Washington, DC (October 31, 2008)- Your Congressional representatives have been home since the end of October campaigning for reelection. In fact, as of November 4, you may be sending someone new to DC. Either way, Congress is adjourned until 2009. This is a great opportunity to schedule a meeting with your representative. As a constituent, your issues and concerns speak far louder than ACT can on your behalf. So call your representative’s district office, and ask to schedule a meeting or invite him/her to an event. ACT has provided some talking points as follows.
If Democrats take control of the White House and both chambers of Congress- which looks likely- prepare for lots of legislation to move quickly once Congress returns to work, particularly legislation around economic, energy, and environmental issues. So now is a great time to remind your representatives of:
* Who you are and what you do in the district.
* How your work benefits constituents.
* Of any legislation that you support.
On the latter point, here are the bills to ask your representatives to support (if they are not already co-sponsors):
* H.R.5867- Energy Conservation through Trees Act. Introduced by Rep. Matsui (D-CA), this bill encourages utility companies to partner with local nonprofit tree planting organizations to plant trees to reduce residential energy demand. The purpose of the legislation is to help homeowners lower their electric bills (and help utilities lower their peak load demand) by reducing residential energy demand caused by the need to run air conditioners and heaters at a high level.
* H.R.6078- GREEN Act of 2008. This act encourages energy efficiency and conservation and the development of renewable energy sources for housing, commercial structures, and other buildings to create sustainable communities. The Alliance for Community Trees has worked closely with Congressman Perlmutter (D-CO) to advocate for the inclusion of best practices in urban forestry and planned green development.
* S.3429- Giving Incentives to Volunteers Everywhere Act of 2008. America’s volunteers play a vital role in delivering services to their communities through nonprofits. But a quirk in federal tax law has created a barrier that is preventing many volunteers from doing what they really want to do, which is to help the underserved in their communities. As a result, nonprofits from coast to coast have been losing volunteers because of high gas prices and this unfair tax statute. Fortunately, a bill was recently introduced to fix this problem.
* Federal Highway Reauthorization Bill and how roadside landscaping improves road safety and traffic congestion. ACT will provide specific legislation to support in 2009.
For more information, contact Alice or Jared at 301-277-0040.
Related Resources:
H.R.5867- Energy Conservation through Trees Act
H.R.6078- GREEN Act of 2008
S.3429- Giving Incentives to Volunteers Everywhere Act of 2008
Green Transportation Infrastructure Research and Technology Transfer Act