searching for congressmen who are serious about microcredit replication

[chris macrae]

Rush Holt NJ >
wrote (3 Dec 08) a bipartisan letter requesting that World Bank President Robert Zoellick expand microfinance efforts. Specifically, my letter, signed by 92 Members of Congress, encourages the World Bank to create a $200 million grant program to reach the very poor with microfinance loans, and to establish regionally-focused Centers of Excellence. The global financial and economic crisis appears to be affecting the world’s poor badly. Increasing the availability of microfinance is one way we can help those most in need, both abroad and here at home as credit remains tight.

[chris macrae]

110TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1801
To award a Congressional Gold...

Muhammad Yunus Congressional Gold Medal Award (H.R.1801, S.903)

• H.R.1801 introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Rep. John R. Carter (R-TX).
• S.903 introduced by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Robert Bennett (R-UT).

What the Muhammad Yunus Congressional Gold Medal Award Would Do:

• It seeks to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and board member of RESULTS, in recognition of his contributions to the fight against global poverty.

• Honoring Dr. Yunus before Congress will:

  • Raise public awareness of the power of microfinance to change lives and help build congressional support;
  • Send a strong signal to the World Bank that the U.S. is committed to microfinance for the very poor and expects the World Bank to do the same.

To cosponsor in the House, please contact Chris Gaston with Rep. Holt (D-NJ) at [phone] or Chris Alsup with Rep. John R. Carter (R-TX) at [phone]

To cosponsor in the Senate, please contact Caitlin Dean with Sen. Durbin (D-IL) at 224-2152 or Nate Graham with Sen. Bennett (R-UT) at 224-5444.

House Cosponsors of H.R.1801 (as of October 20, 2008)

Abercrombie, Neil (D-HI) Andrews, Robert (D-NJ) Baird, Brian (D-WA) Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI) Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) Berman, Howard L.(D-CA) Bishop, Rob (R-UT) Bishop, Timothy H. (D-NY) Blumenauer, Earl (D-OR) Brady, Robert A. (D-PA) Doggett, Lloyd (D-TX) Capps, Lois (D-CA) Capuano, Michael E. (D-CA) Carnahan, Russ (D-MO) Conyers, John, Jr. (D-MI) Crowley, Joseph(D-NY) Cummings, Elijah E. (D-MD) Davis, Danny (D-IL) Davis, Tom (R-VA) DeGette, Diana (D-CO) Ellison, Keith (D-MN) English, Phil (R-PA) Eshoo, Anna G. (D-CA) Etheridge, Bob (D-NC) Farr, Sam (D-CA) Filner, Bob (D-CA) Foster, Bill (D-IL) Giffords, Gabrielle (D-AZ) Gonzalez, Charles (D-TX) Grijalva, Raul (D-AZ)

Hare, Phil (D-IL) Harman, Jane (D-CA) Hastings, Alcee L. (D-FL) Sandlin, Stephanie (D-SD) Jackson-Lee, Sheila (D-TX) Jefferson, William J. (D-LA) Johnson, Eddie Bernice (D-TX) Kaptur, Marcy (D-OH) Lee, Barbara (D-CA) Lewis, John (D-GA) Lewis, Ron (R-KY) Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA) Maloney, Carolyn B. (D-NY) Matheson, Jim (D-UT) McCaul, Michael T. (R-TX) McCollum, Betty (D-MN) McDermott, Jim (D-WA) McGovern, James P. (D-MA) McNerney, Jerry (D-CA) Meeks, Gregory W. (D-NY) Michaud, Michael H.(D-ME) Miller, Brad (D-NC) Moore, Dennis (D-KS) Moran, James P. (D-VA) Oberstar, James L. (D-MN) Pallone, Frank, Jr. (D-NJ) Payne, Donald (D-NJ) Pickering, Charles (R-MS) Rahall, Nick J. (D-WV) Ramstad, Jim (R-MN)

Reichert, David G. (R -WA) Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) Ross, Mike (D-AR) Rothman, Steven R. (D-NJ) Roybal-Allard, Lucille (D-CA) Sanchez, Linda (D-CA) Saxton, Jim (R-NJ) Schakowsky, Janice D. (D-IL) Scott, Robert C. (D-VA) Sessions, Pete (R-TX) Slaughter, Louise (D-NY) Smith, Adam (D-WA) Solis, Hilda L. (D-CA) Spratt, John M. Jr (D-SC) Stark, Fortney Pete (D-CA) Sutton, Betty (D-OH) Tauscher, Ellen O. (D-CA) Thornberry, Mac (R-TX) Tierney, John F. (D-MA) Towns, Edolphus (D-NY) Udall, Mark (D-CO) Visclosky, Peter J. (D-IN) Watson, Diane E. (D-CA) Watt, Melvin L. (D-NC) Weller, Jerry (R-IL) Wexler, Robert (D-FL) Wicker, Roger F. (R-MS) Wolf, Frank (R-VA) Woolsey, Lynn C. (D-CA) Wynn, Albert Russell (D-MD)

Senate Cosponsors of S.903 (as of October 20, 2008)

Akaka, Daniel K.(D-HI) Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) Bayh, Evan (D-IN) Baucus, Max (D-MT) Byrd, Robert C. (D-WV) Biden, Joseph (D-DE) Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) Brownback, Sam (R-KS) Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) Cardin, Benjamin (D-MD) Carper, Thomas R. (D-DE) Casey, Robert (D-PA) Clinton, Hillary Rodham (D-NY) Cochran, Thad (R-MS) Coleman, Norm (R-MN) Conrad, Kent (D-ND) Cornyn, John (R-TX) Craig, Larry E (R-ID) Crapo, Miko (R-ID) Dodd, Chris (D-CT) Domenici, Pete (R-NM)

Dorgan, Byron (D-ND) Enzi, Michael B. (R-WY) Feingold, Russell D. (D-WI) Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) Gregg, Judd (R-NH) Harkin, Tom (D-IA) Hatch, Orrin G. (R-UT) Inhofe, James M. (R-OK) Inouye, Daniel (D-HI) Johnson, Tim (D-SD) Kennedy, Ted (D-MA) Kerry, John F. (D-MA) Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN) Kohl, Herb (D-WI) Landrieu, Mary L. (D-LA) Lautenberg, Frank R. (D-NJ) Leahy, Patrick (D-VT) Levin, Carl (D-MI) Lieberman, Joseph I. (I-CT) Lincoln, Blanche L. (D-AR) Lugar, Richard G. (R-IN) Menendez, Robert (D-NJ)

McCaskill, Claire (D-MO) Mikulski, Barbara A. (D-MD) Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) Murray, Patty (D-WA) Nelson, Ben (D-NE) Nelson, Bill (D-FL) Obama, Barack (D-IL) Pryor, Mark (D-AZ) Reed, Jack (D-RI) Reid, Harry (D-NV) Roberts, Pat (R-KS) Rockefeller, John D. (D-WV) Salazar, Ken (D-CO) Sanders, Bernard (I-VT) Schumer, Charles (D-NY) Smith, Gordon H. (R-OR) Snowe, Olympia (R-ME) Specter, Arlen (R-PA) Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) Tester, Jon (D-MT) Webb, James (D-VA) Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI) Wyden, Ron (D-OR)

 

Note: The lead sponsors are seeking at least two-thirds of Congress as cosponsors of this legislation in order to build support for Dr. Yunus to receive this award.

[chris macrae]

meet obama energy team!