Now that summer is about to conclude and, for many, that means back to college and a return from vacation, one organization is already in high gear for the fall. The Poker Players Alliance, the main lobbying group for the online poker industry, has kicked off an initiative encouraging its members to become August Advocates now that Congressmen from around the country have returned to their home districts and are participating in town hall meetings, social events, and fundraisers. The PPA’s governmental affairs specialist, John Pappas, sat down with PocketFives to discuss how you can become an August Advocate.

“The essence of the campaign is trying to turn our members into advocates during the August Congressional recess. There’s only so much we can do in Washington. One of the best things that can happen is if Congressmen hear from staff and folks back home at town hall meetings and fundraisers; it makes an impact. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a member of Congress say, ‘I was at a meeting and a constituent brought it up.’” Congressmen listen to their constituents closely and, to that end, the more PPA members that can bring up online poker as a major issue, the better the chance of additional co-sponsors being added to the four existing bills. The PPA membership has exploded to ovr 650,000 people nationwide.

With August already a few weeks over, Pappas has had a chance to gauge the success of the August Advocate program: “There’s an opportunity to provide feedback to us directly on the website to say there’s a meeting scheduled at this time at this place. What the PPA is doing is following up with those that provide feedback to thank them for making a call to their Congressman and also to provide them with talking points if they go to a meeting. We will also go out to our membership list in that district and send a note to them to encourage them to attend.” Members of Congress often times will not make a list of local events public to lobbying groups such as the PPA, but will freely give this information to constituents in their districts.

The month of September will be crucial in driving one of the existing online poker bills through Congress. The two with the greatest impact for online poker players are H.R. 2046, Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, and H.R. 2610, Congressman Robert Wexler’s (D-FL) Skill Game Protection Act. “We won’t be talking with members of Congress until they return. The goal is to add their names as co-sponsors in September. When we know that our members have reached out, our team in Washington will follow up with the Congressman’s staff and let them know that we’d love to see them on the bill.”

This two-pronged attack has been carefully planned and executed thus far. With PPA members stepping up to the plate and contacting their Congressmen on a local level, the organization has matched their efforts by constantly reaching out to staff in the nation’s Capitol. The momentum has continued to build for several weeks now with the hopes of being able to make significant progress by the end of 2007: “Our goal for the end of the year is to continue to gather co-sponsors and to get one of these bills passed. That is our goal. I don’t want to leave anything on the table for next year. I want this to be done this year. Everyone knows this is a tough uphill climb, but I think there’s an opportunity now when you consider the revenue impact.”

It’s shaping up for a climax one way or another for online poker players across the United States this fall. PocketFives will continue to provide you with the latest breaking coverage. If you’re not a PPA member, it’s more important than ever that you sign up. Visit the Poker Players Alliance website today and get yourself registered.