July 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 28

advocacy update continued from page 25

funding have risen to powerful positions,
especially within the House of Representatives. Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ),
who has repeatedly offered amendments
to strike funding for bike paths and other
recreational projects from the annual appropriations bills, was appointed to serve
on the powerful Appropriations Committee. The new House Majority Leader,
Eric Cantor (R-VA), is also a long-time
advocate of halting federal transportation
spending on pedestrian and bicycle improvements. With the passage of FY 2012
spending bills likely to hinge on the outcome of bipartisan negotiations, these
members of Congress are certain to play
a significant role in determining the specific spending cuts that will be needed to
secure a budget.
The impact of this budget fight will
also be felt beyond the annual appropriations process. Many local parks priorities receive funding for a variety of

projects, including bicycle paths and livability enhancements, through federal
programs authorized by the transportation reauthorization bill. Transportation
reauthorization legislation directs funding in the Highway Trust Fund, obtained
through the federal gas tax, to a variety
of transportation priorities outside of the
annual appropriations process. The current transportation bill expired in 2009,
but short-term extensions will keep transportation funding flowing through September 30, 2011. House Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee Chairman
John Mica (R-FL) has indicated that he
will not support a short-term extension
of this authority and will instead push for
consideration of a multi-year transportation bill this year. However, with very little Congressional support for an increase
in the federal gas tax, the resulting bill
is expected to be extremely limited in
scope. As a result, there is likely to be

significant pressure to defund a range of
programs that promote pedestrian and
bicycle transportation. When the current
transportation bill was being debated in
2005, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) led
an effort to slash funding for bike and pedestrian programs in the bill. Although
this measure was soundly defeated, it
is nearly certain that similar challenges
will be made during the consideration of
a transportation bill this year. In order to
preserve local parks and recreation funding, advocates must be prepared to educate new lawmakers about the programs
that fund local park efforts and to aggressively assert the economic and societal
benefits that make improved recreational
facilities and the expansion of local open
space federal priorities. 
Jon Wisbey is with The Ferguson

Group, the outside lobbying firm for the
National Recreation and Park Association.

USPTA tennis-teaching professionals: a cut above the rest
* Top-notch instruction
* The premier tennis
certification

Why choose anyone else?
Hire USPTA-certified professionals
and give your members the best in tennis instruction

* Proud professionalism
* The most comprehensive
continuing education

www.usptafindapro.com
800-877-8248

United States Professional Tennis Association
Teaching you tennis - That's Who We Are
Circle 13 on product information form on PAGE 79

26	 Parks & Recreation

J U LY 2 0 1 1

www.NRPA .ORG
July 2011 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2011 - Parks & Recreation
