I have written to my representative, Emanuel Cleaver, five times on the subject of online poker, but never got a response. Until yesterday. Here is what he said.

Dear [my first name]:



Thank you for contacting me about internet gambling. I always enjoy hearing from constituents about their concerns and I appreciate hearing your thoughts about this important issue.



As you may know, H.R. 2282, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act would allow individuals in the United States to legally place bets and wagers online. Internet gambling operators would be required to obtain a license before accepting any bets or wagers. This legislation will create a federal regulatory and enforcement agency to distribute licenses and authorize operators. The Department of Treasury will have full jurisdiction over this regulatory framework.



In order to obtain a license, an operator must commit to establishing provisions that would safeguard against money laundering, fraud and compulsive or underage gambling. Additionally, the regulatory framework would ensure that online operators conclusively comply with current state or Indian Tribe gambling restrictions or prohibitions.



H.R. 2282 is currently pending consideration in the House Committees on Financial Services, Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind as I follow this issue.



Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I may be of further assistance. Also, I encourage you to visit my website at http://www.house.gov/cleaver, where you can sign up for my electronic newsletter and receive updates on my latest activities as your Representative.






Sincerely


Emanuel Cleaver, II

Member of Congress

Well done on getting an answer. Typical boiler-plate response - to be expected. But at least your voice will be counting should your Rep ever need to make a decision on the issue.

I think I only got it because I disclosed in a public forum that he had never responded. The disclosure happened yesterday morning and a few hours later I got the email.

I am going to send a snail mail followup as Cleaver is a cosponsor of Rep. Jason Chaffetz's bill and he needs to know why that is a bad bill.

I want to make it clear that my disagreeing with his support for the Chaffetz bill was why I wrote him in the first place.

It is time for a snail mail letter now.

Which public forum was it that you disclosed that he had never responded to you? We should all be posting about representatives who have failed to reply on that forum (and similar forums)

My local paper.

You are a brilliant man, Doc T

It helps that my letters to the editor, unlike my posts on here, are well written.