“Direct constituent interactions have more influence on lawmakers’ decisions than other advocacy strategies.”
—Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the relationship between citizens and Congress
Washington, DC — Embracing the power of in-person, GoRail makes lawmaker-advocate connections by organizing district meetings and rail facility and supplier tours. Events in 2019 convened constituents and six new members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Here are a few highlights:
- A district meeting in August between Rep. Harley Rouda (CA-48) and the Orange County Business Council, FuturePorts and the Pacific Harbor Line helped educate the Congressman about freight rail’s economic and environmental impact in his district, especially given its proximity to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
- Later that month we connected Rep. Carbajal (CA-24) with rail advocates, including the San Luis Obispo Coalition of Governments, for a district meeting. This meeting helped illuminate a different side of freight rail for the Congressman, particularly railroads’ record of private infrastructure spending and the public benefits that stem from local investment. He later retweeted a GoRail photo of the event.
- After hearing from constituents representing local rail lines and the NJ business community in an October district meeting, Representative Tom Malinowski (NJ-7) said that he wants freight rail to succeed for the sake of the state’s economy and environment. An advocate op-ed—“Freight railroads key to NJ’s transportation future”—was published just after the meeting and shared with the Congressman to reinforce our in-person message.
