Bill Details and Resources for Organizations and Activist Leaders

Dear Friends and Allies,

As you may already know, President Bush signed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Acto of 2007 into law on December 31, 2007. Click here to see the press release from the signing: Save Darfur Calls on President Bush to Vigorously Enforce Sudan Divestment Bill.  

Activists around the country worked together to get this bill signed. Now we have to work together to make sure it is implemented. After all the passion, energy, time and strategic advocacy of the past year, we need this bill to have real world impact beyond its mere existence on paper. We want this bill to impact the Government of Sudan.

As you may know, the president issued a signing statement when he signed SADA. In that statement, the president implied that he might not fully and vigorously implement SADA.

We are working with Congress to pressure the administration for full and complete implementation, and we will continue to update you with opportunities to take action. There was a hearing on the SADA signing statement in the House Committee on Financial Services chaired by Barney Frank (D-MA) on February 8, 10:00 a.m. EST. Save Darfur Coalition’s new Executive Director, Jerry Fowler, testied at the hearing along with constitutional scholars and other expert witnesses.

It is important that we all keep a watchful eye on the implementation process. Encourage your members to sign the petition to the Administration and the Federal Acquisition Regulation demanding swift and full implementation. Thank you to all the groups that signed a coalition letter to the Office of Business Administration to encourage full implementation.

Best,

 

Sarah

Sarah Grundahl

Divest for Darfur Campaign Manager

Save Darfur Coalition

 

Please see the related press releases:

DARFUR ACTIVISTS ENCOURAGED BY PRESIDENT SIGNING DIVESTMENT BILL, URGE 'VIGOROUS ENFORCEMENT'.  

DARFUR ACTIVISTS APPLAUD SENATE PASSAGE OF DIVESTMENT LEGISLATION.

DARFUR DIVESTMENT BILL PASSES HOUSE AND SENATE, MEASURE CLEARED FOR WHITE HOUSE ACTION.   

 

Bill Name:  Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007, S.2271

Current Status: SADA was signed by President Bush on December 31, 2007.

Summary of Bill: Powerful bill that protects states' rights to divest, requires companies to certify business practices in Sudan as genocide-free, prevents US government contracts with high offending companies, and allows states and local governments to prohibit  future contracts with such companies.

Thanks to grassroots pressure out of Nebraska, Kentucky, Alabama and South Carolina every hold was released and the bill passed the unanimous Senate hotline process and the House of Representatives! Thanks to nationwide phone calls, the bill was signed into law on December 31, 2007!

Other resources:

Check out the Library of Congress online catalog for the text of the bill and other details.

Click here to see the letter that was sent to support HR 180 in the House.

Also:  

  • Find My Member of Congress
  • Lobby Meeting Planning Guide (PDF)
  • How to Run Your Lobby Meeting (PDF)
  • One Page Fact Sheet on the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (PDF)
  • Darfur scores

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