Federal legislation to designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail received a hearing in front of the Subcommittee of Federal Lands of the U.S. House of Representatives.
No lawmaker on the subcommittee expressed opposition to H.R. 801, aka the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act. In fact, most of the lawmakers voiced support for the measure.
The hearing included testimony from Bill Thomas, chairman of the Route 66: The Road Ahead partnership.
The hearing lasted about 90 minutes, as lawmakers were heard pitches for three other bills. I will excerpt segments from the hearing that are pertinent to the Route 66 bill.
First is a four-minute statement from Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), who introduced the bill to Congress. Note: the video doesn’t stop at the end of the segment; you’ll have to stop it yourself.
Next is Thomas’ opening statement, which is about three minutes.
Next is LaHood’s questions to Thomas about the bill’s probable impact. The exchange is about three minutes.
Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) asks a few questions to Thomas, who reiterates the importance of signage and economic development along Route 66 because of the proposed bill. The exchange is about two minutes.
Next is the exchange with Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) for about four minutes.
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), chairman of the subcommittee, posed a question to Thomas that seemed designed to show the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act would not become a land grab by the federal government:
Cronkite News Service, based in Arizona, posted a story about the subcommittee hearing.
Hemmings Motor News also posted a story about the hearing.
LaHood also posted a news release about the hearing. The release contained this statement:
“For nearly a century, Rt. 66 has been a crucial transportation artery for the heartland of America. Today’s hearing was a great opportunity to discuss how important the Rt. 66 is to the 18th District and the towns that have helped it gain its notoriety. These towns, like Atlanta in my district, have seen the Mother Road keep employment and revenues up, leading to a higher quality of life and civic pride. It is vital that we maintain and support Route 66 for future generations, and today’s hearing highlighted why we must ensure it continues to serve as a point of pride for not only the states it runs through, but for the entire country.”
A related bill, the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act, hasn’t yet advanced to the hearing stage. But the Route 66 trail bill is the more important of the two.
(Image of Rep. Darin LaHood and Bill Thomas on Wednesday in Washington, courtesy of LaHood’s office)