Resources for Congressional Meetings

Thank you for agreeing to organize a district meeting with your member of Congress!

What follows is a guide for setting up congressional meetings, along with several resources we hope you will find helpful in making the case for continued federal support for Transportation Enhancements (TE) and other walking and bicycling programs.

Each link below will open a new tab/window in your internet browser, so this page will stay open for you to continue printing resources.

Setting up the Congressional meeting

1. Every congressional office has its own approach to scheduling meetings. Call the district office, ask to speak to the scheduler, tell him/her that you are interested in meeting with your Representative, and ask what protocol they would like you to follow in submitting a request. Phone numbers for local offices can be found on individual congressional Web sites at www.house.gov.


2. The scheduler will probably ask you to submit a written request, whether via email, fax, or the U.S. Postal Service. Request content will vary, but you will likely be asked to provide information on the purpose of the meeting, who will be attending and a range of potential times. See this sample letter, and be sure to personalize it for your purposes.

Meeting preparation

1. These talking points will help you prepare for the meeting and aid in structuring the dialogue to best make strong points about the benefits of trails, walking and biking. Remember, however, that you seek to have a conversation with your member, not just make a presentation.


2. These fact sheets on Transportation Enhancements (TE), Safe Routes to School (SRTS), and the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) provide more in depth information about these key programs.


3. Additionally, this list can help you document how these bicycle/pedestrian/trail programs have benefited your community. The list is incomplete, so likely will not include all trails in your district. (Scroll through the document, sorted alphabetically by state, to find your district.)


4. In the summer of 2010, many states responded to a federal rescission order by gutting their TE programs. If you feel it will help make your case, you can download these rescission results, either alphabetized by state or listed in order of the amount of TE rescinded as a percentage of the state's TE allocation.*

* The point in presenting rescission data is to counter the claim that funding for trails, walking and bicycling should be a local or state decision rather than a federal matter. Through past rescission choices, many states have demonstrated that they will not adequately fund these critical facilities when funding is tight. Indeed, in this most recent rescission, 26% of the total money rescinded by all states came from TE.

Materials to Leave Behind

1. Members are always interested in a program's impact on their own districts. Download and print copies of a TE project list for your congressional district (1992-2009 projects). PDF files are listed by their two-digit state abbreviation, followed by the two digit congressional district. ("AL" in the district field means "at-large.")**


2. To provide a view of what the entire TE program has done, download and print copies of TE spending pie charts for both your state and for the entire country. Simply open the above file and under the File menu, select "Print," select "Current Page" under "Print Range," then click OK. After this page prints, scroll down to your state's pie chart. Print your state's chart following the same instructions as above. These charts represent the distribution and total of TE spending from 1992 to 2009.


3. For district-specific lists of SRTS grants, please e-mail margo@saferoutespartnership.org with your congressional district and meeting date.

** If you are meeting with a member in a district not listed in this list, contact RTC's Manager of Policy Outreach at kartik@railstotrails.org.

"The Big Ask"

Ask your representative if s/he will support continued dedicated federal funding for bicycling, walking and trail programs. If a more specific "ask" has clarified in Congress by the time of your meeting, you will be provided with updated information.

Parting Offer

Tell your representative that (if applicable, as the weather improves) there is likely to be a bicycle ride in the near future, a trail groundbreaking/opening, or a SRTS event in the district. Indicate that you would like your representative to be a part of the celebration and will keep in touch.

Be sure to take detailed notes the conversation, so that we may strategize following the meeting.

Feedback

After your meeting, it is absolutely critical that you please report back—with as much detail as possible—using this form.

Additionally, please feel free to contact RTC's Sr. Vice President of Federal Relations Marianne Fowler, at marianne@railstotrails.org or 202-974-5104 (best times to call are between 5:30 and 6:30pm EST).

For many of you, this meeting will be the continuation of a well established and trusted relationship with your member of Congress. For others, it will be the "beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Please contact kartik@railstotrails.org with any questions.

Thank you and good luck.