Dear U.S. Congressional Delegation,

Please vote NO on the Conservation Easement Incentive Act!

(Representatives Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) introduced the Conservation Easement Incentive Act.

This bill would make permanent the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations that will otherwise expire at the end of this year.)

Please do NOT allocate one cent to any group - like the Land Trust Alliance - that seeks to "make permanent the enhanced tax deduction..."

Federal funding of said groups gives them a huge financial advantage over private land (property) owners. This is grossly unfair!

If Conservation Easements are the panacea they portend to be, then let them work in the free market system as private property owners do.

Or at the least, REMOVE the word "perpetuity" from C.E. language. It should NOT be an I.R.S. requirement, and serves zero good...except to those making money off C.E.'s

Please study and implement the following "Are You Asking the Right Questions..." by Ric Frost. Demand answers in writing from any soliciting taxpayer money regards C.E.'s

FYI - as I've already cautioned Senator Udall about some of the parties involved in orchestrating C.E.'s, some are known to be of dubious nature, and should be investigated.

Thank you,

Roni Bell Sylvester
Volunteer Editor www.LandAndWaterUSA.com

The following provided by: www.LandAndWaterUSA.com

Are You Asking the Right Questions about Conservation
Easements or Purchased Development rights?

In recent decades, Conservation Easements (CEs) and Purchased Development Rights (PDRs) have become a trendy way to acquire tax write-offs on private lands. Reasons as to why varies with each owner, but the common thread has been tax relief and to retain the land in agricultural production. Many of these landowners have placed portions, or all, of their private land holdings
into a split estate situation without fully understanding the impacts to themselves, or their community. This is largely due to not asking enough questions, or the right questions.
To truly understand the problem: land trusts come on to landowners and communities with the claim that they are working to protect rural agriculture from development pressures. Development is not the problem, as rural economic pressures come from:

Government Restrictions and Regulations,
Tax Exempt Non Government Organization Environmental Lawsuits,
Weather Fluctuations, Market Fluctuations,
Operators Being Price Takers Without Control of the Market Pricing
Structure (or the ability to pass on increased business costs, such as fuel
expenses), Subsidized Foreign Market Dumping Without Protection,
Influx of Wealthy Urbanites Competing for Control, Estate Taxes and Compliance Costs.

These cumulative pressures force the economic demise of rural economies, and create compromised-sellers ready for a quick economic fix, not willing sellers desiring to leave their cultural practices or heritage. So the question simply put is, do CEs protect agriculturalists from these real pressures as is claimed? Simply put, NO THEY DO NOT! The secondary question to
this is, if land trusts are concerned with protecting agriculture, then what have they done to alleviate these real pressures?

Splitting the title of private land has other consequences as well. Some comments on CE and PDR impacts by financial officers:
"Owners give up management and control of the land" : Jimmy Hall, PCA, NM
"Severely diminished loan value of land" : John Johnson, First Western Bank, SD "CEs eliminate property loan value" : Dee Gidney, Texas Bank Ag Loans, TX
"Fragmentation of land title to deny future generations a full range of productive land use options" : David Guernsey, Alliance for America
Loan Value for Operational and Other Loans is Reduced up to 90 percent with an Easement

Interviews of land owners with CEs and PDRs have revealed some common misunderstandings held when they got involved. Some misconceptions are:
"Perpetual means 99 years." False: perpetual is forever.
"I retain full title to the land." False: title becomes split with easement holder.
"A CE (PDR) is the only way the land is managed to my intent." False: the easement holder and future easement holder can change management practices at any time, including development! Easement management loopholes also allow easement holders to sue the landowner and impose habitat restrictions.
"A CE (PDR) allows me to use the property as I always have." False: you give up management control of all easement property, forever!

"Property with a CE (PDR) will sell easy." False: a CE (PDR) may reduce the property value, and affect the willingness of financial institutions to loan money on a split title.

Economic impacts may also be encountered as the result of CEs and PDRs.
Some of the impacts already experienced by landowners and communities have been:
Reduced management options on taxed lands of landowner and heirs
Restrictions on farm and ranch management practices
Restrictions on chemicals used
Restrictions on seed and plant types
Restrictions on farm and ranch management practices
Reduction of income due to restrictions
Reduction in management options with land and business value decline, forcing owner into a "willing seller" status (actually a compromised seller)
Imposition of Environmental Assessment (EA) and Environmental Impact Study (EIS) expenses on land owner for restriction and management changes, especially if a Federal Nexus exists Legal and penalty expenses for CE and PDR violations (It's built into the fine print) Vulnerability from non-trust third party lawsuit - Litigation Exposure is in the Easement Act Decreased, or eliminated, production, translating into negative economic impacts to agriculture and related industries within community, county, and state. Recent reports indicate a majority of lands with CEs (PDRs) have not remained in agriculture, and are rendered to untaxed "open space" in the hands of the government, or
owned by wealthy non-agriculturalists comfortable with "open space" restricted lands without production.
Reduced Management Options on Taxed Lands of Landowner and Heirs
Reduction of Income due to Restrictions Reduction of Direct, Induced, and
Indirect Economic Benefits to all Related Industries within Community, County and State Reduction of County Tax Base Forcing Tax Increases and Reduction of County Services on Other Property Owners in County to Make Up Loss (a disproportionate burden)

Impacts resulting from violations were studied by the Land Trust Alliance and published in the Winter 2000, Vol. 19 #1 issue of Exchange. It revealed that the landowner always pays legal and penalty expenses for violations, as this condition is built into CE and PDR language. Average cost per case is $35,000 with range of $5,000 to $100,000. Of 498 violations reported, 22 were
litigated, only one landowner won in court, but was still made to pay land trust expenses (the $100,000 case).
Another ill-understood impact of CEs and PDRs is that if there are any federal permits or expenditures involved, this creates a Federal Nexus. The landowner must now undergo a Section 7 consultation process for existing and new species, restriction and proposed management changes. The owner with a CE or PDR must also pay for all related expenses for studies.
One question that is typically missed is who is behind the push to get private property into a CE or PDR. One effort where CEs and PDRs are the centerpiece, is known as the Wildlands Project, a plan developed by Michael Soule, Dave Foreman (founder of the Earth First! movement), and Dr. Reed Noss of Idaho. The base concept is that wilderness areas need connecting corridors (without human activity) for the creatures to roam freely and keep the gene pool healthy. The key to establishing these corridors is CEs and PDRs. Dave Foreman, as quoted in Listening to the Land by Derrick Jensen (Sierra Club Books),
considers conservation easements as the keys to the corridors. He had this to say about conservation easements:

If we identify a ranch ... that's between two wilderness reserves, and we feel it will be necessary as a corridor, we can say to the rancher, "We don't want you to give up your ranch now, but let us put a conservation easement onyou can donate it in your will to this reserve system."
It is highly recommended you research the design and implications of the Wildlands Project. It is a plan to render 50 percent of the United States land area as unoccupied, or affected by human activity. Several trusts such as the Nature Conservancy, involved with developing CEs and PDRs
support and promote the Wildlands Project. A description of this plan and partial list of supporting organizations can be accessed at http://www.wildlandsprojectrevealed.org and
http://www.epi.freedom.org.

Questions landowners approached for CEs or PDRs should be asking themselves are:
What are CE (PDR) impacts to private landowners and communities?
Do the "benefits" offset the impacts? (Lost tax revenue and future earnings opportunities).
What are the other impacts and implications from imposing a CE (PDR) on private land?
(Federal Nexus and Section 7)
What is the long-range outcome from imposing a CE (PDR) on private landowners?
According to whom? (A tax-exempt organization?)
Would a limited liability company or incorporation better serve the landowner's
tax needs, instead of a CE (PDR) that brings in tax-exempt third party and
potential federal management?

Would it not be better to protect agriculture by:
Supporting reduced environmental restrictions on agricultural producers?
Stopping the dumping of foreign commodities on our markets by foreign
subsidized products, at prices lower than what our producers' cost of operation?
Making agriculture attractive as a viable business career and encouraging our
youth to remain in agriculture as a productive and fulfilling life?

Questions State and County officials should be considering for CE regulation are:
License and Regulate Land Trust Agents
Regulation by State Real Estate Commission (they are acting as land brokers)
Bonding Requirement on Each CE Transaction Equivalent to Value of
Encumbered Property Before Transaction
Renegotiation Language Built into CE Contract that Allows Grantee to
Renegotiate Every 5 Years (North Dakota has 10 year limits - no perpetuity allowed!)
If Renegotiations Cannot be Accomplished to Satisfaction of Landowner, the CE Contract
Becomes Null and Void
Land Trust pays back-taxes on land if this occurs, not landowner (don't forget that if a CE is ended, under current law the landowner pays the IRS the back-taxes back to the time of the origin of the CE, not the trust)
Land Trust Pays Taxable Value of Severed Development Right to County to Prevent Erosion of Tax Base as Community Infrastructure Demands Increase (check with county appraiser for development right tax values)
No CE Shall be Valid and Enforceable Unless the Limitations or Obligations Created by the Easement are Clearly Presented in Writing on the Face of Any Document Creating the CE Including Information From the UCEA 1981 (Uniform Conservation Easement Act) Water, Grazing, Farming and Mineral Rights Shall Not be Encumbered by Conditions or
Restrictions Imposed or Agreed to in the CE Contract. Grantee (landowner) Retains Rights of Transfer on All Rights Not Expressly Identified in CE.
Local and State Legislation Expressly Prohibiting Transfer of CE to Other Parties Without Formal Written Consent of Landowner (a common practice of land trusts is to trade CEs without knowledge or consent of landowner)
Elimination of Third-party Enforcement Clause Language From CE Contracts - Must be State law! (Colorado apparently already has this law, and it has been upheld in one case)
Remember, restricting land through Conservation Easements in the name of "protecting agriculture" simply put, does not protect agriculture!

Author Ric Frost, a former policy analyst with the Range Improvement Task Force since 1998, took the position as policy analyst in 2001 at New Mexico State University.
Frost has worked on infrared remote sensing and vegetation and habitat analysis maps for the task force. He has conducted training seminars on the National Environmental Policy Act for Bureau of Land Management grazing permit renewals. He served as technical investigator and steering committee member for a natural beef marketing project.
Frost is a registered adjudication mediator for New Mexico water rights issues. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.
He earned a master’s degree in agricultural economics, a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and extension education, and an associate’s degree in agricultural mechanics, all from NMSU.
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Please study what Jesse Richardson has to say about C.E.'s and the I.R.S. on www.LandAndWaterUSA.com
__________________________________________________________________

This morning, Representatives Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) introduced the Conservation Easement Incentive Act.

This bill would make permanent the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations that will otherwise expire at the end of this year.

LEAD SPONSORS:
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA/6th)* Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA/1st)*

CO-SPONSORS (251 total; by state):
Rep. Jo Bonner (R-AL/1st)
Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL/6th)
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL/7th)
Rep. Don Young (R-AK/1st)
Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ/4th)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ/7th)
Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR/1st)
Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR/4th)
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA/3rd)
Rep. Doris Okada Matsui (D-CA/5th)
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA/6th)
Rep. George Miller (D-CA/7th)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA/9th)
Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA/10th)
Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA/11th)
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA/12th)
Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (D-CA/13th)*
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA/14th)
Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA/15th)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA/16th)
Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA/17th)
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA/18th)
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA/20th)
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA/21st)*
Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA/23rd)
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA/27th)
Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA/28th)
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA/29th)
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA/30th)
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA/31st)*
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA/32nd)
Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA/33rd)
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA/34th)
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA/35th)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA/38th)
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA/39th)
Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA/43rd)
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA/44th)
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA/47th)
Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA/51st)
Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA/53rd)
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO/1st)
Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO/2nd)
Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO/3rd)
Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO/4th)
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO/7th)
Rep. John Larson (D-CT/1st)*
Rep. Joseph Courtney (D-CT/2nd)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT/3rd)
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT/4th)
Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT/5th)
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL/1st)
Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL/3rd)
Rep. Katherine Castor (D-FL/11th)
Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL/12th)
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL/13th)*
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL/18th)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL/20th)
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL/21st)
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL/23rd)
Rep. David Rivera (R-FL/25th)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA/2nd)
Rep. John Lewis (D-GA/5th)*
Rep. John Barrow (D-GA/12th)
Rep. David Scott (D-GA/13th)
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI/1st)
Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-HI/2nd)
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID/2nd)
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL/1st)
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL/2nd)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL/3rd)
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL/4th)
Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL/7th)
Rep. Janice Schakowski (D-IL/9th)
Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL/12th)
Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL/14th)
Rep. Timothy V. Johnson (R-IL/15th)
Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-IL/16th)
Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN/1st)
Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN/2nd)
Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN/5th)
Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA/1st)
Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA/2nd)
Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA/3rd)
Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA/4th)
Rep. Steve King (R-IA/5th)
Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS/2nd)*
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY/2nd)
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY/3rd)
Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY/4th)*
Rep. Ben Chandler (D-KY/6th)
Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA/5th)
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA/7th)*
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME/1st)
Rep. Michael Michaud (D-ME/2nd)
Rep. Dutch Ruppersburger (D-MD/2nd)
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD/3rd)
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD/6th)
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD/7th)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD/8th)
Rep. John Olver (D-MA/1st)
Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA/2nd)*
Rep. James McGovern (D-MA/3rd)
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA/4th)
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA/5th)
Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA/7th)
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA/8th)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA/9th)
Rep. Dan Benishek (R-MI/1st)
Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI/4th)*
Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI/5th)
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI/6th)
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI/8th)
Rep. Gary Peters (D-MA/9th)
Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI/10th)
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI/11th)
Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI/12th)*
Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-MI/13th)
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI/14th)
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI/15th)
Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN/1st)
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN/3rd)*
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN/4th)
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN/5th)
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN/7th)
Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-MS/1st)
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS/2nd)
Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO/1st)
Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO/3rd)
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO/5th)
Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT/At-large)
Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE/2nd)
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE/3rd)*
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV/1st)*
Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH/2nd)
Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ/1st)
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ/2nd)
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ/4th)
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ/5th)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ/6th)
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ/7th)
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ/8th)*
Rep. Steven Rothman (D-NJ/9th)
Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ/10th)
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ/11th)
Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ/12th)
Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ/13th)
Rep. Martin Heinrich (D-NM/1st)
Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM/3rd)
Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY/1st)
Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY/2nd)
Rep. Peter King (R-NY/3rd)
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY/4th)
Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY/7th)*
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY/9th)
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY/10th)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY/11th)
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY/12th)
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY/13th)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY/14th)
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY/15th)*
Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY/16th)
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY/17th)
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY/18th)
Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY/19th)
Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY/20th)
Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY/21st)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY/22nd)
Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY/23rd)
Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY/27th)
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY/28th)
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC/3rd)
Rep. David Price (D-NC/4th)
Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC/6th)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC/7th)
Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC/8th)
Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC/9th)
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC/10th)
Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC/11th)
Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC/12th)
Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC/13th)
Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH/3rd)
Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH/5th)
Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH/7th)
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH/9th)
Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH/12th)*
Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH/13th)
Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH/14th)
Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH/16th)
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH/17th)
Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK/2nd)
Rep. David Wu (D-OR/1st)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR/3rd)*
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR/4th)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR/5th)
Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA/1st)
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA/4th)
Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA/5th)
Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA/7th)
Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA/8th)
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA/9th)
Rep. Mark Critz (D-PA/12th)
Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA/13th)
Rep. Michael Doyle (D-PA/14th)
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA/15th)
Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA/16th)
Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA/17th)
Rep. Todd Russell Platts (R-PA/19th)
Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI/1st)
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI/2nd)
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC/2nd)
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC/6th)
Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN/1st)
Rep. John Duncan (R-TN/2nd)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN/9th)
Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX/3rd)*
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX/8th)*
Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX/11th)
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX/13th)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX/14th)
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX/15th)
Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX/16th)
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX/18th)
Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX/20th)
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX/21st)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX/25th)*
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX/28th)
Rep. Gene Green (D-TX/29th)
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX/30th)
Rep. John Carter (R-TX/31st)
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX/32nd)
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT/2nd)
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT/At-large)
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA/3rd)
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA/6th)
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA/8th)
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA/10th)
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA/11th)
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA/1st)
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA/2nd)
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA/5th)
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA/7th)*
Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA/8th)*
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA/9th)
Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV/3rd)
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI/2nd)
Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI/3rd)*
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI/4th)
Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY/At-large)
* Members of the Ways & Means Committee

You can always visit: www.lta.org/easementincentive/cosponsors for our most current list.
While our top priority has been to secure original co-sponsors in the House, your Senators can also co-sponsor the Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act, S. 339, by contacting Tiffany Smith (4-4515) at the Senate Finance Committee. So far, just ten senators have signed-on:

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)*
Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA)*
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT)
Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)*
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
* Finance Committee Member