Today the House Subcommittee on Crime had a hearing on the House RAVE Act and was scheduled to vote on it. Fortunately, the Committee decided to cancel the vote because the House of Representatives is adjourning on Friday (possibly for the year). The Senate will still be in session at least one more week, and the RAVE Act could come up for a vote during this time. The Drug Policy Alliance is urging voters to continue to pressure their Senators not to support the bill. It is still possible that both the House and Senate will come back into session in later November or early December, so the RAVE Act could still become law this year.

What was seen as an easy legislative slam-dunk a few weeks ago is now becoming more of a challenge, as supporters of the law face growing opposition from civil liberties groups, business groups, and voters. The Drug Policy Alliance has waged a nationwide campaign to stop the bill. Tens of thousands of voters have called or faxed their Members of Congress in opposition to the bill. Business interests have delivered petitions with nearly 20,000 signatures to the Senate with the warning that, "this bill is a serious threat to civil liberties, freedom of speech and the right to dance." In September, music fans held protests in five major cities, including a rave on the lawn of Congress. Two of the original co-sponsors of the Senate version have withdrawn their support for the bill, including the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.