Senate poised to advance livable communities bill

July 30, 2010
By Stephen Lee Davis

UPDATED (8/3/10): The Senate Banking Committee approved this bill 12-10 during markup today, with a few amendments added. Stay tuned for a release with more details. Thanks to everyone who made a phone call. We heard from some offices that your calls were coming in, and they were heard!

The Senate is on the cusp of moving an important bill forward that would help cities and towns across the country integrate housing with a safe, clean and smart transportation system. The Livable Communities Act (S.1619), sponsored by Senator Christopher Dodd, is due to be voted on by the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in what’s called a “mark up” Tuesday morning (8/3) at 10 a.m.

This bill, introduced almost a year ago, has been moving lately thanks to the outpouring of support from individuals like you, mayors, and organizations from across the the country who think this bill will help them plan for the future in a smart, sustainable way. We outlined some of the provisions in the bill in this post.

The Act authorizes $400 million in competitive grants to plan for livable communities, integrating transportation, housing, economic development and environmental needs. It authorizes $3.75 billion over three years for implementation of projects promoting sustainable development by creating and preserving affordable housing in neighborhoods with access to jobs and served by transit; improving public transportation; creating safe places for walking and biking; redeveloping brownfields; and fostering revitalization. It also creates an inter-departmental council to coordinate among transportation, housing and urban development and environmental agencies, and creates an office of sustainability at HUD.

The 23 Senators on this committee need to hear from their constituents that they should support this important bill and vote for it next Tuesday. Can you help by making a phone call? In this case, it’s even easier than usual. No talking points required, just call your Senator if they’re on this list, and tell them:

“Hi, I’m a constituent calling to ask Senator ____ to vote for the Livable Communities Act in Committee on Tuesday. Thank you!”

After your call, report your call to us with this page and tell some friends to do the same.

Feel free to call more than once if you like, and tell your friends in your state to join you. We’ll want these Senators to get the message loud and clear, especially in the 24 hours from Monday morning to the vote on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

State	First Name	Last Name	DC Phone
Alabama	Richard	Shelby	202-224-5744
Colorado	Michael	Bennet	202-224-5852
Connecticut	Christopher	Dodd	202-224-2823
Hawaii	Daniel	Akaka	202-224-6361
Idaho	Mike	Crapo	202-224-6142
Indiana	Evan	Bayh	202-224-5623
Kentucky	Jim	Bunning	202-224-4343
Louisiana	David	Vitter	202-224-4623
Montana	Jon	Tester	202-224-2644
Nebraska	Mike	Johanns	202-224-4224
New Hampshire	Judd	Gregg	202-224-3324
New Jersey	Robert	Menendez	202-224-4744
New York	Charles	Schumer	202-224-6542
Ohio	Sherrod	Brown	202-224-2315
Oregon	Jeff	Merkley	202-224-3753
Rhode Island	Jack	Reed	202-224-4642
South Carolina	Jim	DeMint	202-224-6121
South Dakota	Tim	Johnson	202-224-5842
Tennessee	Bob	Corker	202-224-3344
Texas	Kay	Bailey Hutchison	202-224-5922
Utah	Robert	Bennett	202-224-5444
Virginia	Mark	Warner	202-224-2023
Wisconsin	Herb	Kohl	202-224-5653