National Bike Summit 2012: Congressional visits liveblog, Part 2

We're liveblogging updates from today's congressional visits of our Missouri delegation to the National Bike Summit.  Reload the page and and new updates will appear at the bottom.  Part 2 (Part 1 is here).

Missouri delegation to the national Bike Summit 2012

What you can do to help: Call, email, tweet, Facebook, blog your members of Congress and ask them to support bicycling and walking in the federal transportation bill.  Congress contact info and suggested messages are here.

• Mark Langenfeld of Cape Girardeau heard a familiar name when he sat down in his airline seat on the way to the 2012 National Bike Summit--Congressman Todd Akin.  Mark and Congressman Akin had a very friendly talk for two hours as they flew to Washington, DC--just one example of the kind of chance, but very powerful, encounter so many of the 800+ plus participants in the National Bike Summit have as they come to Washington to talk about bicycling and walking--and why it is important to our communities and to our nation.
  
  Mark and others with the Missouri delegation met with Congressman Akin's Transportation LA today, to continue the conversation--which is a very important one, because Congressman Akin has thrown his hat into the Republic primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator Claire McCaskill.
  

  Congressman Todd Akin
  
  
  So right now Congressman Akin represents part of the St. Louis metro area, but soon he could be the new Senator from Missouri, representing the entire state.  We need to get to know Congressman Akin and he needs to get to know us--and on that plane ride earlier this week, he did.
  
  As to the vote on the House Transportation Bill--take a look at Congressman Akin's Senate Campaign web site--Akins is an extremely staunch fiscal conservative.  Justin Johnson, of Congressman Akin's Washington staff, said today that Congressman Akin is most likely to vote against the transportation bill in any form they have seen so far, purely in fiscal issues, which Congressman Akin feels very strongly about.
  
  Still, those of you who live in Congressman Akin's district should take some time to contact him--though he opposes federal transportation funding at levels he feels are too high, he may well support the concept of a "fair share for bike/ped safety" at whatever federal funding level he does support.
  
  And possibly-future-Senator-Akin needs to know that this is an issue of importance to all of Missouri, and one he will have to face if he becomes senator.
  
  Contact Congressman Akin here, call (202) 225-2561, @RepToddAkin on twitter,  Facebook, Todd Akin for Senate Facebook
   
• Stay tuned for more . . . 

What you can do to help: Call, email, tweet, Facebook, blog your members of Congress and ask them to support bicycling and walking in the federal transportation bill.  Congress contact info and suggested messages are here.