A Message from Peter Bailey ~ NFH Director & C2 Legislative Contact Chair

It was a full three days in DC, but the results have been very worthwhile! In addition to preparations and a successful Hearing, we made 11 Congressional office visits Thursday afternoon and Friday.

The Hearing was very well attended with 10 Representatives making appearances. This was acknowledged as very positive, as much lower attendance is the norm. Deputy Chief of the Forest Service, Joel Holtrop, was asked hard questions. The audio says it all. All of our written testimonies and an audio of the Hearing can be found at http://republicans.resourcescommittee.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=181123

A tone of cooperation was heard from the Forest Service in testimony and by personnel attending the meeting. The FS apparently will not oppose the bill, but did raise some issues that will need to be better clarified. We agree these issues need discussion and that mutually beneficial solutions should be sought.

1. Revenue projections, to meet the ‘pay-as-you-go’ concerns of the Congressional Budget Office ( CBO), are the most demanding. Suggestions were made to consider different tier levels and/or percentages per tier. We believe the CFA, as written, addresses these issues already and is comparable and defensible.

2. There is a need to reduce FS administrative costs of the Program going forward. Certainly the adoption of the CFA will be a big step in this direction.

3. A plan to address a transition period before full implementation of a new law will be necessary. Right now fees are being determined from three different appraisal cycles, adding to the need for clarifying discussions about any transition.

4. The FS requested support for studying those cabins situations that are adjacent to and possess characteristics of urban areas.

With the guidance of Congressman Doc Hastings and the Subcommittee, we hope to address these concerns with constructive dialogue over the next few weeks. Any ‘markup’ session in the Committee will be facilitated if cabin owners and the Forest Service are working together to solve problems with mutual understanding.

Additional reports and timely updates will be on the NFH website blog. A special Thank You to Sharon Karr for reporting much of the blow by blow at: http://nationalforesthomeowners.org/leadership/

Though much remains, the forward movement is very encouraging.

Pete

Peter D. Bailey

NFH Director & C2 Legislative Contact chair

253-383-2388 Home Office

253-312-0777 Cell

HR 4888 SubcommitteeHearing

The subcommittee hearing for HR 4888, the Cabin Fee Act of 2010 or C2, occurred on Thursday, April 22^nd. Sharon Karr was present in Washington, DC. She kindly posted on the NFH website a link to an audio recording and text from Thursday’s hearing. Click on the following link to access either option: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=54&extmode=view&extid=347

Sharon also indicated that Congressional members are hearing from cabin owners about the importance of supporting C2. If you would like to write a letter to be included in the public record for HR. 4888, please send it via email to emily.lande@mail.house.gov. United, active voices are imperative to usher this bill to success! Stay tuned for further updates.

A Message from Peter Bailey ~ NFH Director & C2 Legislative Contact Chair

Email meganprince@me.com to obtain the Problem Overview and Public Benefits of the RRP that will be used as informative pieces for Congressional staff and others. Please read and digest. These papers represents the best effort to date to state the problem simply and comprehensively on just a few pages and tout the public value of the Program. We hope they contribute to everyone’s understanding and appreciation of the Cabin Fee Act of 2010 and why we believe it is the best answer to our cabin fee problems.

A Congressional Hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, April 22nd by the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands subcommittee of the Natural Resources committee. We are sending a six person delegation. At least 3 will be witnesses. Our preparations have been extensive and will continue.

The chair of this subcommittee is Cong. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rob Bishop (R-UT) is the Ranking Member. We expect Bill Co-sponsor, Cong. Jim Costa, to participate. Also, on this subcommittee from cabin states are the following:

Dale E. Kildee, Michigan
Grace F. Napolitano, California
Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
Peter A. DeFazio, Oregon
Diana DeGette, Colorado
Ron Kind, Wisconsin
Lois Capps, California
Jay Inslee, Washington
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, South Dakota
Nick J. Rahall, II, West Virginia (ex officio)
Don Young, Alaska
Elton Gallegly, California
John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee
Jeff Flake, Arizona
Henry E. Brown, Jr., South Carolina
Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania
Mike Coffman, Colorado
Cynthia M. Lummis, Wyoming
Tom McClintock, California
Doc Hastings, Washington (ex officio)

Action Request: If you are a constituent of their district, please make the effort (once again) to phone, email or fax your Congressperson with the request for their positive support of the Cabin Fee Act and participation in the Hearing. Feel free to include the two documents as well for their review. Grassroots action works and is needed. Please do it today!

In just a few weeks, we will be convening in Reno, NV for the 2010 NFH Convention, April 15-18. We hope that everyone makes the effort to attend during this challenging time. Please review the latest NFH newsletter for details.

Pete

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