hearing on DNS blocking with technical experts is the best course of action at this time. Right now, the focus of protecting the Internet needs to be on the Senate where Majority Leader Reid has announced his intention to try to move similar legislation in less than two weeks.”
Chairman Issa intends to continue to push for Congress to heed the advice of Internet experts on anti-piracy legislation and to push for the consideration and passage of the bipartisan OPEN Act, which provides an alternative means for protecting intellectual property rights without undermining the structure and entrepreneurialism of the Internet. Learn more about Rep. Issa and Sen. Ron Wyden’s alternative the OPEN Act at www.keepthewebopen.com
###
The PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) S. 968: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011
S. 2029: Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN Act)
Given that H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, was the most active bill on POPVOX this week, we decided to crunch some numbers related to the committee of jurisdiction on the bill. The House Judiciary Committee is currently considering the bill in a “mark-up”, which began in December and is set to resume next week when Congress returns.
Below is a chart of the input that Judiciary Committee members have received from their constituents through the POPVOX system.
A few observations:
-
Every committee Member has received messages from their constituents regarding SOPA using POPVOX.
-
Sentiment in every district is majority opposition (of sentiment registered on POPVOX.)
As we always emphasize, POPVOX is not a poll. It is simply a sample of what Congress is hearing from constituents. The messages that are counted on POPVOX have been received by these Members through their official correspondence systems. (See: How We Deliver Messages). POPVOX brings transparency, efficiency, and accountability to that system.
FRIDAY UPDATE: The Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), better known as “SOPA” provoked the most messages to Congress in the second week of 2012 on POPVOX.
From January 7 to January 13, over 850 people sent a message to their Congressperson regarding SOPA, bringing the total on POPVOX to just over 6,000 with 98% opposing the bill. Messages came from users in every Congressional district.
If you plan to join the Anti-SOPA Blackout on January 18, you can turn your website or blog into an online action center by using free widgets from POPVOX. The POPVOX Write Congress widget lets your visitors send a message to their member of Congress without leaving your site. A POPVOX Comment stream widget streams comments directly on your site so you can see what others are saying. Or just pick up a POPVOX “button” to link to the bill action page and show a real-time POPVOX sentiment tally.
POPVOX widgets are customizable for any bill, any position. So whether it is SOPA, PIPA, NDAA, or any other abbreviation… just pick up the code, and build your movement.
As we head into the New Hampshire primary week, here’s a look at what New Hampshire constituents shared with their Representatives and Senators in 2011 (and the first week of 2012.)
Notably, the bills that most divided the nation produced a similar split in New Hampshire:
- 58% of those weighing in from New Hampshire supported the bill to repeal health reform: “H.R. 2: Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law”, compared to 59% of those weighing in nationally.
- 58% of input from New Hampshire supported the President’s American Jobs Act (S. 1549), compared to 67% nationally.
New Hampshire closely with tracked the nation on bills that have either been in the news or saw intense grassroots outreach:
- Just as in the first caucus state of Iowa, New Hampshire were overwhelmingly against allowing robocalls to cell phone, with 100% of those weighing in on POPVOX opposing H.R. 3035, the Mobile Informational Call Act. (99% opposed nationally.) Due to the outpouring of constituent protests, the bill was pronounced dead by its sponsor on December 17.
- The “Live free or die”” state is 100% opposed to H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), based on input provided to Congress using POPVOX. (98% oppose nationally.)
- All weighing in from New Hampshire on H.R. 2306 supported ending the federal prohibition of marijuana. The bill would remove marijuana from the Schedule 1 list of federal controlled substances. (91% support the bill nationally).
- The fourth most popular bill in New Hampshire is S. 1176, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which ranked #13 on the POPVOX list of top bills of 2011. Ninety-six percent of those weighing in from New Hampshire support the bill, compared to 76% nationally.
- Ninety-two percent of those weighing in from New Hampshire oppose H.R. 835, the “PUPS” Act, which introduces new regulations on puppy breeders, compared to 76% nationally.
- The National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 822), which passed the House on November 16, 2011, received 87.5% support from those weighing in from New Hampshire, compared to 77% nationally.
- New Hampshire strongly supported ensuring that the military is paid even in case of a government shutdown, with 100% in favor of S. 724 the Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act. (95% support nationally.)
The 10 Million Solar Roofs Act, S. 1108, ranked 16th nationally and #10 in New Hampshire. The bill was supported by 93% of constituents weighing in from New Hampshire, with 76% support nationally.
POPVOX Weekly Update: Opponents of “PUPS” bill most active this week
Bill regulating dog breeders provokes most messages to Congress
The Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act (H.R. 835), introduced by Representative Jim Gerlach, provoked the most messages to Congress in the first week of 2012 on POPVOX.
From December 31-January 6, over 1,400 people sent a message to their Congressperson regarding the PUPS bill, 80% were opposed to the bill and 20% in favor.
Several small dog groups from across the country posted statements of opposition to the bill, which they view as adversely affecting small breeders. The California Federation of Dog Clubs wrote that “the bill would have a chilling effect on dog breeding in the US. It would force many ethical breeders to abandon their hobby, and shut down larger hobby kennels immediately.”
Organizations opposed to the PUPS Act include the Alabama Canine Coalition, Inc., American Herding Breed Association, Bull Terrier Club of America, California Federation of Dog Clubs, California Responsible Pet Owners’ Coalition, Federation of Maine Dog Clubs, Inc., Minnesota Cat and Dog Council, Mississippi Canine Coalition, Inc., Missouri Federation of Animal Owners, Inc., Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance (SAOVA), and United States Working Dog Foundation.
The PUPS Act is supported by The Humane Society of the United States and Iowa Voters for Companion Animals. According to the HSUS, the bill “will ensure more humane treatment of dogs by closing the Internet loophole in AWA and requiring dogs at USDA-licensed facilities to be given the opportunity to exercise outside their primary enclosures.”
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, H.R. 835 amends the Animal Welfare Act’s definition of a “high volume retail breeder” as someone who sells more than 50 puppies for use as pets in a year. The bill requires new USDA rules on daily exercise for dogs at facilities owned or operated by a dealer.
The second most active bill on POPVOX from December 31-January 6 was the H.R. 3621, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Over 750 people weighed in on that bill over the week, adding to a total that is now well over 5,000. 98% oppose SOPA, while 2% support.
