Update on U.S. Senate action on billboards

The final version of Sen. Reid's amendment (click here for a copy) is even worse than the first. No protection for local jurisdictions at all, and it applies only to Gulf Coast states, not even to Sen. Reid's home state of Nevada. Scenic America, which is based in D.C., is leading the fight to have this amendment removed.

They have an action page where you can send a letter to your Senator. Click here

There's an article in USA Today about this (link) and Congressional Quarterly covered this issue last week (link). We're hopeful that bringing this out into the light will encourage Sen. Reid to remove this amendment. If he wants to go after the HBA, then it needs to be done in the light of day where everyone who has a stake in the issue can participate in the debate.

We're asking Alabama folks to call Sen. Richard Shelby, who sits on the committee that is considering the amendment, and tell him you support removing it. (D.C. (202) 224-5744 or click here for state office numbers.)

Also, feel free to call Sen. Reid's office (202-224-3542 - press 1 for staff member) and express your opinion as a resident of a state that is affected by his proposal.

If you do take action, please email or leave a comment. Thank you!

P.S. If you like what Scenic Alabama is doing to help protect our communities from billboard blight, please consider supporting us as a member. Information is on our home page. Thank you!

End Run in Congress - Again!

Well, it didn't take long for the new folks in charge in Washington to be up to their old tricks, especially about billboards. We got word yesterday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has inserted a provision in the urgent appropriations bill for Iraq, similar to the ones we defeated TWICE last year.

This is a provision to allow non-conforming billboards to be reconstructed if they are destroyed by weather, despite the Highway Beautification Act and despite the fact that most places where billboards were destroyed by hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 don't want them back!

Lots of politicking going on, but the bottom line is that Sen. Reid has put something that is not an appropriation, that would impact communities across Alabama, into an extremely important money bill that funds our operations in Iraq. Whether you favor or oppose what we're doing there, I'm sure you'd agree that billboards are not part of the problem or the solution, and they shouldn't be stuck in this bill. Congress has much more important things to argue about.

Click here for an issue paper from Scenic America (click on document link in page).

If you're reading this close to the time it was posted, please call Sen. Richard Shelby, who is on the Senate committee considering the bill. His contact numbers are here. Ask him to oppose the amendment or request that Alabama not be included in its provisions.