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Articles Tagged SOPA

Input to Congress Turns from SOPA to Exotic Animals

by marci on January 28, 2012

For those wondering what would follow the record-breaking week of internet advocacy around SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act): the issue that brought the most activity in messages to Congress this week on POPVOX was the “Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act" H.R. 3359, pitting animal rights advocates against those who work with animals in traveling shows.

While H.R. 3359 moved fewer people than the over 10,000 who weighed in last week on SOPA using POPVOX, its opponents and proponents demonstrated similar passion. From January 20 to January 27, nearly 700 people weighed in on the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, 54% in support, 46% in opposition. While messages came in from constituents in every state and nearly every Congressional district, the most active was that of Vern Buchanan (R, FL-13), with thirty-six people weighing in (14% supported and 86% opposed).

The bill is pending in the House Agriculture Committee, chaired by Representative Frank Lucas (R, OK-3). Three constituents from Mr. Lucas’ district opposed the bill. None weighed in from the district of Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN, 7).

The Top Five Trending Bills on POPVOX for the week of January 20 are:

1. H.R. 3359: Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act from Rep. James Moran [D, VA-8].
       1330 TOTAL, 678 for the week (53% support, 47% oppose)

2. H.R. 3814: To prohibit the Department of Justice from tracking and cataloguing the purchases of multiple rifles and shotguns, from Rep. Justin Amash [R, MI-3].
       595 TOTAL, 571 for the week (75% support, 47% oppose)

3. H.R. 3594: Second Amendment Protection Act of 2011, from Rep. Joe Walsh [R, IL-8].
       611 TOTAL, 596 for the week (89% support, 11% oppose)

4. S. 1973: A bill to prevent gun trafficking in the United States, from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D, NY].
       421 TOTAL, 400 for the week(29% support, 71% oppose)

5. H.R. 3261: Stop Online Piracy Act from Rep. Lamar Smith [R, TX-21]
       14,720 TOTAL, 383 for the week (3% support, 97% oppose)
House Judiciary SOPA Markup May restart in Feb

by marci on January 17, 2012

Hat tip to Rosalind Wills via Twitter, who highlights the latest press release by House Judiciary Chairman, Lamar Smith, reported in TechDirt, stating that the markup of H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), will ikely resume in February.

Check out the breakdown of Judiciary Committee members that we shared in December when the markup began. We will be updating...
"Better Activism Day" Jan 18

by marci on January 16, 2012
We're happy to participate in the InformationDiet.com's livestream of "Better Activism Day" on January 18 (which will be available on informationdiet.com/live.)

POPVOX is neutral - we don't take a position on bills, including SOPA or PIPA, but we are 100% on board with any effort to help people understand how Congress works and how to engage with the Congressional process.

From the announcement by Clay Johnson, author of "The Information Diet":

Better Activism Day: January 18

Jan 15, 2012 CLAY JOHNSON

On January 18th, the plan for some sites is to go dark in protest for SOPA/PIPA. The blackout is important -- it raises awareness and helps people get motivated to act on this bill -- and while it's on its last legs, I think the important thing in the long term isn't the particular defeat of this bill, but rather: how do we make Congress listen to citizens better. Now part of that is stuff you've heard before: better advocacy, transparency reforms, even campaign finance and money-in-politics solutions. But another part of that isn't so familiar: getting acquainted with how Congress works, and upping our own expertise to become better advocates. So in honor of the blackouts on the 18th, I'm holding a "Better Activism Day" with my friends at O'Reilly and PopVox. -- a livestream of experts, most of the day, who will talk about how to improve your power in Washington from people who've been successful at moving it. It's time we started getting some of the inside-the-beltway expertise outside of Washington. Here's the tentative agenda so far (all times are Eastern):
1. Intro by Clay Johnson: 15 Minutes (10-10:15)
2. Where SOPA/PIPA Sits in the Legislative Process (Ernesto Falcon - Public Knowledge) (45 Minutes) (10:15-11:00)
3. How A Bill Becomes a Law: Speaker TBD (1 hr.) (11:00-12:00)
4. I am a Lobbyist, Ask Me Anything (Andrew Shore - Jochum Shore & Trossevin) (1 hr.)(12:00-1:00)
5. How to Watch What Congress Does - Jeremy Carbaugh - Sunlight Foundation (2:00-3:00)
6. I Used to Answer the Phones at a Congressional Office - Ask Me Anything (1 hr.) (3:00-4:30)
7. Delivering Effective Messages To Congress - Marci Harris (4:30-5:30)
8. Closing: 5:30-6
I'm doing this because whether or not SOPA passes, one of the most dangerous problems we have in America is the disconnect between how people think Congress works, and how Congress actually works. The best way to prevent things like SOPA from happening is to make online activists smart. And I hope that if you find the program I'm setting up to be useful to you, then you'll consider buying a copy of my book, though that's certainly not required for admission.I'm still ironing out the details, so if you have anything you want to add, or anybody here in DC you'd like to see, please let me know. Mark your calendars -- it will be streamed starting at 10am on the 18th on informationdiet.com/live (which isn't quite live yet), and of course you can have the embeds to put on your own websites as well.
Issa Press Release: "SOPA Not Headed to House Floor, OGR hearing postponed "

by marci on January 14, 2012

We just received the following press release issued by Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Darrell Issa. We can't find the link up yet online, so given the interest in this bill by POPVOX users, we are posting here. See links below to weigh in on the bills mentioned in the release.

Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 01:16 AM

Subject: Press Release -- SOPA Not Headed to House Floor, OGR hearing postponed

Issa: Flawed SOPA Bill Not Headed to House Floor

OGR hearing planned for Wednesday postponed following assurances, removal of DNS provisions

Washington, DC – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today announced that a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, which was to examine the impact of Domain Name Service (DNS) and search engine blocking on the Internet, has been postponed following assurances that anti-piracy legislation will not move to the House floor this Congress without a consensus.

"While I remain concerned about Senate action on the Protect IP Act, I am confident that flawed legislation will not be taken up by this House. Majority Leader Cantor has assured me that we will continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus prior to anyanti-piracy legislation coming before the House for a vote,” said Chairman Issa. “The voice of the Internet community has been heard. Much more education for Members of Congress about the workings of the Internet is essential if anti-piracy legislation is to be workable and achieve broad appeal.”

"Earlier tonight, Chairman Smith announced that he will remove the DNS blocking provision from his legislation. Although SOPA, despite the removal of this provision, is still a fundamentally flawed bill, I have decided that postponing the scheduled hearing on DNS blocking with technical experts is the best course of action at this time. Right now, the focus of protecting the Internet needs to be on the Senate where Majority Leader Reid has announced his intention to try to move similar legislation in less than two weeks."

Chairman Issa intends to continue to push for Congress to heed the advice of Internet experts on anti-piracy legislation and to push for the consideration and passage of the bipartisan OPEN Act, which provides an alternative means for protecting intellectual property rights without undermining the structure and entrepreneurialism of the Internet. Learn more about Rep. Issa and Sen. Ron Wyden’s alternative the OPEN Act at www.keepthewebopen.com

###

The PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) S. 968: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011

S. 2029: Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN Act)
Committee Spotlight: House Judiciary Committee and SOPA

by marci on January 13, 2012
Given that H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, was the most active bill on POPVOX this week, we decided to crunch some numbers related to the committee of jurisdiction on the bill. The House Judiciary Committee is currently considering the bill in a "mark-up", which began in December and is set to resume next week when Congress returns.

Below is a chart of the input that Judiciary Committee members have received from their constituents through the POPVOX system.

A few observations:
- Every committee Member has received messages from their constituents regarding SOPA using POPVOX.
- Sentiment in every district is majority opposition (of sentiment registered on POPVOX.)
As we always emphasize, POPVOX is not a poll. It is simply a sample of what Congress is hearing from constituents. The messages that are counted on POPVOX have been received by these Members through their official correspondence systems. (See: How We Deliver Messages). POPVOX brings transparency, efficiency, and accountability to that system.
Opponents of SOPA most active this week

by marci on January 13, 2012

FRIDAY UPDATE: The Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), better known as “SOPA” brought the most messages to Congress in the second week of 2012 on POPVOX.

From January 7 to January 13, over 850 people sent a message to their Congressperson regarding SOPA, bringing the total on POPVOX to just over 6,000 with 98% opposing the bill. Messages came from users in every Congressional district.
Protesting SOPA? Turn your website into an action center.

by marci on January 12, 2012

Whether you are a SOPA supporter or plan to join the Anti-SOPA blackout on January 18, you can turn your website or blog into an online action center by using free widgets from POPVOX.

The POPVOX Write Congress widget lets your visitors send a message to their member of Congress without leaving your site.

A POPVOX Comment stream widget streams comments directly on your site so you can see what others are saying.

Or just pick up a POPVOX "button" to link to the bill action page and show a real-time POPVOX sentiment tally.

POPVOX widgets are customizable for any bill, any position. So whether it is SOPA, PIPA, NDAA, or any other abbreviation... just pick up the code, and build your movement.

View the widgets in action on the POPVOX Tumblr page.
The House Judiciary Committee and SOPA (H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act)

by marci on December 14, 2011

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), H.R. 3261, will be "marked up" in the House Judiciary Committee on December 15. This means that the committee will consider amendments and vote on a final version. If the bill passes, it will be "reported out of committee" and ready for consideration by the full House of Representatives (the "Committee of the Whole.")

It is customary in a markup for the chairman to introduce a "Chairman's Mark," a refined version of the introduced bill that contains any technical changes (and in some cases substantive changes) that the chairman wants included. This is the first amendment considered by the committee, and will be the version that gets "marked up" with subsequent amendments. Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith made his mark public on Monday, (language here and an in-depth discussion at BNA.)

See the map below for more information on the members of the Judiciary Committee and the location of their districts. Note that those with a gold ring have signed on as co-sponsors and can be expected to support the bill. Importantly, these include the most senior committee members of both parties -- the chairman, Lamar Smith (sponsor of the bill) and the Ranking Minority member, John Conyers.

As always - POPVOX is neutral. Highlighting a bill does not indicate endorsement.