VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION TO INTERSTATE TOLLS!!!

The U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on the highway reauthorization legislation this Wednesday (March 31).  The bill, H.R. 3550, also known as "TEA-LU" contains pilot programs that will open the door for widespread tolling on our Interstate highways!

Similar programs were snuck into the corresponding highway bill that has already passed the Senate.  If these programs make it past the House, they will become law.  Your help is desperately needed to stop this insanity!

Congressman Mark Kennedy is proposing to help OOIDA by offering an amendment that would replace these pilot programs with his proposed "FAST lanes" program. In short, the FAST Lanes program would allow states to construct new lanes on the Interstate system, so long as the tolls they collect are only from drivers who choose to use the new lanes, the tolls are collected only on the new lanes, and only with non-cash electronic means (no tollbooths). Also, the tolls have to be dedicated to pay off the costs of the construction, and they must go away once the construction costs are recovered.  The key word in this bill is voluntary use, no one is required to use the new lanes; and only those new lanes would have any sort of toll.  Congressman Kennedy stated to us that, "The FAST program is entirely about providing a new tool exclusively for financing new capacity; we are not going to double tax people for the lanes of highway they have already paid to build and maintain."

Obviously, we want NO TOLLS OF ANY KIND on any Interstate highway, but some big wigs in Congress are bound and determined to get tolling programs into this bill. Congressman Kennedy's FAST program is not the perfect answer, but it at least gives us a fighting chance to put strict limits on tolling.  We are suggesting that you call your Congressional representative to oppose the tolling provisions in HR 3550 and support Congressman Kennedy's FAST amendment.

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The BILL - HR 3550 - 'Transportation Equity Act : A Legacy for Users' aka. 'TEA-LU'

OPPOSE - Section 1209 - the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program

                     Section 1603 - the Interstate Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Pilot Program

                     Section 1604 - the Interstate System Construction Toll Pilot Program

SUPPORT - Congressman Mark Kennedy's 'FAST' amendment

                        FAST = "Freeing Alternatives for Speedy Transportation"

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Please call your representative's Washington and/or district (local) offices immediately.  To find the telephone number for a Congressman's Washington office (or to find out who your Congressman is), check online directories such as www.congress.org and www.house.gov or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 (this may take much longer).  To find the number for local offices simply look in the blue government pages in the phone book or call local information. 

Pointers for an Effective Call

• Be Prepared - You may only have the opportunity for a brief conversation so try to make the best of that time. Before you pick up the phone, organize your thoughts for the main points you would like to talk about.
• The Right Person - When calling a Washington office, be sure to ask for the individual who handles transportation issues for the lawmaker.  It is highly unlikely that you will be able to speak directly with the Congressman, talking with the staff person who advises them on an issue is usually much more effective anyway.
• Who You Are - The first thing you will want to say is who you are, where you are from, and what you want to talk about.  You may want to let them know that you are an OOIDA member. Chances are they will be very familiar with the Association.

If you have questions, do not hesitate to call the Association at 1-800-444-5791.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CAPITOL HILL TAKE NOTICE.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR TRUCKERS THROUGHOUT AMERICA.