Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - March 26, 2002 - SpecialEdition
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March 26, 2002
Contact Your Representatives to Support H.R. 3930
AMSA needs your help in securing the support of your Representatives to become cosponsors of H.R. 3930, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2002. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Clean Water Act State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) program to help communities meet a full range of wastewater infrastructure needs and water quality problems.
While far from perfect, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2002 is an important first step in meeting the infrastructure needs of AMSA members. The bill authorizes $20 billion over five years through the SRFs, including a provision that requires states to use 25 percent of any annual federal appropriation above $1.4 billion for subsidization of projects in cities deemed economically disadvantaged under a state's affordability criteria. The bill also reinforces that SRFs may be used for security needs as well as for watershed projects.
The Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee unanimously passed H.R. 3930 out of committee on March 20, 2002, following a March 13 hearing before Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee at which AMSA testified. We will continue to work with congressional members and staff to get clarifying and explanatory language into the report, which will accompany the legislation to the House floor. The report language will provide further instruction on and interpretation of specific provisions of the bill to the partners in the program, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state clean water and financial managers and SRF applicants.
The goal is to gather 218 cosponsors onto the bill in the coming weeks. The current cosponsors, T&I Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) and Ranking Member Jim Oberstar (D-MN), and Water Resources Subcommittee Chairman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) and Ranking Member Pete DeFazio (D-OR), have sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to House members asking them to support the bill. The T&I Committee also plans to solicit the members of the House Water Infrastructure Caucus (WIC) to immediately sign-on as cosponsors.
We ask that you write letters to your Congressmen/women as soon as possible to encourage them to become cosponsors of H.R. 3930. We have developed a sample letter (attached) for you to use in contacting your Representatives, plus several "Helpful Hints" (attached) to make it easy for you to communicate with your legislators. The letter can be personalized to your Congressperson and downloaded from Write Congress Now, which is located on the AMSA website. AMSA members also are encouraged to contact their Representatives' local or district offices and talk with their members while they are home for the spring recess, which continues through April 7, 2002.
Please fax or email copies of your letters to AMSA's Lee Garrigan at 202/833-4657 or to lgarrigan@amsa-cleanwater.org. If you have questions, please call 202/833-4655.
Due to the congressional recess, Passover, and Easter the Friday Fax Alert will not be published this week.
Attachment 1 - Sample Letter to Congress Cosponsor H.R. 3930 (RTF ~14 KB)
Attachment 2 - Helpful Hints Sample Letter to Congress
Attachment 3 - Dear Colleague letter (PDF ~70 KB)