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ITEM #1
Congress is Ready to Move
on the U.S. Economic Recovery Package, But We Need Your Voice to Strengthen the
Support for Parks & Recreation Funding.
Here’s How You Can Help…
Contact
Congress on January 15
and Urge Congressional Leaders to Include Funding for Parks and Recreation
in the Economic Recovery Package.
Call the Capitol
Switchboard at 202.225.3121
and ask to be connected to your Representatives and Senators.
Call your
Senators and Representatives on January 15 with these key points:
- Demonstrate
that you support the funding requests put forth by the National Recreation and Park Association.
- Specifically ask
your Representative to sign the letter being circulated by Reps. Joe Courtney
and Maurice Hinchey, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The letter supports the NRPA
funding requests and urges inclusion of funding for parks and recreation in the
economic recovery package. (Deadline for Congressional offices to sign is 5:00
pm EST Friday, January 16.)
- Inform your Member of Congress of the unmet needs
that exist in your area and how LWCF, UPARR and CDBG funding would benefit your community.
- Tell your
Senators and Representatives of the LWCF stateside assistance program. Share how
UPARR, CDBG and NPSC are ideally suited to achieving the goals of the proposed
economic recovery package by creating jobs, spurring economic revitalization,
and enhancing the overall quality of life and economic vitality of all communities.
We have
an opportunity to have parks and recreation added to the economic recovery package,
but your voice is needed to make it happen. President-elect Obama and the
U.S. Congress have been working to create an economic recovery package that could
include as much as $750 billion for a wide range of local infrastructure projects
aimed at putting people back to work and stimulating spending.
NRPA has
been advocating to have funding for park and recreation agencies inserted into
the economic recovery package and now Congress must hear from you on January
15 about the needs that exist for rehabilitation and renovation of our infrastructure.
Our specific funding requests are:
1. $125 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Stateside Assistance Program
2. $100
million for the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR)
3. Increased
funding up to $20 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
4. Increased
funding for the National Parks Service Corps (NPSC)
So we can
best continue our advocacy efforts, please let Becky Webb-Morser (bwebbmorser@nrpa.org)
know if you've contacted your Senators or Representatives.
ITEM #2
The Virginia
Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act went into effect on December 19, 2008.
NRPA needs to hear from our members regarding how this Act has impacted your agency
and your local community as well as the challenges you still face. Please
CLICK HERE to complete this short survey. Responses
to this survey are anonymous and will only be used by NRPA staff to determine
what advocacy efforts should be undertaken for this issue. Because of the
time-sensitive nature of this issue, please complete the survey by
5pm EST on Thursday, January 15, 2009.
If
you would prefer to discuss the impact on your agency with NRPA Public Policy
Office staff, please contact Mike Phillips (mphillips@nrpa.org)
or Stacey Pine (spine@nrpa.org) at 202.887.0290.
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