Hartford CT is just 90 short minutes from my house, so I went down there yesterday to support a handful of Connecticut-based affiliates who were also heading over in an effort to put a stop to SB 5481, CT's version of the advertising tax.

To the uninitiated, this seems like a pretty intimidatng thing, to head to a state capital and face state representatives. But it really couldn't be farther from the truth.

Here's what it's like. We hang out in the lobby and hallways outside of the meeting rooms.

The place is swarming with lobbyists. They are there all day long pulling legislators aside and talking to them about the issues. There were at least three lobbyists there working on this issue with us. They made every introduction.

We were among the ONLY non-lobbyist and non-government individuals in the whole place. You don't think that makes an impact? Think again.

Here's the crew, with me way in the background as I should be in Connecticut (I'm from Massachusetts). The folks with me are the heroes who are stepping up on behalf of the thousands of affiliates in Connecticut.

In this picture are affiliate marketers (L to R) are John Napoletano, Vincent Villano, Kevin Mardorf and his GF Jennifer, Tom Caporaso, and Scott Jangro (yours truly).

Are You From Connecticut?

If you are an affiliate from Connecticut, your livelyhood is at risk. There is somehthing you can do about it immediately.

First, make a call or send an email. Send an email NOW as the Finance Committee meeting is this afternoon. They need a stack of printed emails to wave around.

UPDATE: The bill has passed the finance committee with votes along party lines. This spells trouble as the House and Senate are both majority Democrats and will keep pushing this through barring any reason to do otherwise. You are the reason to do otherwise, so call and send letters and emails. They do make a huge difference.

Here's a list of the CT Finance Committee members. Just tell them about yourself, where you live, that you oppose the bill, and that you are concerned that your job is in jeopardy because advertisers and merchants will terminate their relationship with you rather than collect sales tax from CT residents.

Second, keep an eye out for the next time folks are gathering at the capitol. The best way to do this is to get yourself onto the PMA email list as a CT affiliate.

I promise you, it is nothing but fun and rewarding. It's like an affiliate marketing meetup with an occasional discussion with state reps.

Save your own ass by getting off it!

Read more here at the PMA website.