December 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 57

NRPA Update
Changes Coming for
Legislative Forum
This year's event maintains the same purpose as always,
but with some logistical changes in response to member feedback
By Stacey Pine

he 2014 Legislative Forum is scheduled for March 25-26. While that may
seem like a far-off date, in reality it is right around the corner, and we hope
you will give serious consideration to attending. We need your help to educate
lawmakers on the importance of parks and recreation. Whether you would make a
connection with a newer member of Congress or update a veteran, it's important to
tell your representative or senator what issues are critical to your agency. And don't
be intimidated - you don't have to be an experienced lobbyist to make a difference.
Thanks to input from NRPA members, we have made several changes to
the 2014 Legislative Forum that will
benefit attendees while ensuring a very
productive event. First, we have condensed the schedule so that attendees
can come to D.C. without spending as
many days out of the office. While we
will hold a webinar prior to Legislative
Forum to educate attendees about our
legislative platform, we will also hold
a live platform education session on

Tuesday, March 25, that will give you
insight into our issues and provide you
with valuable talking points to take to
Capitol Hill. That evening, attendees
will enjoy a great networking reception.
Spring in D.C. means the cherry
blossom trees and tourist season are in
full bloom, driving up the price of hotel
rooms downtown. To alleviate some
of the costs for our attendees, we have
moved the Legislative Forum base a
few short miles across the Potomac

Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) meets with NRPA member delegates at the 2013 Legislative Forum.

River to the Westin Arlington Gateway
Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The hotel
is surrounded by plenty of great restaurants offering a variety of food, and it is
just steps away from the Metro. Speaking of the Metro, while we will have
shuttle buses to take attendees to the
Hill on Wednesday morning, we will
also provide all attendees with Metro
passes to help alleviate transportation
costs from the Hill to the hotel.
As you can see, NRPA members
spoke and we listened. We believe
these are very beneficial changes, and
we are incredibly excited about next
year's event. We sincerely hope that
you will join us, because we really do
need you. While Congress may be in
a state of dysfunction, great results
come out of Legislative Forum each
year because of people like you. As
a direct result of last year's event, we
now have a bill in Congress that, once
passed, will provide more money to
local park and recreation agencies
through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Your voice really does
matter, and each year great things
happen for parks and recreation because of the Legislative Forum attendees. Please join us for the 2014
Legislative Forum and help shape the
future of parks and recreation.
Stacey Pine is NRPA's former Vice President
of Government Affairs.

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December 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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