Friends,

Together, we did it.

Thanks to your thousands of calls, petitions, postcards and messages - The House of Representatives passed the Corporate Transparency Act by a vote of 249-173, last night.

Our efforts together, also won support from the White House and the US Treasury.

Now - to win, we must move the Senate to pass the Corporate Transparency Act or one of several similar pieces of Jubilee legislation.

Please send an email to your Senators now.

Email your Senators and ask them to cosponsor legislation that reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies. Tell your Senators that this legislation is vital to stop human traffickers, defend vulnerable communities and protect development aid and debt relief.

A decade ago, Jubilee USA found out that debt relief and development aid was stolen by dictators and corrupt officials by using shell companies. As we began our campaign, we saw that human traffickers, arms dealers and criminals who ran Medicare scams - all used "anonymous" shell companies to do their deeds in secret.

Thanks to our partnership and your continued efforts, our Jubilee USA legislation can now become law.

Please take a moment and e-mail the Senate so we can cross the finish line.

Gratefully,

Eric LeCompte
Executive Director

Twitter: @Eric_LeCompte
https://jubileeusa.nationbuilder.com/support-us


P.s. Please make a donation to Jubilee USA Network now. For a limited time, all gifts are doubled. We really need your support to keep winning and to continue our strategic campaigns.

Agence France-Presse cites Eric LeCompte on the Corporate Transparency Act 2019 after it passed through the House this week. Read an excerpt below, and click here for the full story.

Washington DC - The House of Representatives passed the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 (H.R. 2513) by a  249 to 173 vote. The bill reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies to law enforcement.

"This legislation stops human traffickers, corrupt government officials and revenue loss in the developing world,” noted Eric LeCompte, a United Nations finance expert and the Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA. “The Senate must now pass this vital legislation."

Washington DC - The House of Representatives scheduled a vote for 5:15 PM EST on the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 (H.R. 2513). The bill reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies to law enforcement.

"This legislation helps us stop human traffickers and corrupt public officials and protects development aid,” said Eric LeCompte, a United Nations finance expert and the Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA. LeCompte's organization generated thousands of messages to Congress in support of the bill. “Shell companies contribute to a trillion dollar loss to the developing world every single year."

Friends, 

Thanks to your work, Congress votes today on Jubilee legislation to stop corruption, prevent human trafficking and protect debt relief and development aid.

The House of Representatives could vote as early as 5:00 PM today on our Corporate Transparency Act. Your call is needed now. Please take two minutes and tell your Representative to vote for the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act.

Your actions over the last few weeks, months and years have finally gotten us to this point. In recent weeks, we've generated thousands of phone calls to Congress urging support for the Corporate Transparency Act. Over the weekend, Congregations across the United States ran petition drives and postcard rallies in support of the Corporate Transparency Act.

Tens of thousands of Jews, Christians, Muslims and people of good will - prayed and acted for Jubilee this past weekend.

Today, the United Church of Christ, Catholic religious orders, interfaith organizations and congregations from coast to coast are joining Jubilee USA and sending companion action alerts to even generate more phone calls to Congress.

Today - if we can generate enough calls on our Republican and Democratic led legislation, we can finally win a vote we've been working towards for 10 years.

With a vote about to take place on the Corporate Transparency Act, your call to your Representative can make the difference. Tell your Rep to end financial secrecy, protect vulnerable communities, prevent the profiting of human trafficking, protect aid and debt relief and ensure that poor people aren't exploited.

This vital Jubilee legislation reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies to government authorities. These shell companies hide those who profit from human trafficking, dictators use them to steal development aid and debt relief - these shell companies contribute to a loss of nearly a trillion dollars a year from the developing world.

Your consistent actions on this campaign for the last 10 years made a difference. Your thousands of postcards, phone calls and e-mails in recent weeks have gotten us here today. Now - please make one more phone call so we can move this legislation in the House and then move our campaign to the Senate.


Gratefully,

Kate Zeller

The Associated Press quotes Eric LeCompte on the global economic slowdown reported at the International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Washington, DC. Read an excerpt below, and click here for the full story.

Finance Officials Pledge to Combat Global Economic Slowdown

Washington DC - World leaders, Finance Ministers, heads of corporations and development groups are meeting at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings.

"The International Monetary Fund released a series of frightening reports this week and expressed great concern for the global economy.

"The Fund warns of corporate debts that are so high, they can be a recipe for global financial crisis. Risky investing, trade tensions and developing countries borrowing too much are serious concerns for financial stability.

"Because of the serious concerns that the IMF is raising, their crisis prevention recommendations fall short of what we need to stop the next financial crisis. We must urgently move forward with both crisis prevention and resolution processes such as a global bankruptcy mechanism.

"While the IMF bolsters lending resources, it seems this is happening at the loss of quota reform. There is a critical democratic need for voting power to be more equally distributed among IMF members."

Read the Jubilee USA release on debt, Argentina, Ecuador and Somalia

Read the Jubilee USA release on the World Economic Outlook Report

Read Jubilee USA's release on the Global Financial Stability Report

Argentina, Ecuador and Somalia Debated Behind Closed Doors

Washington DC - The International Monetary Fund raises fresh global financial crisis fears as Presidents, Finance Ministers, development groups and business leaders gather for the Annual IMF and World Bank Meetings.

"We are seeing strong warnings of a global financial crisis," shared United Nations finance expert and Jubilee USA Director, Eric LeCompte. Since 2010, LeCompte monitored IMF reports and meetings. "The Fund recommends more transparency around risky investments and corporate and country debts. But these recommendations might be too little and too late."

Washington DC - The International Monetary Fund warns of growing financial instability as a result of high debts and risky investing in the release of the IMF 2019 Global Financial Stability Report. The report raised fears that developing countries are borrowing too much.

"The Fund is recommending more transparency and greater surveillance of corporate and country debt," shared United Nations debt expert and Jubilee USA Director, Eric LeCompte. "While these recommendations are good, they fall short of the policies we need to prevent the next financial crisis. We need a global bankruptcy process. We need global laws on responsible lending and borrowing."

Business Report cites Eric LeCompte on the IMF World Economic Outlook report. Read an excerpt below, and click here for the full story.

IMF lowers South Africa’s growth forecast for 2019 to a paltry 0.7%

Eric LeCompte, the director of Jubilee USA, a non-profit financial reform organisation, said this was the bleakest economic outlook report that he had seen from the fund.

“World leaders should be very concerned. Inequality is on the rise, even in some of the richest societies,” LeCompte said.

Read more here. 

Washington DC - The International Monetary Fund downgrades global economic forecasts, calling the future of the economy, "precarious" and "uncertain," with the release of the 2019 World Economic Outlook Report.

Are We Sitting on a New Debt Time Bomb?

Tackling the Debt Emergency

Sponsored by Eurodad, Latindadd, Afrodad, Jubilee USA Network, Jubilee Germany, Norwegian Church Aid, Debt Justice Norway

WHAT: IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings panel on rising debt levels.

This session discusses how a new debt emergency is here. Ever more countries worldwide are being forced to jeopardize human rights, development and climate goals to service rising debt costs. Are current approaches to sovereign debt resolution adequate? What does a bold reform agenda look like, and how can it gain political momentum?

WHO:  Fanwell Bokosi, Executive Director, AFRODAD; Mark Flanagan, International Monetary Fund Debt Division; Eric LeCompte, Executive Director, Jubilee Network, USA; Patricia Miranda, Coordinator of Finance for Development, Latindadd; Myriam Vander Stichelle, Senior Researcher, SOMO

WHEN: 9: 00 AM – 10:30 AM EST Wednesday, October 16 

WHERE: IMF Headquarters 2 - 038 838B

To RSVP, please contact Kate Zeller at [email protected] or (202) 783-3566 x105

Only registered participants in the 2019 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings can access this event