Paul Davis: Africa Growth and Opportunity Act ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

I just saw this from Paul Davis.  Does anyone have additional info about
the mark-up? jamie

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Subject: Africa Growth and Opportunity Act ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT
     Date:  Thu, 10 Jun 1999 14:06:38 -0400 (EDT)
    From: "P. Davis" <pdavis@CritPath.Org>
 Reply-To: aidsact@CritPath.Org
      To: Multiple recipients of list <aidsact@CritPath.Org>

The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, or, the AIDS Growth and
Opportunistic Infections Act (AGOA) has reappeared from the dustpile and
is being "marked up" (put into shape for floor votes) in the House Ways
and Means Committee today.

Broad coalitions of activists handed the bill a serious setback last month
with sign on letters, lobby visits, and a thousand person demonstration
and civil disobedience at PhRMA - the _real_ sponsor of this bill. The
bill seemed derailed, but is now being quietly fast tracked by the
Clinton/Gore Administration. The bill may hit the house floor in two
weeks. The bill has bipartisan support _and_ opposition.

AGOA would reduce spending on health and education in developing nations
in Africa, leading to more AIDS deaths. 

AGOA does not protect nations manufacturing generic versions of critical
medications from trade sanctions. AGOA does not restore funding to
international health programs. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s HOPE for Africa Act
does.

AGOA only increases suffering and death in Africa by requiring that
nations comply with IMF-style development policies that increase
starvation, infant mortality rates, and AIDS. In exchange for complying
with these onerous restrictions, garment manufacturers running sweat shops
in Sub-Saharan nations will receive trade preferences that destabilize the
U.S. textile industry. African residents will not benefit from the alleged
bonuses. Most of the increased trade dollars will leave the original
country--after local governments take their piece.

The HOPE for Africa Act would stop the U.S. from punishing nations like
South Africa for its efforts to manufacture DDI, AZT, or other inexpensive
to manufacture drugs. 
The cost in lives is millions.

Please call your house member and ask them to vote against the Africa
Growth and Opportunities Act. Ask them instead to support the HOPE for
Africa Act, but to OPPOSE AGOA. (Tell them that signing on to the HOPE Act
but voting for the AIDS Growth in Africa Act is _not_ okay.)

CALL The Congressional Switchboard and ask to be hooked up with your
Representative. If you do not know who you congressperson is, give the
switchboard operator your address or zip code and they can connect you.

Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Please try to make calls and get others to call from now until Friday next
week. Its okay to call more than once.

Please print this message and copy it and give it to your friends,
coworkers, and support group members. Ask them if they could make the
call.


Paul Davis
ACT UP Philadelphia
pdavis@critpath.org
215.731.1844 Voice
215.731.1845 Fax


-- 
James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology
I can be reached at love@cptech.org, by telephone 202.387.8030,
by fax at 202.234.5176. CPT web page is http://www.cptech.org