Dear Colleagues: It won't do us much good to write a letter to Senators
anywhere that demonstrates a lack of understanding about parliamentary
procedures in the Congress. Appropriations bills must, by constitution,
originate in the House; no appropriation for anything can be killed by a
vote in one body only. Any vote to kill appropriations by the Senate for
funds appropriated by the House would have to go to conference. The
hearing issue isn't really the issue, at least in the Senate, where there
is no germaneness rule and any amendment regarding NEH can be tacked on
to any bill on any subject. If you are going to write to your
representative or senator, you should tell him/her that you understand
that efforts will be made during this year to kill NEH. That you want
their commitment to vote for the continuation of NEH at whatever
appropriation level is possible. If the letter is worded in this way, a
reply will have to speak directly to their support or lack of support for
NEH rather than their position on a hearing. Let's try to make our
efforts as credible as possible. Yours for the NEH, Gail Paster