Dedicated federal bike/ped funding is on the line as Congress confers on the next transportation bill.
Please use the action letter below to alert your members and contacts, and tell Congress to preserve local control over funding for biking and walking. Be sure to include the Take Action link to the League of American Bicyclists' Action Center as well as the sample action letters — one for House conferees, one for Senate conferees, and one for non-conferees.
Not sure which letter to use? Check the list of conferees for the House and Senate.
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Email Alert Sample Language for you to use
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SUBJECT: Act Now: House Aims to Eliminate Local Funds for Biking and Walking
Dear [[First_Name]],
It’s come down a fight for local control. Negotiations on the federal transportation bill are at a critical point and twenty years of gains on biking, walking and Safe Routes to School are at risk.
Cities and counties all over the country need transportation funding to build sidewalks and bikeways to make streets safer, get local economies moving, and encourage active living. But some members of Congress want to eliminate local access to these federal funds.
Will you ask your members of Congress to protect local access to funds for biking and walking projects?
Take Action NOW!
Selected members of the House and Senate are negotiating right now to produce a final transportation bill. The Senate’s first offer to the House included the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran agreement, which would allow local governments to access federal funds for biking and walking projects.
But the House would prefer to get rid of biking and walking funding. In their counter-offer, the House proposed allowing states to ‘opt out’ of this funding pot completely, eliminating the Cardin-Cochran agreement, thus taking away local governments’ ability to access federal funds for small transportation projects.
Local elected officials across the country want and need federal funding to build sidewalks, bike lanes, and bike paths. If the House of Representatives gets its way, your local government won’t have access to funds to build the biking and walking improvements that make streets safer for all of us.
We can’t let Congress eliminate local control. Will you contact your members of Congress today and ask them to rethink the House’s plan and save the Cardin-Cochran agreement?
Take Action NOW!
Thank you for making a difference.
Sincerely,
[[Name]]
----LETTER TO SENATE CONFEREES
SUBJECT: Please Save Local Transportation Control by Preserving the Cardin-Cochran Agreement
Dear [[Title]] [[Last_Name]],
I am writing to urge you to maintain the bipartisan Cardin-Cochran agreement to Additional Activities in the transportation conference bill. Please reject the House offer to make Additional Activities optional.
In MAP-21 and in the Senate draft offer, the Additional Activities fund combined Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School with a variety of other eligibilities. The Cardin-Cochran agreement amended Additional Activities to allow local governments to compete for these funds for local transportation projects.
The first House counteroffer allows states to opt out of the Additional Activities fund, thus pitting state control against local control. By allowing states to opt out of Additional Activities funding, the House counter-offer could prevent local governments from accessing funds for small-scale, local transportation projects.
The Cardin-Cochran agreement does the following:
- Devolves a small portion of federal transportation funds through suballocation and competition to local governments—whose leaders know the transportation needs of their constituents best.
- Provides flexibility and funding certainty to local planning entities to ensure that a portion of their gas taxes are utilized to address the transportation needs in their communities.
- Allows local governments and MPOs to decide what types of projects to apply for in competing for Additional Activities funds. Eligible projects include biking and walking improvements.
The House counteroffer would prevent local governments from competing for funds to undertake small, local transportation projects that vastly improve street safety and local economic competitiveness.
As your constituent, I urge you to reject the House offer to make Additional Activities optional. Please preserve the Cardin-Cochran agreement in your work on the transportation conference committee.
Thank you for representing me on these important issues.
Sincerely,
[[Name]]
-----LETTER TO HOUSE CONFEREES----
SUBJECT: Please Save Local Transportation Control by Preserving the Cardin-Cochran Agreement
Dear [[Title]] [[Last_Name]],
I am writing to urge you to maintain the bi –partisan Cardin-Cochran agreement to Additional Activities in the transportation conference bill. This agreement allows local governments access to a small portion of funds for small-scale local transportation projects. Please reject the House offer to make Additional Activities optional.
In MAP-21 and in the Senate draft offer, the Additional Activities fund combined Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School with a variety of other eligibilities. The Cardin-Cochran agreement amended Additional Activities to allow local governments to compete for these funds for local transportation projects.
The first House counter-offer allows states to opt out of the Additional Activities fund, thus pitting state control against local control. By allowing states to opt out of Additional Activities funding, the House counter-offer could prevent local governments from accessing funds for small-scale, local transportation projects.
The Cardin-Cochran agreement does the following:
- Devolves a small portion of federal transportation funds through suballocation and competition to local governments—whose leaders know the transportation needs of their constituents best.
- Provides flexibility and funding certainty to local planning entities to ensure that a portion of transportation dollars are utilized to address the transportation needs in their communities.
- Allows local governments and MPOs to decide what types of projects to apply for in competing for Additional Activities funds. Eligible projects include biking and walking improvements.
The House counteroffer would prevent local governments from competing for funds to undertake small, local transportation projects that vastly improve street safety and local economic competitiveness.
As your constituent, I urge you to reconsider making Additional Activities optional. Please preserve the Cardin-Cochran agreement in your work on the transportation conference committee.
Thank you for representing me on these important issues.
Sincerely,
[[Name]]
----LETTER TO NON-CONFEREES----
SUBJECT: Please Ask Conferees to Save Local Transportation Control by Preserving the Cardin-Cochran Agreement
Dear [[Title]] [[Last_Name]],
I am writing to urge you to ask your colleagues on the Transportation conference committee to support the Cardin-Cochran agreement in the transportation conference bill.
In MAP-21 and in the Senate draft offer, the Additional Activities fund combined Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School with a variety of other eligibilities. The Cardin-Cochran agreement amended Additional Activities to allow local governments to compete for these funds for local transportation projects.
The first House counter-offer allows states to opt out of the Additional Activities fund, thus pitting state control against local control. By allowing states to opt out of Additional Activities funding, the House counter-offer would prevent local governments from accessing funds for small-scale, local transportation projects.
The Cardin-Cochran agreement does the following:
- Devolves a small portion of federal transportation funds through suballocation and competition to local governments—whose leaders know the transportation needs of their constituents best.
- Provides flexibility and funding certainty to local planning entities to ensure that a portion of their gas taxes are utilized to address the transportation needs in their communities.
- Maintains the eligibility of projects and funding levels of the “Additional Activities.”
- Allows local governments and MPOs to decide what types of projects to apply for in competing for Additional Activities funds. Eligible projects include biking and walking improvements.
The House counteroffer would prevent local governments from competing for funds to undertake small, local transportation projects that vastly improve street safety and local economic competitiveness.
As your constituent, I urge you to contact your colleagues on the transportation conference committee to ask them to preserve the Cardin-Cochran agreement.
Thank you for representing me on these important issues.
Sincerely,
[[Name]]
