The following was received from AAM:
American Association of Museums 
Priority Level 
ALERT - Action needed 
AAM Update on Regulatory and Funding News Affecting Museums 
What activity is going on that affects museums like mine? 
Congress has returned from summer recess to a long list of legislative business and very few legislative days to complete it all. A fall pre-election recess is scheduled for October. It is critical that you let your elected officials know the issues that are important to you and your museums so that Congress can prioritize its limited time. 
What can you do? Read about the pending issues affecting museums and contact your Representatives and Senators today to let them know how these issues affect museums like yours in their districts and states. 
In this alert... 
Action Item: Museum mailers could face huge non-profit postal rate increase in 2006! 
Action Item: Do-Not-Fax Rules Pending at Federal Communications Commission 
Action Item: Homeland Security Appropriations Could include Funds for Museums 
Update: AAM Comments on Federal Trade Commission CAN SPAM Rule-Making 
Ø Postal Reform and prevention of a possible double-digit 2006 rate increase is in Congress's court. Without Congressional action in the short September session, rates in 2006 may increase as much as 15%. With sensible interim legislation passed before Congress heads home for the elections or adjourns for the year, current rates can last through 2006. The House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight voted 40-0 to report HR 4341, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2004, on May 12 and the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs unanimously passed S. 2468, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act on June 2. This interim legislation needs to be passed into law before Congress breaks for the year. 
Make Your Voice Heard - Call your elected officials on Capitol Hill and let them know that institutions like yours cannot afford a 15% postal rate increase in 2006 and urge floor passage of interim legislation to release another two years of the escrowed funds to be used for operating expenses. This legislation that has already passed overwhelmingly in its House and Senate committees should allow the USPS to keep rates at their current level through at least some portion of 2006. 
Ø The Federal Communications Commission will act on Do-Not-Fax rules eliminating the EBR unless Congress takes final action! Without final congressional passage of the Junk Fax bills, non-profits will be required to gather pre-emptive written permission to send fax communications starting January 1, 2005! The House passed the Junk Fax Prevention Act (H.R. 4600) by voice vote on July 21 and the Senate companion bill (S. 2603) cleared the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on July 22. The bill would allow businesses, associations and charities to send commercial faxes to their customers and members without receiving prior written permission, as long as the senders provide recipient the chance to opt out of receiving future communications based on the prior existing business relationship (EBR). It would restore the "established business relationship" exemption that was repealed by summer 2003 FCC proposed rule-making. 
Make your voice heard - Urge your legislators to ask House and Senate leadership to bring H.R. 4600/S. 2603 up for floor consideration and to vote to maintain the established business relationship (EBR), eliminating the need for preemptive written permission to fax. 
Ø Homeland Security Appropriations, including funds for security enhancements for museums moves to House/Senate Conference. On September 10, 2004, with the support Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), the Senate approved an amendment, the High-Risk Non-Profit Security Act of 2004, adding $50 million to House Homeland Security Appropriations bill (H.R. 4567) for non-profit security enhancements. The allocation would go towards creation of an Office of Community Relations at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to administer matching grant funds to non-profits, including museums and religious and social-service organizations, designated by DHS as at risk of international terrorist attack. The funds would be available for facilities and security enhancements related to the threat of international counter-terrorism only. The House and Senate bills will now be considered by a House-Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Conference for differences between the two bills to be resolved. Currently the security enhancements provision is included in the Senate bill only. 
Make your voice heard - Call your Representatives and Senators and ask them to contact Representative Harold Rogers (R-KY) and Senator That Cochran (R-MS) , chairmen of the House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittees, and urge them to retain the full $50 high-risk non-profit security enhancement fund in the final homeland security appropriations bill conference report . 
Ø The Federal Trade Commission rules non-profits not exclusively exempt from CAN SPAM law and collects comments on further CAN SPAM rule-making. On August 13, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a notice in the Federal Register stating that, for the purposes of CAN SPAM, the agency sees no distinction between non-profit and for-profit e-mail and requesting public comments on defining the term "commercial email" as part of the ongoing implementation of the CAN-SPAM Act. The act seeks to reduce unsolicited commercial email, or spam. Public comments on the proposed criteria were due September 13. Under the CAN SPAM Act of 2003, the agency must promulgate a final rule by December 16, 2004. AAM submitted comments to the agency on behalf of the museum community urging the agency to further clarify the definition of "transactional or relationship" messages, which will be exempt from the law, and to extend the opt-out processing time for e-mail recipients who no longer wish to receive e-mail from a museum or association from 10 to 30 days. 
What's Next? 
Congress will be in session through the end of September - Making your voice heard on issues that affect museums and nonprofits will be key to getting them addressed during this short session! 
AAM will continue to keep you updated about developments with legislation and regulation affecting museums and the course Congress takes until the October recess. For additional help contacting your legislators or to share information with AAM about how you are already working with legislators, please contact AAM Government and Media Relations at 202-289-9125 or via e-mail at [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> < mailto:[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> >. 



Patrick 
T.Patrick Brennan 
Sr. Director of Properties 
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation 
1516 Peachtree Street 
Atlanta, Ga 30309-2916 
direct 404.885.7814 
fax 404.875.2205 
[log in to unmask] 

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