URGENT: Complete Streets Senate Hearing Wed., April 13!

Please make time to attend this important hearing
for our Complete Streets legislation!

Wednesday, April 13
Complete Streets Senate Committee Hearing

Texas Cyclists! The Complete Streets Bill has been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee, and we need your help!

If you can be in Austin, please plan to attend the hearing, wearing a suit and ready to fill out a card in support of the bill.  This hearing will be vital for the future passage of the bill, and we need to make an impression!

Please see below for details.

If you are a constituent of a Senator on the Transportation Committee (see list below), you can also help by calling or writing in support of the Complete Streets Bill.

Details

Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 8:30 am
Senate Transportation Committee Hearing Room, E1.016

The Senate Transportation Committee has scheduled the Complete Streets Bill (SB 513) for a hearing, and we need a strong show of support at the hearing!  We have identified expert witnesses to testify, but we need a huge turnout of cyclists wearing suits and bike pins, ready to fill out a card in support. If you would like to submit written testimony that would also be welcome.

Who Should Attend?

Every person who can! But especially constituents of the Transportation Committee members, listed below.  Please wear a suit, and be prepared to wait a couple hours- the committee hearings rarely stay on schedule! In addition, everyone who lives within 100 miles of Austin, and can easily get to the hearing, should also attend.

If you are a constituent of a Senator listed below, but cannot make the trip to Austin, please call or write to urge them to vote YES on SB 513. Let us know you’ve called or CC us on the email. (If you’re not a constituent of any of the committee members, it would not be helpful to contact them.) Click here to find out what Texas Senate district you are in.

Before writing, please review our general guidelines for writing your representatives, this will help you write a very effective letter. Some specific points we suggest you make for a letter or phone call regarding SB 513 are:

• Properly address your representative (see our general guidelines)
• Identify yourself as a constituent (e.g. “I’m a voter in District XX”, or “I live in your district.”)
• Briefly state your background and any relevant affiliations (e.g., I’m a city official/engineer/PTA member/parent and a member of BikeTexas)
• State that SB 513 (the Complete Streets Bill) is important to you and why in a short sentence or two. Make it personal to your experience. See our FAQ’s for ideas.
• Ask that they vote Yes on SB 513. Making a specific request is key. You might ask it as a question, e.g. “Will you support SB 513?”
• Be polite. You might thank them for their public service.

Please only write or call if you are a constituent of a Senate Transportation Committee member, listed below:

District 4: Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands). Committee Chair.
Phone: (512) 463-0104, (281) 364-9426.  Email: tommy.williams@senate.state.tx.us

District 14: Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin).  Committee Vice Chair.
Phone: (512) 463-0114.  Email:  kirk.watson@senate.state.tx.us

District 10: Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) Bill author (constituents, you may want to send her a thank you note for authoring the bill).
Phone: (512) 463-0110, (817) 332-3338.  Email: wendy.davis@senate.state.tx.us

District 13: Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) Bill author (constituents, you may want to send him a thank you note for authoring the bill).
Phone: (512) 463-0113, (713) 236-0306.  Email: rodney.ellis@senate.state.tx.us

District 9: Sen. Chris Harris (R-Arlington)
Phone: (512) 463-0109, (817) 461-9109.  Email: chris.harris@senate.state.tx.us

District 20: Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D-McAllen)
Phone: (512) 463-0120, (956) 972-1841 .  Email: juan.hinojosa@senate.state.tx.us

District 3: Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville)
Phone: (512) 463-0103, (903) 589-3003.  Email:  robert.nichols@senate.state.tx.us

District 8: Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano)
Phone: (512) 463-0108, (972) 403-3404.  Email:  florence.shapiro@senate.state.tx.us

District 25: Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio)
Phone: (512) 463-0125, (210) 826-7800.  Email: jeff.wentworth@senate.state.tx.us