Transportation investment champions from 28 states came together July 15 in the Nation’s Capital for the second annual National Workshop for State & Local Transportation Advocates, a signature program of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) Transportation Investment Advocacy Center (TIAC).
ARTBA’s chief economist, Dr. Alison Premo Black, kicked off the event and shared details on the 15 states that have approved legislation so far this year to support funding for transportation infrastructure. She noted several others are still considering legislation as the summer progresses. Seven states to date have already increased taxes on motor fuel in order to fund investments.
Attendees shared intelligence and “best practices,” including campaign strategies, tactics, messaging, opinion and economic research, legislative and ballot language, and “what’s worked and what hasn’t” in their state or local community in order to help other advocates meet their objectives.
Speakers from 10 states – including Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin - discussed their experiences, both successful and unsuccessful, in running campaigns to protect or increase transportation funding.
The conference included the inaugural meeting of the “Transportation Investment Advocates Council” – a national network of construction and better roads professionals, chamber of commerce executives, and public officials who share an interest in building support for infrastructure investments locally.
The workshop was held in conjunction with ARTBA’s Public-Private Partnership (P3) Conference in Washington, D.C.
TIAC, which launched in spring 2014, is an internet-based educational platform that features detailed reports, analyses and more than 45 case studies of recent transportation funding campaigns mounted in numerous states. It includes television, radio and print ads, polling, an overview of state and local funding and finance mechanisms, and an ongoing blog detailing new developments across the nation. The site currently has more than 1,000 users a month.
Learn more at www.transportationinvestment.org.
