The November 2 mid-term elections created a major upheaval in Congress and close to 80 new Members of Congress will take the oath of office when the 112th Congress convenes on January 3, 2011. The bicycling movement lost its biggest champion, Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) and more than 30 members of the Congressional Bike Caucus in the House. See who lost in the House and Senate. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Peter DeFazio (D-OR), other leading bicycling supporters, both retained their seats.

The new Congress will have lots of new members and face tremendous pressure to "do something" to fix the budget and pass a transportation bill. Having a strong voice in Washington at the Summit next March is going to be absolutely critical - and replacing the influential voice of Congressman Oberstar after 36 years is going to a massive collective effort. So the first 100 people to register for the Summit (at any level) will receive a $36 discount and special recognition at the Summit, March 8-10. To take advantage of this offer, register for the Summit here - remember to login if you are a League member - and on the payment page type in OBERSTAR in the Promotion Code box and your registration will be automatically reduced by $36.

The League and the Alliance for Biking and Walking's Advocacy Advance team has set a three-year campaign to double federal funding for bicycling and walking by 2013. The Advocacy Advance initiative is backed by renewed support from SRAM. The partnership has been awarded up to $1.2 million from SRAM over the next three years to unite active transportation advocates across the nation and give them tools and resources to secure increased funding from existing federal transportation programs for critical bicycle and pedestrian projects. Read more on the Bike League Blog.

For the second year in a row, federal spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects exceeded $1 billion. According to the Federal Highway Administration's Financial Management Information System (FMIS), U.S. states "obligated" - that's FHWA's way of saying spent - $1.04 billion of federal funds on bicycle and pedestrian projects in fiscal year 2010. As in FY 2009, just more than a third ($337 million) came from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds. Read more on the Bike League Blog.

The U.S. Green Building Council has opened the first public comment period for the next update to the LEED rating system. Visit the LEED Rating System Development site to access the proposed drafts.

The nation is growing larger, literally. A study by Harvard University disproves previous predictions that the U.S. would level off at a 34 percent obesity rate. The Harvard researchers predict that 42 percent of our country will be obese in 40 years. Furthermore, they hypothesize that having overweight friends is one of the factors. Source Reuters.

The Leagues' membership card is your tool for improving biking across the country. We're also helping you gear up with the other tools you need to bike safely. Register for our essential tool giveaway before November 19, 2010, and you could be one of five lucky winners of the nifty Eleven81 Flat 8 pocket tool. Register today.

The Alliance for Biking & Walking seeks a full-time Advocacy Advance Program Manager. Based in Washington, D.C., the manager will report to the Alliance President and work closely with League of American Bicyclists' staff to coordinate multiple components of the Advocacy Advance program, including training coordination, grant management and organizing outreach.

Click here for the full job description.