National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org
Action Alert
Thanks in part to your calls, several amendments to H.R. 5850, the fiscal 2011 transportation spending bill, that would have cut funding for Amtrak and high-speed rail were defeated. They were as follows (click to see how your Representative voted):
- Flake (R-AZ) Amendment #20: To eliminate Amtrak’s $1.2 billion capital grant. Defeated 129 to 293 (16 not voting)
- Latham (R-IA) Amendment #8: To reduce funding for a number of programs to the President’s requested amount, including cutting $400 million from high-speed rail and $140 million from Amtrak. Defeated 197 to 225 (16 not voting)
- Jordan (R-OH) Amendment #18: To reduce overall transportation spending to fiscal 2008 levels. Defeated 159 to 265 (14 not voting)
- Culberson (R-TX) Amendment #10: To reduce overall transportation spending to fiscal 2009 levels. Defeated 159 to 252 (17 not voting)
A couple of pointers to maximize the effectiveness of your message:
- When writing elected officials, keep your message brief (one page or 4-5 E-mail paragraphs) and to the point (talk about only one issue at a time).
- While E-mail is convenient, many offices are overwhelmed with E-mail correspondence; especially spam. For optimum effectiveness, fax is the best way to communicate with your legislators. Don’t discount E-mail, but don’t be surprised if you do not receive a response. Send all U.S. Mail to district offices, not Washington, D.C. Anthrax/poison screening is still in effect.
- Refrain from insults! Anger accomplishes nothing
- If you choose to call, you will likely speak with the elected official’s legislative aide for transportation
- Offer to follow up a phone call with a fax or E-mail with more details
- Let the NARP office know if you receive a response with incorrect information and the NARP staff will contact them!
Informational Resources
NARP Pushes The Facts. Home of our “Amtrak Fact Check” and other resources you can use to get the truth out about Amtrak. Includes the 2006 Fact Check and a list of key Congressional offices.
Passenger Rail Funding & Statistics and other Advocacy Tools...data about specific services, ridership, and other benefits of rail travel.
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