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.
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