Through the newly created FEI Grassroots system -- which can be accessed by clicking here – members can target the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as the Obama Administration, by sending pre-written letters that have been uploaded by FEI staff.
The tax extenders provisions are currently being debated in the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means – the committee with jurisdiction over taxation, and will likely be finalized, i.e. marked up and reported out of committee, this week.
We are encouraging the FEI members who are in the districts of Ways and Means Committee members to send a letter through the FEI Grassroots system. If you are unsure if you are included in this list, we will be sending a reminder at 9am today to your inbox. It will take no more than one minute, and you will help us make a major impact.
We are excited to rollout the FEI Grassroots initiative that will allow senior financial executives to effortlessly impact legislative matters in Washington, D.C. The new system utilizes a software vendor package called Voter Voice which provides a one-stop portal on FEI’s website that will allow you to weigh in on the key issues that are impacting your business.
FEI staff is on Capitol Hill weekly to engage members of Congress, the Obama Administration, and regulatory officials on issues of importance to our membership. FEI Grassroots will allow FEI members to go to one location to send out letters on various legislative issues. You can either click the send button to send the letter as is or you can add content or change the letter to your liking. We are encouraging the second option since it will personalize the letter in order to enhance its impact on the elected leader reading it.
An interesting component of FEI Grassroots is the ability to directly target specific committees on Capitol Hill. This micro-targeting will allow FEI to impact legislation in its initial stages when changes are more easily adopted. Yesterday, those of you who reside in districts with Representatives on the House Ways and Means Committee received our first legislative campaign alert on the issue of tax extenders.
As the bill moves to the House floor (expected in May), future campaigns to secure a majority vote will involve all FEI members. As you can see, the system is flexible enough to adapt to changing legislative circumstances.
In the coming weeks and months, you will be receiving legislative alerts from FEI that will ask you to contact your elected leaders in Washington. While we understand that not all topics will be of interest to all members, we are encouraging you to read these alerts and if they affect your company – please participate. The more members who do participate, the larger our impact will be. FEI has a unique and exceptional membership. It is time we let Washington know it.