Thursday, May 15, 2003

Graves Exposes Ugly Truths
About Highway Beautification Act
Graves says it hurts rural small
businesses trying to attract customers

  Washington, DC--Chairman Sam Graves of the House Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, Agriculture, and Technology today said the Highway Beautification Act needs to be reformed to allow rural small businesses a chance to survive. The economic role of billboard advertising along officially designated scenic highways in rural, small town America affect 90 percent of local businesses. Most of the businesses affected are small businesses and 66 percent of the businesses are in the travel-tourism industry.

  "The Highway Beautification Act is an ugly obstacle for small businesses," Graves said. "If we continue to take away billboards because someone in Washington decides what is pretty to look at, small businesses will continue to suffer."

  As part of the Highway Beautification Act, no new signs can be erected along the scenic portions of state designated scenic byways of the Interstate and federal-aid primary highways, but billboards are allowed in segmented areas deemed un-scenic on those routes. States not complying with the provisions of the Highway Beautification Act are subject to a 10% reduction in their federal highway allocations.
"Instead of looking at how pretty the view is from our highways in Missouri, the federal government should look to see how they should do their job and fix our highways," Graves said. "The federal government should not hold states hostage to a law that hurts small businesses."
According to iMapData Inc., an information and research company, 82.2 percent of small businesses indicated that they would lose sales if they did not have access to billboards. In comparison, 72.0 percent of businesses with 50 or more employees indicated they would sales without access to billboards. The economic role of billboard advertising along officially designated scenic highways in rural, small town America affect 90 percent of local businesses. Most of the businesses affected are small businesses and 66 percent of the businesses are in the travel-tourism industry.

  "The bottom line is this affects jobs," Graves said. "We need to reform the Highway Beautification Act and make sure the federal government works with small businesses instead of working against them."