Protect IP Act Senate contact log

This is a supplemental log for the Protect IP Act Senate whip count. If you keep calling members of Congress, sometimes they change their minds.

You can get the phone numbers for your Senators here:[] Log the date and response from Senate offices on where they stand on the Protect IP Act of 2011.

(Tips on how to contact Congress about SOPA/PIPA.) By Senator's last name, skip to: [ A-B ] [ C-G ] [ H-K ] [ L-P ] [ R-W ]

Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Contact Info: 

(202) 224-6361 Web Form:[]

1/18 Not a co-sponsor, Staff was not sure of his position. I said vote "NO" - americasthirdparty

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Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Contact Info:  (202) 224-4944 Web Form: []

1/18 I said vote "NO" on PIPA, they hung up and did not answer when I called back- americasthirdparty

1/18/2012 - I called Senator Alexander's district number and asked him to oppose PIPA. The staffer was very polite, took down my name and address information, and said she would make sure the Senator knew my position. She didn't say anything else about his position on the bill.

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Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Contact Info:  (202) 224-3324 Web Form: [] Called her office as website was down, got Voice Mail only! Figures, she's a cosponsor. 1/18 Left Voicemail: Remove your co-sponsorship and vote "NO"on PIPA - americasthirdparty

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John Barrasso (R-WY)
Contact Info:  (202) 224-6441 Web Form: []

1/17- Staff said the Senator does not have an official stance yet.

1/18- No change - americasthirdparty

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Max Baucus (D-MT)
Contact Info: (202) 224-2651 Web Form: []

1/18- Staff said Senator has not made a statement about PIPA-americasthirdparty

1/20 - staff also said Sen. Baucus has not made a statement, but also said that "while he does have concerns about Internet piracy", he is "uncomfortable" with the bill as written and has concerns about its impact on "online innovation".

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Mark Begich (D-AK)
Contact Info: (202) 224-3004 Web Form: []

1/18 - Senator has concerns about privacy implications, but still wants to protect intellectual property - has not made a decision-americasthirdparty

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Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Contact Info: (202) 224-5852 Web Form: [&lt;a href="http://www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/"&gt;[n]&lt;/a&gt;]

1/18- Left voicemail -&lt;a href="Americasthirdparty"&gt;americasthirdparty&lt;/a&gt;

1/18- Spoke to local office. Senator has no change in stance, asked to remove sponsorship and vote no.

1/19- Called, got a person, told him I am a constituent and am against sopa and pipa. Was very easy to do.

1/19- Posted about 7PM to Bennet's Facebook: "Thanks for all of the comments. As I said, you've brought up some valid concerns. To be clear -- I would not vote for Protect IP or SOPA. I want all sides to come to a common-sense agreement that protects against piracy but doesn't harm our economic growth." - http://www.facebook.com/senatorbennet?ref=ts

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Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
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Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
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Roy Blunt (R-MO)
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John Boozman (R-AR)
Just called - hooperX101 on Jan. 18, 1:17 CST, staffer answered, said that senator had no position yet, requested phone/email on stance before vote

Another phone call to DC office/plus Fax - hooperX101 on Jan. 18, 4:27 CST, received email from Boozman with new oppopsition to the bill "in its current form" and reassurance that he has "removed his name as a cosponsor." Entire text of email copy and pasted below:

Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to S.968, the "Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property (PROTECT IP) Act." It is good to hear from you.

As you know, S.968 was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on May 12, 2011. This legislation seeks to change the way the Department of Justice handles perceived violations of intellectual property laws by foreign based websites dedicated to copyright infringement. Over the past few weeks, the concerns with the PROTECT IP Act in its current form have increased, and I certainly understand and share your concerns with the unintended consequences of this legislation. While the epidemic of online piracy needs to be addressed, I do not believe we should rush to pass this bill, rather we should be working to find another solution to this problem that ensures that innovation and free speech are protected. I have confidence that we can do this, but not with the PROTECT IP Act in its current form.

Please be assured that I have removed my name as a cosponsor of S.968 and should it be brought to the floor of the U.S. Senate for a vote in its current form, I will oppose it.

I appreciate your involvement in the legislative process and want to thank you for raising your concerns with this bill. As long as I am your U.S. Senator, I will continue to work to ensure that American jobs, ingenuity and ideas are protected.

Again, thank you for contacting me on this very important issue. Please be sure to visit our website at www.boozman.senate.gov. I look forward to your continued correspondence.

Sincerely, John Boozman U.S. Senator

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Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
1/18 - Staffer confirmed Sen. Boxer's co-sponsorship of this bill.

1/18 - Same as above; no statement on view other than co-sponsorship.

Boxer is still a co-sponsor, with no position released on how she would vote on it; I said she should oppose it, in both current form and any foreseeable amendments, and withdraw her co-sponsorship. I asked if contact info would be useful, and the staffer said no, that they were merely tracking how many calls they get. JesseW 21:26, January 20, 2012 (UTC)

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Scott Brown (R-MA)
Called 1/6 -- "no public statement at this time." Requested a call back.

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Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
1/19 - Staffer confirmed Sen. Brown's co-sponsorship and said he would contact me with further details regarding the bill.

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Richard Burr (R-NC)
Called district office on 1/18. According to staff member, Burr has taken no position on PIPA at this time. Said she would pass on my comments.

Called DC 1/18/12 No Position. Because it has become such a big issue in the past 24 hours they have not had time to talk to him, I asked to recieve emails with updates on his position.

Called district office on 1/18. Staff member confirmed Burr has taken no position on PIPA at this time. Said she would pass on my comments and send a formal response when Sen. Burr has taken a position

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Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Called 1/17, Senator Cantwells public statements in opposition of the bill were confirmed as still valid. I asked that my thanks be extended to the senator for her continued public opposition of the bill, and that as a constituent I agree with her opposed position.

2012-01-18 13:42: Same as above.

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Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
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Thomas Carper (D-DE)
I telephoned a state office on Jan. 13. (Wash. D.C. office closed Jan. 12-17)

Staff member could not provide Senator's position and said when answer is obtained, they would only reply with US. mail.

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Robert Casey (D-PA)
I called this morning. The staffer said that he's undecided. (Which I thought was interesting given that he's listed as a co-sponsor!) She also talked about how this vote isn't the final vote but the vote to agree to keep talking about it.

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C. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
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Daniel Coats (R-IN)
Called the district office and spoke with a staffer. She told me Senator Coats had not yet finalized his position on PIPA and wanted to hear my thoughts on it. She took down my name and address and said they would contact me (1:30 p.m. EST 1/18). Call him and express your concerns.

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Tom Coburn (R-OK)
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Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Called 1/18/12 Co-sponsered bill, but due to overwhelming controversy is open to discussion.

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Susan Collins (R-ME)
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Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Contact made with aid to Sen. Conrad on Jan. 18, 2012. He is undecided yet, and is taking comments.

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Chris Coons (D-DE)
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Bob Corker (R-TN)
1/18/2012 - Spoke to one of Senator Corker's staffers who had a standard prepared statement saying something to the effect of "Senator Corker believes protecting free speech online is important and also believes protecting American copyright holders from pirates in other countries is critical." He assured me that Senator Corker is working to ensure that Congress will do whatever it takes to protect against copyright infringement and piracy. He remains firmly behind the bill.

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John Cornyn (R-TX)
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Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Thank you for contacting me regarding the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (S. 968). I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond. As you may know, on May 12, 2011, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) introduced S. 968, also referred to as the PROTECT IP Act. This legislation authorizes the Attorney General to take action against either the owner of a nondomestic domain name (NDN) or, in lieu of an individual, against the domain name itself, if the NDN is used within the United States to access an Internet site dedicated to infringing activities (ISDIA) directing business to U.S. residents and harming U.S. intellectual property rights. The Senate Committee on the Judiciary approved the bill on May 26, 2011, clearing it for further consideration by the full Senate. As the uses of the Internet and other multimedia technologies continue to develop, it is essential Congress works to promote a vibrant, open system that balances the interests of consumers with those of intellectual property holders. I recognize the need to protect intellectual property rights, however, this legislation has raised some concern that it would come at the expense of the constitutionally protected right of free speech. Please know, if this issue is debated in the 112th Congress, I will work with my colleagues to strike the proper balance between protecting intellectual property rights as well as freedom of speech. Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov.

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Jim DeMint (R-SC)
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Richard Durbin (D-IL)
1/18/12 I spoke with Rob in the local office and expressed my feelings on his support of the bill, stating that it will stifle Free Speech and 1st Amendment rights. "My opinion had been logged," Rob told me.

1/18/12 Could not get thru via Senator Durbin's DC office, but spoke to "Emily" at the Springfield, IL office. Senator Durbin is co-sponsor of PIPA and supportive. I strongly urged that Sen Durbin change his position to oppose this bill, and stated many valid reasons for doing so, many of which are contained in excellent factual blog article at:

http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/technical-examination-of-sopa-and.html

I also requested a formal response from Senator Durbin prior to Jan 24th, in order to know his position or any changes to it.

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Michael Enzi (R-WY)
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Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
1/18/12 3:43PM PST - Spoke with staffer. She co-sponsored the bill. Staffer said he will pass along my opposition to the bill and asked for my zipcode.

Feinstein supports the postponement; wants to improve and balance the bill; agrees it needs changes, is meeting with people in the tech sector to discuss their concerns; still wants to be a co-sponsor because she supports the anti-piracy goal; I urged her to withdraw her co-sponsorship, and take a public stand that the bill is un-salvageable; gave my zip code. JesseW 21:26, January 20, 2012 (UTC)

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Al Franken (D-MN)
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Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
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Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
I called his district office and spoke with Lee, one of his assistants, who said he wasn't in. I left a message with her, urging him to vote against SOPA and PIPA and I also took this opportunity to let him know how disgusted I was with his support of the NDAA.

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Charles Grassley (R-IA)
Des Moines: 515-288-1145

I called his DC office on Blackout Day (1/18), with no response. I called his Des Moine office and was notified that no one on his staff was familiar with PIPA specifically, but that I could have some information sent by mail or email.

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Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Called the district office. I asked if Hagan was mainting support for the bill. Staff said that she still supports PIPA but believes modifications could be made to protect IP without unintended consequences. Expressed my discontent, comments recorded.

1/18/12 Similar response ^

1/18/12 Similar response, noted the importance of considering NC jobs to be lost by the bill, comments recorded

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Thomas Harkin (D-IA)
Iowa City phone: 319-365-4504

Called DC with no answer on Blackout Day (1/18). Called Iowa City district office, and was told that Sen. Harkin had not yet made a decision on PIPA, but that there had been quite the call-volume today already.

Male district staffer said the Senator was still reviewing the bill and added that they've gotten a lot of input over the last few days. He sounded a little overwhelmed. I didn't give my position, as I'm not a constituent. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
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Dean Heller (R-NV)
Spoke to district staffer named Chris, who said the Senator has made no decision, and is still reviewing the legislation. He offered to mail me the senator's views on the subject, and I declined, as I wasn't a constituent. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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John Hoeven (R-ND)
Spoke to a male district staffer named something like "Jerome". He asked for my name, where I was calling from, and whether I was calling for a company or organization. I gave my name, state, and said I wasn't affiliated with anyone, but explained about OpenCongress.org and the project. He transfered me to someone named something like "Irene", who said that the bill wasn't finalized yet. I asked if this meant that the Senator wouldn't have a position until that happened, and she said, effectively, "Of course." I said thank you, and she hung up. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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Kay Hutchison (R-TX)
Called the Senator's office (1/18) and I was told that no comments could be made while the Senate was in recess, but they did record my comments.

A male district staffer said that the Senator has no position and will continue to have no position until the bill is finished and released to a senate vote. Seemed somewhat irritated to be asked. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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James Inhofe (R-OK)
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Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
I'm a Hawaii voter, I called the state office. They said that Senator Inouye is undeclared as of today, January 18th, but is "drafting a statement."

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John Isakson (R-GA)
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Mike Johanns (R-NE)
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Tim Johnson (D-SD)
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Ron Johnson (R-WI)
The male district staffer I spoke to took down my full contact info (name, postal address &amp; (after I requested it) email address) and said they would send me the senator's position. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

The female DC staffer said they "don't currently have a position [on PROTECT-IP] from the senator" so are simply taking comments and passing them along. JesseW 21:29, January 20, 2012 (UTC)

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John Kerry (D-MA)
Kevin Lyda: I'm a constituent and I vote in priimary elections... Rang his district office on 18 Jan and the very nice staffer guessed I was calling opposition to the bill. She actually referred to it as "the bill." She said a number of people called in to oppose it but that the Senator had not released an opinion on the bill yet. Dissapointing. I hope more constituents ring his office.

John Sundman: I spoke to staffer 3:35 PM. He said Senator Kerry has not issued statement, but "is meeting with technical experts." I said "if he's meeting with technical experts, then he must be hearing how horrible this bill is." Staffer said, "Yes, he's been hearing a lot of that."

Ephemereal: I spoke with a staffer in the Boston office at 3:36 pm. She repeated what was said to John Sundman, reiterated that the Boston office was taking a lot of calls against PIPA, and Sen. Kerry was not ready to issue a public statement. I told her that Scott Brown had come out against it, and if Kerry didn't want that used against him come re-election time, he should think about that. My neighbor called immediately after I did, got the same response.

Kerry will be releasing a statement once PIPA reaches the Senate floor; he is aware of the large amount of opposition ; unlike the 40 co-sponsors, he has not co-sponsored the legislation. It was an impressively opaque statement of non-opposition, but not exactly "no position". I'm leaving him as "needing calls". JesseW 21:35, January 20, 2012 (UTC)

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Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Spoke with Emily (aide) at Senator Kirk's DC office (202-224-2854) and she stated that Sen Kirk is opposed to PIPA at this time, in it's current form. I thanked the Senator for his current stance and strongly urged for him not to change his stance.

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Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
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Herbert Kohl (D-WI)
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Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
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Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
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Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
1/18 4:12pm Called Newark office (DC # didn't work for me), spoke with staffer. He informed me that Lautenberg has no current position on the bill at hand, and that my message urging for opposition would be relayed to the senator.

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Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
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Mike Lee (R-UT)
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Carl Levin (D-MI)
1-17-2012 Called Senator's office, no opinion until bill rewrite is complete.

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Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)
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Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Called and spoke with a staffer who told me Senator Lugar had not yet made a decision about PIPA (1:30 p.m. EST 1/18). Took my name and address and told me they would be in touch.

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Joe Manchin (D-WV)
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John McCain (R-AZ)
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Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Female district staffer said when she last checked, the senator's position was undecided, but recommended that I call back tomorrow morning. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
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Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
1/18 Called district office, a lady took my name and address, then asked me if I was calling to oppose PIPA. I said yes. She said "Thank you, have a nice day". Based on this response I'm assuming he's still in favor of the bill despite public pressure.

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Jeffery Merkley (D-OR)
Called district office 1/18/12 at 11:05am, position is opposed.

Called district office 1/18/12 at 11:15am; staffer said he had just released a statement. Couldn't find statement on web site.

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Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
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Jerry Moran (R-KS)
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Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
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Patty Murray (D-WA)
1/17-Staff said Murray doesn't know how she's going to vote yet, that she's waiting to see what the final form of the bill will be.

Called 1/17 No position avalible 'sentaor murray is still researching the bill.' I asked that my strong opposition as a contituent to be forwarded to the sentor and that she be urged to vote against the bill.

1/17 -No Change - America's Third Party

2012-01-18 14:04: Still no change. Expressed my opposition to the kind of legislation that caters to financial interests that are already too powerful.

2012-01-18 5:31: She tweeted: "Protecting IP is vital for jobs &amp; econ in WA, but I have real concerns with #SOPA &amp; #PIPA as currently drafted. Changes should be made." https://twitter.com/#!/PattyMurray/status/159810120358961152

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Bill Nelson (D-FL)
1/19/2012 Called the Senator's West Palm Beach office. Spoke with staffer. Told her I was a constituent (she asked for my zip code) and that I opposed PIPA. She said that Sen. Nelson was a co-sponsor of the bill. I told her that I urged him to reconsider his position.

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E. Benjamin Nelson (D-NE)
Male district staffer asked me to hold for a second; when he came back he said that "since there is currently no motion to proceed on the bill, the Senator has not taken a position on it". Staffer expressed an interest in constituents views, so I clarified that I was not one. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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Rand Paul (R-KY)
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Rob Portman (R-OH)
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Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Just called (DC office) - hooperX101, Jan. 18, 1:33 p.m. CST, no answer/busy, will try again soon. staffer said calls to LR office regarding PIPA will be transferred to DC office "regarding Senator Pryor's position."

Recalled - hooperX101, Jan. 18, 1:46 p.m. CST on special toll free Arkansas line (877-259-9602), transferred to DC, staffer said he was still taking opinions from constituents, told her I vehemently oppose the bill and asked him to vote no

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John Reed (D-RI)
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Harry Reid (D-NV)
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James Risch (R-ID)
1/19 -- Contacted Risch's local office, voiced my concerns to a staffer and asked that he withdraw his support for the bill. Staffer thanked me for calling and said he's "reconsidering all aspects of the bill."

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Pat Roberts (R-KS)
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DC staffer said Senator Rockefeller views PROTECT-IP as effectively dead; that he sees the why of the bill, but doesn't want to support bills that attack Internet freedom; staffer said the view around the office is that he would vote against it if it came to a vote. JesseW 21:41, January 20, 2012 (UTC)

Marco Rubio (R-FL)
1/18 Withdrew his co-sponsorship of the bill []

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Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
On 1/19 at about 10 AM I called Burlington office. Staffer confirmed that Sanders is still undecided on both cloture vote and bill vote. I asked about my position on waiting list to meet in person, given the surge in interest. Directed to scheduler (Harper) voicemail, left a message asking to meet before the 24th.

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Charles Schumer (D-NY)
(1/18/12 comment from Ssims45): I started calling the Senator's office around 2PM EST and finally got through at 2:10PM. The staffer I spoke with was very nice and stated that he was compiling a list of people requesting that the Senator drop sponsorship of the bill and/or vote no. He stated this list would be provided to the Senator at the end of the day.

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Jefferson Sessions (R-AL)
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Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
I contacted her office - and a young woman was very helpful and polite, recording my opposition, name and zip code. I noted my specific concerns about this bill, as a small business owner in NH, and was told that Sen. Shaheen was working very hard to come to a solution.

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Richard Shelby (R-AL)
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Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
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Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
1-17-2012 Called Senator's office, no opinion until bill rewrite is complete.

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Jon Tester (D-MT)
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John Thune (R-SD)
Spoke to male district staffer who said Thune has "come out against the bill in it's current form". The staffer asked for my name, and where I was from. I clarified that I wasn't a constituent, then gave my name and state. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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Pat Toomey (R-PA)
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Mark Udall (D-CO)
1/19 -Called and left a message thanking him for his current position against PIPA and SOPA.

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Tom Udall (D-NM)
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David Vitter (R-LA)
Called DC office to thank him for opposing PIPA, and ask about him still being listed as a co-sponsor. The staffer re-confirmed that he would be removing his co-sponsorship, and said that she thought that it would have to wait until after the session started on Monday for the removal to actually show up. I'm not a constituent, but the staffer didn't ask, and I didn't mention it. JesseW 21:51, January 20, 2012 (UTC)

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Mark Warner (D-VA)
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James Webb (D-VA)
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Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Called local office on Wednesday at 1:31pm ET - aide says he still supports the bill.

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Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Called 1/18/12 Not released a stance, would love to hear from more constituents.

Spoke to female district staffer who said Wicker has no position yet. She asked where I was from, I clarified that I was not a constituent, just asking for his position. JesseW 22:49, January 19, 2012 (UTC)

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Ron Wyden (D-OR)
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