County News

C. Vernon Gray, (left), NACo's President-elect, and Wayne Curry, Prince George's County, Md. executive, (right), share a laugh with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) after his meeting with members of NACo's Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) on June 10. For complete Coverage of LUCC's fly-in.

More than 40 representatives of NACo’s Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) came to Washington June 9–11 for a whirlwind round of meetings- – on juvenile justice, local law enforcement block grants and the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program – with dozens of key House and Senate leaders, including Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah); Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.); Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio); and Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.)

Law enforcement issues at the forefront
LUCC members had several key issues – primarily concerned with justice funding – on its legislative agenda. NACo wants a better formula for local law enforcement block grants – one that better recognizes county responsibility in the criminal justice system. Although cities outspend counties three to one on law enforcement, counties are responsible for courts and corrections.

NACo supports the formula in House bill 1501, which divides the funds that are directed to cities and counties under the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant.

"The cost of the care of someone after they’re arrested is all county expense," said Wayne Curry, Prince George’s County, Md. executive, in a meeting with Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.).

"I think you have a good point about allocations," Sarbanes said. "I think there should be a relation to the crime problem you have and the money you get."

In a meeting with DeWine, Franklin County (Ohio) Commissioner Dorothy Teater told him that "the crime rate for juveniles in my area keeps rising. They’re more violent crimes than we used to have."

Hamilton County (Ohio) Commissioner John Dowlin, who chairs NACo’s Courts Subcommittee, told DeWine "if at some point we don’t start doing prevention, we’ll never catch up."

"I hear you," said DeWine, a former Greene County, Ohio prosecutor. "It makes sense."

In a meeting with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chair, Senate Judiciary Committee, the senator told LUCC members that an amendment co-authored by himself and Sen. Joseph Biden, Jr. (D-Del.) would survive a House-Senate conference on the bill. The amendment would dedicate 25 percent of the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant funding to primary prevention programs.

State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
Another key issue for LUCC is the reimbursement of criminal alien incarceration costs. The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) provides state and local governments with money to pay for incarcerating criminal aliens. It’s a $2 billion-a-year problem that is facing cuts in the FY1999 level of $585 million to $500 million in FY2000.

"This is a big issue with counties," President-elect C. Vernon Gray told Young in a meeting that including former NACo presidents Michael Hightower, Fulton County, Ga., and Barbara Sheen Todd, Pinellas County, Fla. Young chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

"It’s a burden on counties," Hamilton County (Ohio) Commissioner John Dowlin said in his meeting with DeWine.

Young discussed a theme that would echo through the meetings. The House and Senate are finding it painful to work within the budget caps imposed by the balanced budget agreement of 1997.

"The budget is really small compared to last year," Young said. "We’re looking for $17 billion just to break even. You’re going to see a lot of programs that won’t be funded even at last year’s levels."

"If I was your organization, I would adopt a resolution and say, ‘Come on, guys, we think you have to be realistic about the budget caps,’ " Young said. "If you would do that, it would be helpful."

DeWine echoed those comments. "The problems we had last year are acerbated…no one knows how this whole thing is going to play out."

Rep. John Edward Porter (R-Ill.) told a group of Lake County (Ill.) LUCC members that included Commissioners Angelo Kyle, Dave Stolman and Judy Martini that "Republicans are scared that President Clinton will tag them as anti-Social Security."

In a meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s staff, LUCC members were told the California Democrat may offer an amendment with Sen. Kyl (R-Ariz.) to increase SCAAP to $585 million if they can find offsets within the bill.

Hatch told LUCC members he would talk with Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) about SCAAP before it reaches the Senate floor for a vote.

Airport funding
LUCC members also discussed airport issues with senators and representatives. NACo supports efforts to take the Airport and Airway Trust Fund off budget, meaning that aviation taxes collected by the federal government would be dedicated to aviation improvements.

Young said he doesn’t support that effort. "We will continue to do a good job with airports, but we’re not going to let them take discretionary money and put it in a mandatory fund," Young said. "That takes the Appropriations Committee out of the process. There’s already more than 100 trust funds out there."

Porter told the Lake County, Ill. group that "on the airport issue, I may have to disagree with you on that. It’s going to make the situation worse. Shuster is going to take the Airport Trust Fund and make it an entitlement. That puts me in a different position as an appropriator. We may have to disagree on that."

C. Vernon Gray, NACo’s president-elect, told Young that "many of our small counties are being left behind by the large air carriers."

Young said that he would support an increase in the Passenger Facilities Charge, which is something NACo supports.