In this issue:
Federal Policy Update
Reminder: Webinar and materials on positive messaging available
A new report on the debt of Massachusetts’ transportation system
Federal Policy Update (from Katy Hartnett)
The Senate and the House of Representatives have each proposed budgets for the 2012 federal fiscal year, and each proposal includes different levels of funding for the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities. This week, the two chambers are scheduled to reconcile their budgets and will decide funding for the Partnership and its programs for next year. That means this week is a crucial time to voice support for the Partnership.
Tell your Senators and Representative to support the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: Call your members of Congress today. We will update you later this week as the budget reconciliation takes shape. Please take advantage of this crucial time to show your support for the Partnership.
Also scheduled for this week is the Environment and Public Works Committee’s mark up of legislation to reauthorize the nation’s transportation programs for two years. The bill is called Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) and the text can be found here.
Reminder: Webinar and materials on positive messaging available
As a reminder, there is an archived webinar on positive messaging available here on the coalition-only section of our website. Please take advantage of this and the other great resources posted there.
A new report on the debt of Massachusetts’ transportation system
Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) released a new report, which explains that the state’s transportation system “is living largely on borrowed time and borrowed money.” “MAXED OUT: Massachusetts Transportation at a Financing Crossroad,” goes on to tell the story of how the state ended up with this debt and how the situation could get worse as the country prepared for federal budget cuts. The report is available here on T4MA’s website.