NFCA Needs Your Action

The National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA), June 17, 2008
 
Dear NFCA Members & Friends,
Reporting to you after our recent Assembly, we emphasized that the top priority for the NFCA over the next several months is early ratification of Croatia’s NATO invitation through leadership by the United States.  We now have an opportunity before us to get off to a fast start in this process and it requires your participation. While formal ratification must ultimately pass in the U. S. Senate, an initiative now emerging in the U. S. House of Representatives will make a strong statement in support of a similar “Sense of Congress” resolution, introduced by Senator Voinovich (R-OH),  that passed in the U. S. Senate on May 19, 2008.
Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Ranking Member of the Europe Subcommittee to the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U. S. House of Representatives has just introduced H. Res. 1266  congratulating Croatia and Albania on their recent invitation to join NATO.  This measure is being cosponsored by the Co-chairs of the Congressional Croatian Caucus, Congressmen George Radanovich (R-CA) and Peter Visclosky (D-IN).  In order for this resolution to be brought up to the Foreign Affairs Committee for a chance to move on to a U. S. House vote, it must have 25 cosponsors.  It currently has five.  Congressmen Radanovich and Visclosky are today sending a letter (attached) to the other Members of the Croatian Caucus (list attached) requesting that they join as cosponsors.  This is where you come in.  The NFCA needs you to contact your district U. S. Representative, especially if they are Members of the Croatian Caucus, and request that they support H. Res. 1266 by becoming a cosponsor of the bill.  If your local Representative is not a Member of the Croatian Caucus, ask the Congressman to consider joining now as we need to expand the membership of this effective resource.  You can telephone your Congressman’s local office in your district or in the Member’s Washington DC office, send an e-mail requesting that they support your wishes (all U. S. Congress Members have websites), or send a letter through the postal service which will take longer because of the mail screening process in DC.
I have attached a list of the current Members of the Congressional Croatian Caucus and a copy of the “Dear Colleague” letter from Congressmen Radanovich and Visclosky to assist you in this effort.  I have also attached the text of H. Res. for your information.  Please be diligent in responding to this request as timing is important in this campaign.  Also, please inform the NFCA Headquarters office of the contacts you’ve made so that we can guage our progress.  You can either send an e-mail to NFCAhdq@verizon.net or call 301-208-6650.  There are reasons to believe that this ratification will not be accomplished until next year if we don’t mount an effective effort at this time to get it done now!  Please do your best effort on this important goal of the Republic of Croatia.  Thank you!
Ed Andrus, President / NFCA