Advocacy Matters Newsletter

A periodic update on the Board of Trade's efforts to advance policies on your behalf, Advocacy Matters is distributed every 4 to 6 weeks to inform you of current efforts, upcoming events, and ways for you to make an impact. Subscribe

October 17, 2005

Welcome to Advocacy Matters. A periodic update on the Board of Trade's efforts to advance policies on your behalf, Advocacy Matters will be distributed every 4 to 6 weeks to inform you of current efforts, upcoming events, and ways for you to make an impact. Contact Alan Smith with questions or comments.

Have Issues? Help Build the Agenda for the 2006 MD Legislative Session. The Maryland Public Affairs Group will meet soon to draft an agenda for 2006. If you want to help formulate Board positions on issues in Maryland, contact Haley Smith or Scott Sterling.

Who'll Win? VA Governor Hopefuls Push for Votes. Jerry Kilgore (R) and Tim Kaine (D) are nearly tied in many polls. And Independent Russ Potts is grabbing enough headlines to cause many pundits to wonder how he'll affect the outcome. Remember to vote Tuesday, Nov. 8. Quick Poll: Who gets your vote?

Laying the Trackwork: Area Leaders Pledge to Work for Dedicated Metro Funding. On Oct. 3 at a regional summit co-sponsored by the Board of Trade, officials from DC, Maryland, and Virginia agreed in a joint resolution to work together to find dedicated funding sources to insure Metro’s continued service as the system both ages and grows. Read joint resolution >>

Pending Medical Insurance Legislation: Intrusive, Inflexible. The Board opposed medical insurance legislation in the DC Council that would establish a precedent allowing the government to interfere with the management of validly chartered corporations. The legislation would also substitute an inflexible statutory standard for existing oversight provided by the District. Read testimony >>

Board Supports Legislation to Help DC Residents Get College Degrees. The Board voiced support for legislation in the DC Council that would establish a need-based financial aid program to help District residents attend DC colleges. In testimony delivered Sept. 22 by Board of Trade Chair William H. Edwards, Jr., the Board highlighted some of the benefits of the proposed legislation. Read testimony >>

Showing the Way on Virginia Roads. The Transportation and Environment Committee (TEC) recently sent letters to officials in support of two projects in Virginia.

In a letter to the VA Department of Transportation, TEC Co-chair Mike A. Anzilotti expressed enthusiasm for High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on the I-95 / 395 corridor and pressed for keeping surplus revenues from the HOT lanes for transportation improvements within the corridor.
Read letter >>

In another letter, Anzilotti asked the Fairfax County Board to endorse the Tri-County Parkway Comprehensive Plan Candidate Build Alternative as the locally preferred option for Fairfax County. Read letter >>

Board Urges Baseball to Select Local Ownership. In a recent letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and owners of all the other teams, the Board of Trade urged baseball to select a locally-controlled group to become the Nationals’ new owner. The letter expressed hope that the Nats’ owner would have “deep local roots and a commitment to embedding itself in our community.” Read letter >>

Moving Forward on Transportation Priorities. In a Sept. 21 statement to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, the Board of Trade:

• Expressed support for the InterCounty Connector;

• Advocated for CapCom, a regional system to coordinate information on traffic and construction projects, to help ease traffic congestion and share information in the event of a natural or man-made disaster; and

• Called for an amendment to the WMATA Compact to meet the requirements of Tom Davis's bill to provide $1.5 billion to Metro.

On the Horizon: VA Legislative Agenda. The Board's agenda for the VA legislative session is almost set. Look for a summary -- and ways to get involved -- in the next issue of Advocacy Matters. Contact Nancy Reed with questions.