To: Militarism & Asia Region Advocates
From: Valerie Ong, Legislative Fellow
Date: January 2, 2008
Re: A Victory! Ban Included in Omnibus Appropriations Act

Good news! The language in the Omnibus Appropriations Act passed by Congress at the end of December prohibits the U.S. government from issuing any arms export licenses or providing any military aid for cluster munitions during the 2008 fiscal year.

The law requires the importer to sign a statement before export could take place, agreeing that they will not use cluster munitions in civilian areas. However, the law does not prevent U.S. forces from using high dud rate cluster bombs in civilian populated areas and it is also temporary, set to expire in October 2008, at the end of the fiscal year.

Because of this, it is still important to encourage your Congressperson to support the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.594/HR1755). Thank you for your participation in November’s call in day. Following that, Senators Ben Cardin (MD), John Kerry (MA), Ron Wyden (OR), Bob Casey (PA) and Representatives Sam Far (CA) and David Price (NC) have agreed to co-sponsor the legislation.

Visits, e-mails, phone calls, faxes and letters are all good ways to contact your legislators. E-mails, phone calls and faxes are good for time-sensitive issues. Postal mail travels slowly in the Capitol, but letters have long-term impact. Be sure to include your mailing address in all correspondence to confirm your residency in a particular district and state.

We would be grateful for copies of your correspondence and any responses you receive! Please send them to