Led by Reps. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the ranks of the Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus currently stand at 89. The perception on Capitol Hill is that caucuses must pass the threshold of 100 members in order to be seen as an effective force.
This year STS has issued two calls to its members asking them to express to their Congressional representatives the importance of joining or renewing their membership in the Caucus. There is no cost to joining the Caucus, which serves as a crucial forum for information and collaboration on key issues impacting tourism. As a result three Members of Congress from the STS region have joined the Caucus bringing the total number from the Southeast to 30. With some grassroots nudging, the Caucus will easily be able to pass the membership threshold of 100.
Click here to download a template letter that you can fill in the blanks, sign and mail to your Member of Congress.Over the last six weeks, Congress has been focused on approving the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Resolution.
Although the Budget Resolution is not enacted as law, it does provide an important outline for the spending and priorities of the federal government. With the federal budget largely set, Congress will not move to setting actual funding levels for federal programs and agencies.
National Park Service Fares Well in Federal BudgetPresident Barack Obama submitted a $3.55 trillion fiscal-year 2010 budget with an emphasis on investments in energy, healthcare and education initiatives. Under the President’s budget an increase of $100 million was proposed for National Park Service operations, along with $25 million to provide matching funds to leverage private donations for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the agency. Some are speculating that the budget is an early indicator that President Obama may be a supporter of the federal agencies and community development programs that contribute to the positive growth of the tourism industry.
House Leaders Eye Highway Bill of $450 to $500 Billion
In a speech before the American Public Transit Association last month, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) called for a price tag of $450 billion to $500 billion on this year's six-year reauthorization bill for mass transit and highway programs. Oberstar also vowed to move the legislation quickly, setting a goal of the first week in June for passage of the bill by the House. The last six-year surface transportation reauthorization measure called for $286 billion in spending. In addition to authorizing significant funding for crucial transportation investments and projects, Oberstar also committed to using the bill to streamline the Federal Transit Administration's process for reviewing mass transit projects. Currently, it takes an average of 14 years to get a mass transit project underway.
Virginia Acts to Preserve Key Civil War BattlefieldOn March 24, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine announced that the state will help preserve the 205-acre Slaughter Pen Farm, a pivotal part of the December 13, 1862 battle of Fredericksburg. Speaking at a news conference held at the site, Kaine said Virginia has an obligation to protect its Civil War battlefields. "Battlefields are our path to telling the story of our nation," he said. "Virginia is the place where this epic struggle to define America took place."
Virginia played a leading role central in the Civil War as a next-door neighbor to Washington, and because Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. More than a third of the war’s battles of that war took place in Virginia.
The Civil War Preservation Trust signed an agreement to purchase the battlefield for $12.3 million nearly three years ago. An intense campaign to raise the funds to pay for the former farm was launched. In 2006, the Interior Department committed $2 million to the effort.
For many years, the Marye’s Heights section of the battlefield in Fredericksburg received the most attention from historians. More recent scholarship has shifted interest to the southern part of the battlefield at the farm where the outcome was decided.
At the farm, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s second corps was arrayed against much larger Union forces. The Union managed to puncture the Confederate line but Southern re-enforcements arrived in time to back up Jackson, giving the victory to the Confederates. That struggle resulted in 5,000 Union casualties and 4,000 for the Confederates.
Despite the march of time and development, amazingly, the land looks today much as it did in 1862. The owners went back to farming after the battle and the land was still being farmed when the property was put on the market three years ago.
Let us know about your legislative issues and concerns. Please contact Bill Hardman.
