RSI Annual Report 2009 - Railway Supply Institute

Bob Clement
RSI Work in Washington:
Bob Clement Reports
Lobbying Congress is a big
part of what we do here at
RSI. Our goal is simple: to
support legislation that is
good for railway suppliers
and their customers and to
oppose legislation that
harms railway suppliers and
their customers. That simple
philosophy governs the
Capitol Hill work that Tom
Simpson, Nicole Brewin and
I perform on a weekly basis.
With the inauguration of
Barack Obama as President
and the swearing in of
the 111th Congress in January
of 2009, we began a
new time in Washington
and were faced with new
challenges and new opportunities.
We visited more
than 40 offices ranging
from House leadership to
the newest freshman. We
tracked legislation, including
in the vitally important
House Transportation and
Infrastructure (T&I) Committee,
where most rail legislation
originates.
Some of the major legislation
we are following for
you, our members,includes:
• rail safety
• reauthorization of the
SAFETEA -LU transportation
bill
• the Section 130 highway
rail grade crossing safety
program
• truck sizes and weights
• Amtrak funding
• Surface Transportation
Board reauthorization
In January 2009, Tom
Simpson was asked to testify
at a T&I hearing on
"Freight and Passenger Rail:
Present and Future Roles,
Performance, Benefits, and
Needs."Tom noted the poor
state of economic growth
in the car building industry
and the poor projections of
the industry as a whole.
Tom's testimony was used
by T&I Chairman Jim Oberstar
as he argued on the
House
floor for passage of transportation
stimulus legislation.
Of course, we don't limit
ourselves to just the T&I
Committee. There are
many committees and
agencies that have a hand
in the success of the rail
supply industry. We spend
time visiting members of
the House Appropriations
and Ways and Means Committees
and the Senate
Appropriation, Commerce
and Environment Committees.
In addition, we have
paid visits to Obama
Administration officials,
including Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood
and Federal Railroad
Administrator Joseph
Szabo.
As an eight-term member
of the House of Representatives,
I recognize the value
of coalition building to the
legislative process. When
organizations and industry
stakeholders come together
on principles they can agree
on, members of Congress
listen more closely. I am
pleased at the efforts of RSI
to build long lasting coalitions
whether it's with the
Association of American
Railroads and its Class I Railroad
members, the American
Short Line and Regional
Railroad Association and its
members, OneRail, Women
in Government Relations
(WGR), or Women in Transportation
(WTS).
In my time with Congress,
I always kept in mind the
importance of hearing
from constituents. RSI is
undertaking a new effort
to better quantify the
size and scope of the railway
supply industry, and
when we contact you for
more detailed information,
I urge you to share it with
us so that we can better
represent you and our
industry at large. We will
also begin a more effective
grassroots effort. Expect
updates from RSI about
upcoming legislation affecting
our industry and details
about contacting your
Congressional representatives.
Your phone call, letter,
or email can make a
difference, especially when
all of our members participate
in this active role.
We, of course, won't rest
on our laurels in 2010, an
important year for RSI
members as Congress will
consider transportation legislation
that will affect how
you and your customers do
business. Our legislative
strategy outlined above
combined with the leadership
of your board of directors
will govern our activities
in 2010, and RSI will be
a tireless advocate on your
behalf.
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RSI Clement