Great news!  We have just added TEN new co-sponsors to our bill in the House!  H.R. 2102 now has the co-sponsorship of the following ten Representatives:

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX)
Rep. Al Green (TX)
Rep. Howard Berman (CA)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA)
Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (Guam)
Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA)
Rep. Leonard Boswell (IA)
Rep. Mazie Hirono (HI)
Rep. Keith Ellison (MN)

Please join us in welcoming them and now take a moment to ring up your own Representative or Senator’s office and ask for their support as well.

In a move that left the political world reeling, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched parties, joining the Democrats after four decades as a Republican. Sen. Specter was the leading Republican co-sponsor of the Academy bill in last year’s Congress, so now we have to find a new Republican to become the co-lead of the bill, alongside Mark Udall of Colorado. Though the Academy bill has gotten more support from Democrats than Republicans in Congress, it is not a partisan idea. Our political lineage traces back to the “good government” movement of Republican Teddy Roosevelt, who recognized the need for a strong, effective government and smart, non-partisan people to run its agencies. Outside of Congress, the Academy has received strong support from conservatives such as Mike Huckabee and Sandra Day O’Connor, and we have won the respect and support of many military leaders, including three former Superintendents of West Point. We aim to build on that support to find Specter’s replacement in the GOP.