Send a letter to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to support the INVEST Act
If you represent an organization, please send a letter on your letterhead to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of the INVEST Act. A simple letter of support will do nicely (see sample text below). If you feel the need to provide more detail, this blog post and T4America’s statement about the bill can help you flesh out a letter. Letters of support should ideally be submitted to the committee by COB Monday (COB Tuesday at the latest) so they have them in hand for Wednesday’s markup.
You can email the committee staff here. (Please note to change the subject line.)
SEND A LETTER
Who to email?
To send a letter to Chair DeFazio, please email Madeleine Pike, Director of Outreach and Member Services for the House T&I Committee, at madeleine.pike@mail.house.gov. To send a letter to Ranking Member Graves, please email Abigail Camp at abigail.camp@mail.house.gov
What to say?
A simple statement of support for the INVEST Act is all that is needed. Here’s some sample text to get you started:
“[Our organization] is writing to express our support for the INVEST Act introduced to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure last week. This bill charts a course to updating our country’s outdated transportation policy, and takes a huge step towards aligning our federal funding with the outcomes Americans value. We are proud to support this bill and commend your committee for making it a reality.”
When to send?
Please send your letter by COB Monday, June 15 (COB Tuesday at the latest) so they have them in hand for Wednesday’s markup.
Need a template? We got one!
Here’s the template:
June 16, 2020
The Honorable Peter DeFazio, Chair, U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
The Honorable Sam Graves, Ranking Member, U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chair, Highways & Transit Subcommittee
The Honorable Rodney Davis, Ranking Member, Highways & Transit Subcommittee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington D.C.
Dear Representatives DeFazio, Graves, Delegate Norton, and Representative Davis,
[Our organization] is writing to express our support for the INVEST in America Act introduced to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure last week. This bill charts a course to updating our country’s outdated transportation policy, and takes a huge step towards aligning our federal funding with the outcomes Americans value. We are proud to support this bill and commend your committee for making it a reality.
[Add a description of your organization]
New policy is desperately needed to ensure that our transportation system works for people—with infrastructure in good condition, safer roadway design that will save lives, and access to jobs and services through multiple modes of travel. The INVEST Act is a thoughtful bill that begins to address those issues.
While we strongly support the big step forward this bill takes, we urge you to tighten the language that ensures funds cannot be spent on new roadway construction before maintenance needs are met. We must prioritize taking care of our existing system before expanding it. We also urge you to increase funding for transit to create more balance in the federal transportation program, support efforts to improve maintenance, and provide more reliable service.
This legislation makes essential changes to update the nation’s surface transportation system and address today’s needs and goals. We’re excited about this bill’s potential to transform American transportation and urge you to improve this bill and then approve it.
Sincerely,
[Your organization’s leader or authorized sender]
