Alabama Section Descends on Washington, D.C.
Team Alabama – L to R: Brad Williams, Sidney May, Lawren Pratt, Shelia Montgomery-Mills, and Jeff Duplantis
On Tuesday March 12th and Wednesday, March 13th, 258 ASCE members from 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, descended on Capitol Hill to advocate for infrastructure and the Civil Engineering profession. Alabama Section of ASCE’s Team conducted some very productive meetings with Alabama’s Congressional Delegation about Infrastructure Funding at the ASCE Legislative Fly-In. The team had a chance to meet with Representative Martha Roby, Representative Gary Palmer, Senator Richard Shelby and the staff of Senator Doug Jones & Representative Terri Sewell.
Armed with everyday Civil Engineering experiences, issues briefings from the ASCE Government Relations team, and insight from keynote speakers, Fly-In attendees met with over 330 congressional offices on Wednesday afternoon. They advocated for a 25-cent per gallon motor fuels tax increase to help fix the Highway Trust Fund, fully appropriating key infrastructure programs in FY2020, and urged Members of Congress to follow ASCE’s Principles for Investment as they draft a bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Prior to educating Capitol Hill on the importance of and urgent need for infrastructure investment, ASCE members received advocacy tips and tools from notable guests. During Tuesday’s programs members heard from Brad Fitch, CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), while Neil Pedersen, Executive Director of the Transportation Research Board shared details from their latest study “Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System.”
During Wednesday’s advocacy session, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) provided insights on what legislators hope to hear from constituents and the current status of a federal infrastructure package before heading out to make visits to Members of Congress.
