Following the hearing, C2 began making the rounds to representatives’ offices to thank them for attending and encouraging them to sign on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 4888. We started off with Rep. DeFazio (D-OR), an important committee member, who we thanked for asking the Forest Service probing questions, trying to understand the details of how the cabin program is managed and justification of the agency’s cost estimates.

In addition we met with Rep. Dicks (D-WA),  Inslee (D-WA) and Schrader (D-OR). Then we moved on to the Senate side to discuss strategy of a companion bill, to answer any remaining questions and address the scoring (budget impact) issue. Senate office visits included Wyden, (D-OR), Murray (D-WA), Tester (D-MT), Cantwell (D-WA) and freshman Senator Merkley (D-OR).

Additional meetings were held with the majority and minority staff of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The committee staff instructs us on legislation waiting in the pipeline to go before committee, providing insight on timing and strategy on moving the Cabin Fee Act during this congressional session. All points are weighed as we consider the Senate companion bill, Senate co-sponsors and iron out the intricacies of the revenue and administration of the Cabin Fee Act with the Forest Service.

Even among ourselves, the C2 members in D.C. and our lobbyists, we’re creating strategy and talking points as we hike from the Senate side to the House side of Capital Hill. The C2 group splits up when necessary, now knowing many of the staffers and who they want to hear from, whether we’ve met with them before, and so forth. We don’t gain anything by packing their offices and presenting too much information. We have to listen, determine what they know or don’t know, and inform appropriately. Every meeting is different than the last, each staffer has new questions and even opinions about the cabin program. And C2 has to make the most of the 30 minutes scheduled for each meeting. Always there are some that go so well we leave excited, and some where we leave disappointed, wondering how we convey to them the importance of the Cabin Fee Act.

We heard time and again that these Senators and Representatives are hearing from their cabin owner constituents! C2 thanks you for remaining informed and continuing to write, email or call when C2 requests your help. Additionally, if you would like to write a letter to be included in the public record for H.R. 4888, send it via email to emily.lande@mail.house.gov.

If you would like to listen to the audio of the hearing or read the text, click on: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=54&extmode=view&extid=347

It is extraordinarily relaxing to return home. I have to say, D.C. functions at a breakneck pace, wearing out even the heartiest cabin owner. For non-politicos such as myself and the other C2 members, D.C. is exhausting. By the time I board the flight home I just want to go to the cabin for some down time! If only the snow would melt so I can get there.

Sharon

Optimistic. Relieved. And tired. That about says it for today. Every C2 member in D.C. is in full-crash mode, worn out from a high-energy day, optimistic for the future of H.R. 4888, relieved the hearing has successfully concluded and tired from the preparation and delivery of our testimony.

It has been a non-stop day with the hearing lasting two hours this morning, the Forest Service presenting first. This was followed with almost an hour of questions to the Forest Service from the ten attending committee members including Chairman Grijalva (AZ), Rep. Hastings (WA), Rep. Costa (CA), Rep. Bishop (UT), Rep. McClintock (CA), Rep. Lummis (WY), Rep. Inslee (WA), Rep. DeFazio (OR), Rep. Kildee (MI) and Rep. Napolitano (CA). Next the four C2 witnesses presented and each were asked followup questions on the Cabin Fee Act. The concluding question was directed to Maureen, asking for details of what it costs the Barile family to keep their cabin beyond the expense of the permit fee. She provided an excellent summary including the county and state taxes on the cabin, maintenance requirements in the high Sierra and the expense of buying bear-proof boxes to meet Forest Service garbage disposal recommendations.

Overall the Representatives were attentive and prepared, asking probing questions of Forest Service Deputy Chief Joel Holtrop. Questions to the Forest Service ran the gamut of attempting to understand how private land ownership compares to permitted lots, the costs of administering the cabin program and the anticipated revenue from the CUFFA appraisals.

A big thank you is deserved by the four C2 witnesses: Geoff Anderson, Dick Almy, Pete Bailey and Maureen did an excellent job. We can be proud that these fine people have done their very best for all cabin owners.

One shining moment was when Maureen’s family was acknowledged and her grandson, Thomas (16 years old), was asked to stand and was complimented on his volunteer work at the historic museum operated by the Huntington Lake tract in California. It is in these brief glimpses of cabin owners that our Representatives recognize and understand the value the cabin program brings to generations of families.

Our meetings with co-sponsors continue all day tomorrow on Capitol Hill. I’ll not have a chance to blog tomorrow due to my flight home but I do plan to blog over the weekend with a summary of the various meetings and how C2 continues to need your help.

Thanks for staying engaged!

Sharon

Wednesday – April 21, 2010 – The LAST day of preparation….

All C2 hearing participants, along with our lobbyists Aubrey King and Heath Heikkila, met for breakfast to review the specifics of the final day of preparation. Joining us this morning were Maureen Barile, the fourth witness, with her son Paul, daughter-in-law Kim, and grandson Thomas, who have a cabin at Huntington Lake in the Sierra National Forest in California. Maureen has graciously accepted the daunting task of presenting her personal cabin story as our ’sympathy’ witness. Her testimony is the story that shares experiences similar to each USFS cabin owner that will grab the hearts of the subcommittee members.

Today’s focus was on the practice session where each of the four witnesses practiced together for the final run through, delivering their many-times-revised-and-practiced oral testimonies. A little last minute revising occurred to trim each oral to fit within the five minute requirement but at the same time, not talk too fast. The key is presenting valued content, delivered at the right speed and not exceed the five minutes. Not an easy task! This was followed by a practice question and answer session, anticipating the types of questions the members of the subcommittee may ask of our four C2 witnesses.

As formal and organized as these preparations might sound, there were many facets to today’s activities. Following breakfast we met with Jim Streeter, Minority Staff Director for the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, to review every possible detail about tomorrow’s hearing. A practice room had to be located; files were needed to print charts, necessitating a quick dash back to the hotel to obtain the latest files from a computer; notebooks finalized containing all the hearing documentation for the bill co-sponsors and committee’s Chairman Grijalva; a quick check on the hearing room location and so forth.

The Capitol Hill portion of the day wrapped up with a short meeting with co-sponsor Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) to thank him for his support and answer any questions he might have before the hearing. This evening we’ve made final updates to the testimony and printed fresh copies, talked through confusing answers to anticipated questions, and ate take-out to keep life simple. The C2 witnesses are now resting up for their and YOUR big day, presenting a solution to the CUFFA problem.

Stay tuned…. More from D.C. tomorrow evening.

Sharon

The hearing C2 has been waiting for is scheduled for April 22, 2010. It will be held before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee. It will likely be held in the morning and will last approximately an hour, perhaps slightly longer. More information will be provided as soon as the details are available.

Sharon Karr

Greetings All,

I was just informed that the Cabin Fee Act of 2010 (CFA) was introduced late Friday afternoon and that it has been assigned to the House Committee on Natural Resources. The bill number is H.R.4888.

Here in the middle of Health Care overload our persistence has finally been rewarded.

H.R.4888
Title: To revise the Forest Service Recreation Residence Program as it applies to units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain by implementing a simple, equitable, and predictable procedure for determining cabin user fees, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Hastings, Doc [WA-4] (introduced 3/19/2010) Cosponsors (11)
Latest Major Action: 3/19/2010 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
COSPONSORS(11), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date)
Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] – 3/19/2010
Rep Chaffetz, Jason [UT-3] – 3/19/2010
Rep Costa, Jim [CA-20] – 3/19/2010
Rep Herger, Wally [CA-2] – 3/19/2010
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] – 3/19/2010
Rep McClintock, Tom [CA-4] – 3/19/2010
Rep McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [WA-5] – 3/19/2010
Rep Nunes, Devin [CA-21] – 3/19/2010
Rep Radanovich, George [CA-19] – 3/19/2010
Rep Rehberg, Denny R. [MT] – 3/19/2010
Rep Simpson, Michael K. [ID-2] – 3/19/2010

If any of the above folks are in your state or Congressional District please consider sending an email or fax thank you to them for their support.

We will be asking everyone to re-engage their Congressperson. We will need as many additional co-sponsors as possible, with an emphasize on the Democrats. We will be contacting everyone early next week with our plan for soliciting more co-sponsors. Your efforts in your local districts will be the difference in our success or not. Critical mass comes from your involvement. I’ll be back to you shortly.

Thanks for your support.

Pete
Peter D. Bailey
NFH Director & C2 Legislative Contact chair
253-383-2388 Home Office
253-312-0777 Cell

Greetings All,

Following the announcement from Congressman Doc Hastings that he would be introducing the CFA, you have heard little more.  Here’s the scoop.  The introduction of the CFA has not taken place, yet.  The delay is due to concerns about which committee the Bill would be assigned to.  We have been focused on the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Park, Forests and Public Lands.  Mr. Jim Streeter, who is working for Cong. Doc Hastings and is the minority Staff Director for the Natural Resources Committee, believes that the bill, as written, would probably be referred instead to the Agriculture Committee and then assigned to a sub-committee that has few members representing cabin states.  We are concerned that this subcommittee’s interest level in our concerns would be less than with the Forests Subcommittee.  Therefore, we have made a few slight changes that we hope will encourage the House Parliamentarian, who refers all bills to designated committees, to send the CFA to Natural Resources.  None of the substance of the bill will be changed, only that we are suggesting a study to include Bureau of Reclamation cabins and targeting cabins on the Forest Reserves because the Natural Resources Committee has that jurisdiction.  These are minor technical and/or temporary revisions to the bill that we hope will influence the assignment in our favor.

A tentative hearing date was set for February 25.  However, with the question about committee assignments and the total shutdown in DC due to record snow and the Congressional recess (just like in grade school) planned for next week, we believe there will be a change in that date.  Regardless, C2 has been pressing ahead with planning and organizing for that hearing date.  Testimony is being written, supporting documents are being finalized and organized and potential witnesses are being identified.  We are doing our best to present a clear, concise picture of the problem to Congress and present a solid defensible solution in the CFA.

I’ll update everyone just as soon as we get the word from Aubrey about the bill introduction and committee assignments. In the meantime, you can be preparing your next appeal to your Congressmen and women to support and co-sponsor the CFA.  Wishing all well.

Peter D. Bailey

NFH Director & C2 Legislative Contact chair

Greetings All,

Yesterday at 10:00 am in Yakima, Washington in the presence of over 25 cabins owners, Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA) held a press conference and announced that he will introduce new cabin fee legislation, called the ‘Cabin Fee Act of 2010′ (CFA), in the House of Representatives next week. This legislation is designed to replace the Cabin User Fee Fairness Act of 2000 (CUFFA).  The Press Release announcing this introduction is available at www.nationalforesthomeowners.org.

Please distribute this Press Release to all cabin owners on your distribution lists.  We have been asked to encourage sharing this document with your local newspapers.  Cong. Hastings welcomes broad distribution of this Press Release.  Please Help.  Also, share this immediately with your Representative and Senator to keep them informed.

Next week, following formal introduction in the House and the assignment of a bill number, cabin owners everywhere will be asked to contact their Representative (again) encouraging them to join Cong. Hastings in co-sponsoring this legislation.  It is especially important that we get both Democratic and Republican Representatives to make this a bipartisan bill.  This is an important time.  Your state and tract level efforts and follow through will be critical to our ultimate success.  Also, this may not be the last time we request your support in contacting your Representatives and Senators.  Please do your part.

I’ll be contacting everyone again next week once the bill is formally introduced.  Again, to all, Thank You for every effort made.  We share the burden and the results.

Pete Bailey
C2 Legislative Contact Committee Chair

As of Dec. 17, 2009 – C2 has made measurable progress as we near the end of 2009. Our search for a bill sponsor in the House is proceeding well. We are seeking both a Democrat and a Republican as lead sponsors and success is near. C2 hopes to announce the sponsors for the legislation soon after the holiday break.  Legislative Drafting is now writing the actual legislation. We do not expect it to differ from what C2 has already proposed. After Cabin Coalition 2 reviews this official draft, we expect the legislation to be formally introduced in the House in January.  We will then have a bill number and the draft legislation will be available for review.

C2 will be seeking a high level of support from you. We want to find and encourage as many additional co-sponsors of the legislation as we can. The more sponsors the better. This will be the next big push C2 will need from all cabin owners. C2 will let you know who to contact in January 2010.

Happy New Year,

Sharon Karr

The last two months have been busy for Coalition 2 members. September saw a visit to Washington, D.C. by a Coalition delegation that met with the Forest Service and 17 select House and Senate committee representatives. During this visit the Senate passed the Tester Amendment which imposed a one year moratorium on fee increases in 2010. The matter was referred to the House.
In October, a joint House-Senate Conference Committee included a similar amendment in the Interior Appropriations Bill which set a limit on fee increases for 2010 at 25%. This was passed by Congress and the bill was signed into law by the President.
In early November, the Coalition drafted a proposed statute and legislative summary which sets forth the “user fee/transfer fee” method, the fee reform proposal previously posted and discussed in detail by Coalition spokesmen at the NFH Sacramento Forum. These have been forwarded to our NFH Washington Representative Aubrey King who is discussing them with prospective sponsors in Congress. Once a sponsor steps forward, and the bill is introduced, we will publish it here.

The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (H.R. 2996) was signed into law by President Obama on October 30,2009. It is now P.L. 111-88. The moratorium on 2010 cabin user fee increases greater than 25% more than 2009 fees is found in Section 433.