News

In This Issue

• Continuing resolution and budget update plus action items – coming soon
• SGA Monthly Coalition Call – this Thursday, 2/24 @ 4pm EST
• Please register for the SGA Coalition Meeting and Lobby Day, April 14-15!
• Stimulus report: Thank you and report back
• Featured Members: Futurewise and Transportation Choices Coalition launch a new campaign – Transportation for Washington
• Infrastructure Survey from The Rockefeller Foundation is released
• Upcoming Conference: “2011 Transit Initiatives and Communities Conference”
• New SGA Coalition Website coming soon!

Continuing resolution and budget update – coming soon
We’re working on putting together an update on the CR and budget and will send it out tomorrow or Thursday – keep an eye out. We will also be sending out additional notices for actions to take, particularly on the Senate side. Thanks for all your help so far!

SGA Monthly Coalition Call – this Thursday, 2/24 @4pm EST
Our regular monthly coalition call is coming up this Thursday 2/24 at 4pm EST on this conference line: 712-432-0111, 668783#. Topics for the call include: Update on Continuing Resolution work; Advocating for the President’s FY12 budget; Update on the stimulus report; SGA Coalition Meeting and Lobby Day update, etc.

Please register for the SGA Coalition Meeting and Lobby Day, April 14-15!
The 2011 SGA Coalition Meeting and Lobby Day is coming up on April 14-15. We’re still working on determining a location and developing the agenda, but we wanted to send out the registration information and a few key details so you can let us know if you’re planning to attend. If you’re planning to join us, please register no later than Friday, March 25 here. For more information on the schedule, you can visit the registration form as well.

We’ll continue sending out reminders and more info about the agenda through out the next month.

A couple of notes on Lobby Day:

• State/local/regional partners – we provided space in the registration form for you to notify us about any particular members of Congress that you are interested in meeting with, so please let us know who you’d like to target. Lobby Day is a great opportunity to start or solidify a relationship with a newer Congressperson.
• National Members and partners – We’d like to pair you up with our state and local partners to attend Hill meetings. You can also note any preferences in the form. It’s a great way to share what you’re working on with our state and local partners and hear about what’s going on in the field. Please register ASAP so we know how many people plan to attend and can make sure we are able to accommodate everyone.

For more information on Lobby Day, contact Devon Barnhart. For more information on the coalition meeting, contact Elisa Ortiz.

Stimulus report: Thank you and report back
As you know, SGA released a report in early February about how states spent their flexible transportation funds from 2009’s American Recovery & Reinvestment Act and whether the projects funded with that money created the most jobs possible. We wanted to send out a big THANK YOU to all of you for your work in helping to release this report. We received a large number of media hits nationally and in your states thanks to all your hard work. For a full list of media hits as of 2/11/11, check out this document.

FEATURED MEMBER: Futurewise and Transportation Choices Coalition launch a new campaign – Transportation for Washington
With gas prices and the demand for transit at an all time high, the transportation system in Washington is at a critical juncture. In order improve transportation for people across the state, Smart Growth America coalition partners Transportation Choices Coalition and Futurewise have joined together to launch a new, multi-year, statewide campaign. Transportation for Washington (T4WA) will invest in transportation options that save people money, focus on clean air and water, and build healthy communities to work, live, and play. For more information, read SGA’s blog post or visit the T4WA website.

Infrastructure Survey from The Rockefeller Foundation is released
A new survey by the Rockefeller Foundation about transportation infrastructure has found that two out of three voters say making improvements to the country’s transportation infrastructure is very important, and most say that in its current state the nation’s transportation system is barely adequate. Voters want better and safer roads and more public transportation options, widely agreeing that the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved public transportation system. Check out more information on our blog.

Upcoming Conference: “2011 Transit Initiatives and Communities Conference”
Registration is now open for the “2011 Transit Initiatives and Communities Conference” – the only national conference devoted to understanding the role of ballot measures in improving transportation choices and  investment, and providing advice on how to achieve success at the ballot box.

Title: 2011 Transit Initiatives and Communities Conference
Location: Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark – St. Louis, Missouri
Date: June 20-22, 2011
Find more information here.

New SGA Coalition Website coming soon!
Within the next couple of weeks, we will be transitioning the coalition password-protected site into SGA’s new website. We’ll have even more great resources for you there as well as our new website look and feel. Keep your eyes peeled!