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BizVoice/Indiana Chamber – July/August 2016
Getting in the spirit(s)
From bourbon to wine to small breweries
and more, the caucus bar appears fully stocked!
Congressman Pete Visclosky (1st District) sits
on the Wine Caucus, which has its own web
site that describes the members as having “deep
appreciation of wine” in addition to promoting
the wine industry and recognizing the impact
it has in this country; more than one million
jobs are tied to the wine-making business.
Never fear, teetotalers, there is also a place
for you: the Carbonated and Non-Alcoholic
Caucus – also known as, I kid you not, the
CAN Caucus.
Around the globe
The Friends of Switzerland moniker is a
curious one since the country is known for its
neutrality, but perhaps that makes everyone a
friend. In all seriousness, the group’s purpose
is to further American-Swiss relations, with
more than 40 congressional members meeting
annually with their legislative counterparts in
the Swiss Federal Assembly. Three are Indiana
representatives – André Carson (7th District),
Marlin Stutzman (3rd District) and Visclosky.
Quite a few other locales also receive
the caucus treatment to help further ties:
Azerbaijan, Croatia, Norway, Panama,
Scotland, Spain and Thailand among them.
Fun and games
Wonder if Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-South
Bend), who is a co-chair of the Congressional
Boating Caucus, starts meetings with, “All
aboard!” Probably not. One also shouldn’t
look for members routinely leaving a dock.
This group was formed over 25 years ago to
focus advocacy efforts on the recreational
boating industry, which according to the
National Marine Manufacturers Association,
accounts for $72 billion to the U.S. economy
and employs nearly 350,000 workers.
Sometimes, however, a caucus is what it
appears to be: a good time. That’s exactly
what Texas Congressman Roger Williams
envisioned when he formed the Congressional
Baseball Caucus in 2013.
“I can’t think of a better way to set aside
our partisan differences than to get together
once in a while and hear from baseball
legends, discuss important issues about the
game and simply enjoy each other’s
CONGRESSIONAL
CAUCUSES
There’s a Group for That?
By Rebecca Patrick
The very first recorded meeting of supporters or members of a movement or political party – commonly
referred to as a caucus – started here before the U.S. was even a country. Under British colony rule in 1763,
future Founding Father John Adams wrote in his diary about such a gathering in Massachusetts.
In modern day politics, this routinely happens in Congress and state legislatures. Some caucuses, like the
Congressional Black Caucus or Congressional Caucus on Women’s Issues, are well known and speak for
themselves. Others focus on specific topics to study – childhood cancer or diabetes as examples. Yet more
caucuses than you would imagine at the federal level are surprising by their very existence.
A shared passion for baseball helps bring members of Congress together for an annual charity game
and additional activities throughout the year.