Originally: The Hero Act and its Promise for Haiti’s Future
“The average Haitian lives on less than $400 a year…
I therefore urge you to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation,
and send a powerful message of hope to the people of Haiti.”
MIKE DeWINE
United States Senator for Ohio
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The Hero Act and its Promise for Haiti’s Future
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March 23, 2004
Dear Colleague,
Recent events brought Haiti back into the spotlight, and once again, we
have an opportunity to reach out to the least developed country in the
Western Hemisphere. Yet, the people of Haiti need more than troops from the
United States if they are to escape their cycles of instability. That is
where the Haiti Economic Recovery and Opportunity (HERO) Act can help.
HERO would use trade incentives to encourage the post-Aristide government
to make much needed reforms, while encouraging foreign direct investment,
the most powerful, and yet underutilized, tool of development. HERO’s
provisions are the same as those provided to the least developed countries
in Africa through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA):
– Duty-free entry to apparel articles assembled in Haiti contingent upon
Presidential certification that the new government is making significant
political, economic, and social reforms; and,
– Caps on the amount of duty-free imports at 1.5 percent of the total
amount of U.S. apparel imports, growing to 3.5 percent over seven years.
There is no doubt that Haiti needs this opportunity. The average Haitian
lives on less than $400 a year. Eighty percent of the population lives in
abject poverty, and seventy percent of the population is unemployed.
Haiti’s children suffer the most: Haiti’s infant mortality rate is the
highest in our hemisphere, and one in four children under five are
malnourished. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has also devastated Haiti, creating
over 200,000 orphans. Despite all this, U.S. assistance has reached its
lowest level in over a decade.
In an environment such as this though, foreign assistance is not enough to
grow jobs, promote development, and reverse these dire statistics. Economic
development is the answer, bringing with it lower unemployment, increased
infrastructure development, and spillover effects for the rest of Haiti’s
population. I therefore urge you to co-sponsor this important piece of
legislation, and send a powerful message of hope to the people of Haiti.
To co-sponsor the HERO Act, please contact Kristine Poptanich (4-3878) in
Senator DeWine’s office.
Very respectfully,
MIKE DeWINE
United States Senator for Ohio
http://dewine.senate.gov
http://dewine.senate.gov/contactinfo.htm
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Dear Friend,
I urge you to support the HERO Act, The Haiti Economic Recovery and
Opportunity Act, by all means at your disposal.
The people of Haiti have much to offer the world as partners in
production, and this act enables them to do so, helping them achieve
economic progress through job creation and economic growth in Haiti. They
do not seek charity, they seek to join the global village as productive
citizens in a democratic and peaceful environment.
Your actions in support of this vital legislation can improve the lives
and futures of millions of people.
Please do take a few moments to fax or e-mail your message in support of
The Hero Act to the list of officials below, to media outlets and leaders
in your community. It is a worthwhile and tangible action you can undertake
which promotes a new beginning.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Best Regards,
PromoCapital
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SAMPLE LETTER OF SUPPORT
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Dear Friend,
I urge you to support the HERO Act, The Haiti Economic Recovery and
Opportunity Act, by all means at your disposal.
The people of Haiti have much to offer the world as partners in
production, and this act enables them to do so, helping them achieve
economic progress through job creation and economic progress in Haiti. They
do not seek charity, they seek to join the global village as productive
citizens in a democratic and peaceful environment.
Your actions in support of this vital legislation can improve the lives
and futures of millions of people.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Best Regards
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SAMPLE LIST BELOW OF OFFICIALS WHICH NEED TO RECEIVE YOUR MESSAGE
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Please take initiative to distribute to as many other people as possible
See: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/legbranch/legbranch.html
See: http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/executive/fed.html
See: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
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The Honorable George W. Bush
President
United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500
FAX: 202-456-2461
http://www.whitehouse.gov
president@whitehouse.gov
Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick
United States Trade Representative
600 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20508
FAX: 202-395-4549
http://www.ustr.gov
contactustr@ustr.gov
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-6020
http://grassley.senate.gov
http://grassley.senate.gov/webform.htm
The Honorable Max Baucus
Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee
International Trade Subcommittee
511 Hart Building
2nd & C Streets, NE
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-228-3687
http://baucus.senate.gov
http://baucus.senate.gov/contactmax.html
The Honorable Craig Thomas
Chairman, International Trade Subcommittee
Senate Finance Committee
307 Dirksen Building
1st & C Street, NE
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-1724
http://thomas.senate.gov
http://thomas.senate.gov/html/contact.html
The Honorable Richard G. Lugar
Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
306 Hart Building
2nd & C Streets, NE
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-228-0360
http://lugar.senate.gov
http://lugar.senate.gov/contact_dick_lugar.html
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Ranking Member
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
201 Russell Building
1st & C Streets, NE
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-0139
http://biden.senate.gov
http://biden.senate.gov/contact.html
The Honorable Bill Frist
Senate Majority Leader
461 Dirksen Building
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-228-1264
http://frist.senate.gov
http://frist.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutSenatorFrist.ContactForm
The Honorable Thomas A. Daschle
Senate Minority Leader
509 Hart Senate Office Blding.
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-6603
http://daschle.senate.gov
http://daschle.senate.gov/webform.html
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Whip
361-A Russell Senate Office Blding.
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-2499
http://mcconnell.senate.gov
http://mcconnell.senate.gov/dcoffice.htm
senator@mcconnell.senate.gov
The Honorable Harry Reid
Minority Whip
528 Hart Senate Office Blding
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-7327
http://reid.senate.gov
http://reid.senate.gov/email_form.cfm
The Honorable Jon L. Kyl
Chairman, Republican Policy Committee
730 Hart Senate Office Blding.
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-2207
http://kyl.senate.gov
http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm
The Honorable Byron L. Dorgan
Democratic Policy Committee Chair
713 Hart Senate Office Blding.
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-1193
http://dorgan.senate.gov
http://dorgan.senate.gov/contactme/contact.cfm
The Honorable Henry J. Hyde
Chairman, House International Relations Committee
2110 Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol St., SW
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-1166
http://www.house.gov/hyde/
http://www.house.gov/hyde/ContactMe.htm
The Honorable Tom Lantos
Ranking Member
House International Relations Committee
2413 Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol St., SW
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-226-9789
http://www.house.gov/lantos/
http://www.house.gov/lantos/contact.html
The Honorable Tom DeLay
House Majority Leader
242 Cannon House Office Building
1st St. & Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-5241
http://tomdelay.house.gov/
http://tomdelay.house.gov/contactme.htm
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
House Minority Leader
2371 Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol St., SW
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-8259
http://www.house.gov/pelosi/
http://www.house.gov/pelosi/contact/contact.html
The Honorable Roy Blunt
Majority Whip
217 Cannon House Office Building
1st St. & Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-5604
http://www.blunt.house.gov
http://www.blunt.house.gov/ContactRoy.asp
The Honorable Steny H. Hoyer
Minority Whip
1705 Longworth House Office Building
Independence and New Jersey Aves., SE
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-4300
http://www.hoyer.house.gov
http://www.hoyer.house.gov/feedback.cfm
The Honorable Deborah Pryce
Republican Conference Chair
221 Cannon House Office Building
1st St. & Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-3529
http://www.house.gov/pryce/
http://www.house.gov/pryce/contact.htm
The Honorable Robert Menendez
Democratic Caucus Chair
2238 Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol St., SW
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-226-0792
http://menendez.house.gov
http://menendez.house.gov/talk/
The Honorable William M. Thomas
Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee
2208 Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol St., SW
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-8798
http://billthomas.house.gov
http://billthomas.house.gov/contact.asp
The Honorable Charles B. Rangel
Ranking Member, House Ways and Means Committee
United States House of Representatives
2354 Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol St., SW
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-0816
http://rangel.house.gov
http://rangel.house.gov/contact.shtml
The Honorable Philip M. Crane
Chairman, House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee
233 Cannon House Office Building
1st St. & Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-225-7830
http://www.house.gov/crane/
http://www.house.gov/crane/contact.htm
The Honorable Sander M. Levin
Ranking Member
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee
2300 Rayburn House Office Building
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol St., SW
Washington, DC 20515
FAX: 202-226-1033
http://www.house.gov/levin/
http://www.house.gov/levin/contact.html
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PromoCapital
The Haitian-American Investment Bank
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The mission of this financial institution is to bring together a team of
experienced, competent, Haitian and Haitian-American leaders with the
practical skills, know-how, and resources to create an investment
infrastructure with global horizons and limitless potential to contribute
to the future welfare of our community in Haiti and in America, while at
the same time providing socially responsive investors with equitable
returns and benefits… An institution which promotes financial
independence, autonomy and security for Haitians and Haitian-Americans.
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PromoCapital
Global Horizons & Limitless Potential
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PromoCapital HAITI
111 Rue Faubert
Petionville, Haiti
Telephone: (509) 256-5777
Fax: (509) 256-5779
promocapital@promointer.net
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PromoCapital USA
2875 North East 191st Street, Suite 903
Aventura, FL 33180
Phone: (305) 792-4650, (954) 326-1847
Fax: (954) 385-3592, (626) 608-3594
promocapital@promointer.net
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