In a series of meetings slated for June 6-12, NACo will meet with members of the Administration and Congress regarding key legislative priorities. These meetings occur during a strategic time in the legislative process as Congress begins to enact bills to implement the major policy initiatives contained in the balanced budget agreement.
County officials will be positioned to educate and lobby Washington decision makers and raise the consciousness, visibility and impact of counties.
The first meeting on June 6 with Vice President Albert Gore included NACo President Michael Hightower, President-elect Randy Johnson and Executive Director Larry Naake along with other local and state government leaders.
This coalition of state, county and city governments, informally known as the "Big Seven," includes NACo, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, International City/County Management Association, National Governors' Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Council of State Governments.
Ever since the coalition's success in securing enactment of the Unfunded Mandates Act of 1995, the group has continued to seek common ground in legislative and regulatory issues affecting state and local governments.
Last December in Chicago, Ill., the organizations identified several issues, which they discussed with Vice President Gore June 6, including Clean Air Act standards, Medicaid reform, telecommunications and related tax issues.
On June 9 and 10 in New York City, NACo President-elect Randy Johnson will join participants in a conference on immigration convened by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Other county officials scheduled to participate in the conference include Dade County (Fla.) Mayor Alex Penelas, Westchester County (N.Y.) Executive Andrew O'Rourke, Los Angeles County (Calif.) Supervisors Yvonne Burke and Zev Yaroslvsky and Cameron County (Texas) Commissioner Gilbert Hinojosa.
City and county officials will discuss recent agreements reached by the Administration and Congress under the budget deal to restore some benefits to legal immigrants denied under last year's welfare reform act.
On June 11, a NACo-led contingency of county officials will meet with key Administration officials regarding provisions of the federal budget resolution that call for major federal cuts to Medicaid's disproportionate share payment program (DSA). These payments assist facilities serving the medically indigent.
County officials will urge the Administration to support a more targeted approach to DSA that would protect safety net facilities. Attending will be: NACo President Michael Hightower, Fulton County, Ga.; Los Angeles County, Calif. Supervisors Yvonne Burke, Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslvsky; John Stroger, Jr., Cook County, Ill. Board of Commissioners president; Jane Campbell, Cuyahoga County, Ohio commissioner and Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County Minn. commissioner.
On June 11, NACo First Vice President Betty Lou Ward will attend a symposium on violence and crime, hosted by the U. S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. that will focus on efforts to reduce and prevent juvenile violence and include remarks by President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno.
Finally, on June 11 and 12, the Large Urban County Caucus, chaired by Hudson County, (N.J.) Executive Robert Janiszewski, has scheduled two days of meetings with representatives of the Administration and Congress.
The more than two dozen county officials in attendance will focus their attention on welfare reform, Medicaid, immigration, the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the Criminal Justice Block Grant.