Accomplishments Report 2017

American Traffic Safety Services Association 2 Government Relations The year began with the start of the 115thCongress, anewpresidential admin- istration and the emergence of ATSSA’s State Government Relations Program. The Association’s federal government relations team was busy educating new and returning Members of Congress on our industry and our support for trans- portation funding and an infrastructure package. With a significant number of new members of theHouseof Representatives and U.S. Senate, the majority of our meetings in the first half of the year were focusedoneducating thesenewmembers about the roadway safety infrastructure industry. From the summer through the end of the year, the focus of our federal lobbying efforts was to support the Administration’s infrastructure invest- ment efforts as well as urge Congress to include increased transportation user fees for the Highway Trust Fund within the confines of their tax reform legisla- tion. The ATSSA Chair submitted written testimony on behalf of ATSSA to both the Senate Environment andPublicWorks Committee and the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee urging those committees to focus on roadway safety and ensure the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund for generations to come. In addition to our federal legislative advocacy on Capitol Hill, the GR team, along with ATSSA’s President and CEO, Roger Wentz, held meetings with top political and career staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S DOT). These occurrences included meetings with senior U.S. DOT and White House transportation officials as well as Acting Federal Highway Administrator Brandye Hendrickson. In addition, ATSSA GR staff and the ATSSA Chair were invited to and participated in a meeting with senior Administration transportation advisors at the White House to discuss infrastruc- ture and transportation policies. At the end of November, ATSSA held its annual congressional reception in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill. This even brings together members of Congress and congressional staff to learn a little more about ATSSA’s mission and advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. OnMay 3-4, the GR teamhosted a record number of ATSSA members during our annual Legislative Briefing and Fly-In. During the conference, 113 attendees (a record)—36 of whom were first time attendees (a record)—from 30 states (a record) hosted 120 meetings on Capitol Hill in eight hours. During the legislative briefing portion of the event, five members of Congress joined us to give us their insight into the topics facing Congress. Thosemembers included Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK ) and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Val Demings (D-FL), Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL). ATSSA staff has already begun planning for the 2018 Legislative Briefing & Fly-In, so save the date: April 11-12, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Also in 2018, legislators—both federal and state—have seen firsthand the work that ATSSA members do nationwide. Legislative site visits are opportunities for ATSSA member companies to host legislators at their facilities, factories, offices and work zone sites to educate these decision-makers about the benefits of investing in roadway safety infrastruc- ture. In 2017, five legislators met with and visited ATSSAmembers to talk about roadway safety and infrastructure. If you are interested in hosting a state or federal legislator, please reach out to the GR team for more information and assistance. Since the beginning of the year, the GR team has given legislative updates at 18 ATSSA chapter meetings around the country. These updates included federal advocacy information as well as state- specific state government relations updates and efforts. TheGR team is in themiddle of an aggres- sive push to double the size of our indus- try’s political action committee, ATSSA PAC, by 2020. We are on track to meet our target of $35,000 raised in contribu- tions for 2017. ATSSA PAC hosted fund- raising events during the Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, Legislative Briefing & Fly-In, Midyear Meeting and fall solicitation drive. Keep on the lookout for ways to become involved in ATSSA’s advocacy efforts, including joining ATSSA PAC, in 2018. ATSSA Government Relations Department amplifies industry voice on Capitol Hill