HRC Members:
The AIA is working with a broad coalition to maintain Congressional support for vital transportation-related historic preservation and rehabilitation projects.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will debate legislation on Thursday that will renew federal transportation programs for an additional five years. The bill, which was unveiled only earlier this week, would strip from current law provisions that enable states and communities to use a small portion of their federal transportation dollars on so-called Transportation Enhancement projects, such as preservation of historic transportation facilities, rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings, and the preservation of abandoned railway corridors for use as pedestrian or bicycle trails.
Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) is planning to offer an amendment during Thursday's committee deliberations to restore most of the Transportation Enhancement provisions. The AIA is working with a broad coalition of design, transportation, and safety groups to build support for the amendment.
The AIA was instrumental in the creation of the Transportation Enhancement program in 1991. The AIA joined with allied design professionals and other organizations last fall to fight efforts in the Senate to eliminate the program.
Even if the Petri amendment is passed, we expect this debate to continue as the bill moves to the House floor. The AIA and its allies are working on a long-term strategy to protect these programs. In the meantime, what can you do?
If your member of Congress is on the Committee (here are the Committee members), we encourage you to the Capitol switchboard (202-224-3121) and ask to be connected to your member of Congress' office. Then ask your member of Congress to support the Petri amendment to protect Transportation Enhancement programs. Don't know your member of Congress? Click here to search by your home Zip code.
-Andrew Goldberg-
-------------------------------------------
Andrew Goldberg Assoc. AIA
Sr. Director, Federal Affairs
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
-------------------------------------------