Call Your Senators TODAY and Ask Them to Oppose the Coburn Amendment That Prohibits Funding for Community Parks!

Call Your Senators TODAY and Ask Them to Oppose the Coburn Amendment That Prohibits Funding for Community Parks!

ACTION
Contact your Senators and ask them to vote against Senator Coburn’s amendment. Contact your Senator by phone via the Senate switchboard at 202.224.3121 (To find your Senator, go to www.senate.gov.)

BACKGROUND
On February 3, Senator Coburn (R-OK) submitted an amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that would prohibit community parks from receiving money from programs funded by the bill. Specifically, this amendment would prohibit parks and recreation from receiving funding provided through various programs, including: CDBG funding, transportation infrastructure, special education services, childcare services, and community development block grant programs.

Mr. Coburn’s amendment specifically states:
“No funds provided by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, arts center, or highway beautification project, including renovation, remodeling, construction, salaries, furniture, zero-gravity chairs, big screen televisions, beautification, rotating pastel lights, and dry heat saunas.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Ask your Senator to vote against Senator Coburn’s amendment and request that funds in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act be used to support local and state park and recreation agencies.

We encourage you make these points with your Senator:

State and local park and recreation agencies provide benefits to communities and should not be precluded from funding.
State and local parks and recreational facilities are in disrepair in communities across America and have thousands of capital construction and capital maintenance projects that are “on-the-shelf” and ready to go.
These projects such as new roofs for community centers, irrigation systems for sport fields, repairs to bring facilities into ADA compliance, and electrical upgrades to park and recreation facilities would allow communities to preserve, rehabilitate and maintain the already existing infrastructure that provides numerous recreational opportunities for citizens.
Enhancing and restoring community parks and recreation resources increases quality of life, attracts new businesses and residents to communities, increases property values, and creates new employment opportunities.

Please let NRPA know if you contact your Senator, and what their response was, so we can continue our advocacy efforts. For questions or updates on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, please contact Becky Webb-Morser at bwebbmorser@nrpa.org or 202.887.0290.