Key Priorities
1. Remote Sales Taxes: Support the collection and distribution to states and counties of current sales taxes due on purchases made by mail order and over the Internet. Support the Streamlined Sales Tax System and urge states to pass such model sales tax legislation.
2. TEA-21 Reauthorization: Undertake a comprehensive legislative effort to reauthorize the highway, transit and safety programs in TEA-21, with a particular emphasis on:
• funding that meets the growing transportation needs of county government
• implementing a workable environmental streamlining process
• improving local government input in the planning and programming of federal funds, and
• the development of highway and transit programs that provide for safety, security, and reliability.
3. Funding Election Reform: Support multi-year funding to implement election reform as authorized by the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
4. Funding Homeland Security: To seek enactment of NACo’s basic policies on homeland security, the “First Responders Initiative,” including a strong emphasis on prevention, regional planning, specialized training, interoperability and an “all-hazards approach” to emergency management.
5. Health Care: Medicaid, Uncompensated Care and Public Health: NACo has chosen health care as a top priority because of its impact on county budgets and its ripeness in the legislative process. Health care must be assumed to include mental as well as physical health.
6. Oppose Unfunded Mandates and Preemption: Oppose unfunded mandates from Congress, and the Administration, and oppose legislation or regulations that preempt county authority, such as land-use regulatory authorities, and other locally-based functions.
Steering Committee Legislative Priorities
• Agriculture and Rural Affairs
1. Rural Development: Increasing funding for USDA rural development programs, particularly within the Rural Business Cooperative Service, Rural Housing Service and the Rural Utilities Service.
2. Rural Development: Protecting the mandatory funding dedicated to rural development that was contained in the farm bill. This includes the $100 million for the Rural Strategic Investment Program and the Rural Broadband Access program.
3. Farm Bill: Working with USDA to ensure full implementation of the farm bill. Primarily, we would like to see NACo call for USDA to establish the National Board on Rural America and a National Conference on Rural America, and have county representatives involved in both.
• Community and Economic Development
1. CDBG: Increase appropriations for the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
2. Economic Development Funding: Maintain funding, or provide tax incentives, for federal programs that assist local governments in investing in economic development opportunities.
3. Supportive Housing Services: Provide funding, or tax incentives, for supportive housing programs that provide housing and services to move families and individuals towards independence and self-sufficiency
• Environment, Energy and Land Use
1. Alternative Energy Incentives: Support national energy legislation that provides incentives for investment in alternative, renewable, and energy efficient technologies.
2. Infrastructure Finding: Support financial assistance for drinking water, sewer and storm water infrastructure.
3. Regulatory Reduction: Support legislation that reduces environmental regulatory mandates on counties, such as for storm water management, sewer overflows and wetlands permitting.
• Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs
1. Bankruptcy Reform: Support bankruptcy reform legislation that restores the standing of state, county and local government tax liens in bankruptcy proceedings.
• Health
1. Improve SCHIP: Correct funding flaws in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) program through reauthorization. SCHIP is a state and federal program, and state budget cuts are additionally eating away at the SCHIP program. Counties rely on SCHIP to provide reimbursement for health care to children who do not qualify for Medicaid or have private health coverage.
2. Public Health: Support additional funding for the public health system. Despite funding for bioterrorism response and other public health issues, the public health system needs substantial upgrading and improvement after years of neglect. Additional federal funding is needed for the system, and it needs to get to local health agencies quickly.
3. Prescription Drug Issues for Counties: Support legislation that would facilitate delivery of prescription drugs to the poor, aging and indigent at a reasonable cost to providers. Many counties have been supplying prescription drugs to these groups, however, most of the focus on prescription drugs in Congress has been on Medicare. Funding is needed to help offset the rapidly increasing costs of prescription drugs.
4. Aging: Support legislation that would assist counties in delivering aging services. Counties operate nursing homes, provide aging services and regulate nursing homes in many communities. With the increase in the number of elder Americans, these services will become in even greater demand. This is especially true with recent cuts in programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. The Health Steering Committee has chosen aging issues as one of its top priority because of its impact on county budgets and its ripeness in the legislative process.
5. Provide federal assistance for Emergency Room and Trauma Care: Support legislation that would provide additional funding for emergency room and trauma care. County hospitals that operate emergency rooms and provide trauma care are struggling to keep their doors open. Many uninsured persons use emergency rooms as their primary source of care. This results in a great deal of uncompensated care that weakens the long-term financial viability of county facilities.
• Human Services and Education
1.Welfare Reform: Reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant and related programs at current funding levels, plus inflation. Enhance flexibility to ensure child well-being and progressive family income stability after leaving welfare. Oppose arbitrary mandates that add to the fiscal burdens of county budgets.
2. Services to the Aging: Increase federal financial support for county efforts to ensure a continuum of services to the aging, including adult protective services, in-home services, and prescription drug benefits.
3. Early Childhood Development: Increase federal financial support and ensure county participation in early childhood development and school readiness programs, including home visitation programs.
• Justice and Public Safety
1. Jail Diversion: To enact federal legislation that would help divert non-violent mentally ill offenders from county jails
2. Information Sharing: To enact legislation or regulations to increase and facilitate the sharing of information between federal, state and local government elected officials and law enforcement personnel.
• Labor and Employment
1. Workforce Investment Act: Successful reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act.
2. Workforce Investment Act: Maintain current funding for Workforce Investment Act activities.
3. Federal Employment Program: Establishment of a public sector employment program funded by the federal government and implemented at the state, county and municipal levels.
• Public Lands
1. PILT: Fully fund PILT & Refuge Revenue Sharing.
2. Forest, Rangeland Health: Improve forest and rangeland health, reduce wild land fire risk, and implement the National Fire Plan.
3. Endangered Species Act: Reform the ESA.
4. Land Use Planning: Improve opportunities for county input on land-use planning for public land.
• Telecommunications and Technology
1. Advanced Telecommunications: Support the deployment of advanced telecommunications services/broadband for rural and inner city communities to respond to “digital divide” concerns.
2. Preemption of Regulatory Authorities: Oppose efforts in Congress and at the FCC to preempt the authorities of local and state governments to regulate, franchise and manage portions of telecommunications/cable services and publicly-owned rights-of-way as provided in the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
3. Improve Public Safety and Emergency Management Communications: Increase interoperability for both voice and data, release additional spectrum in the 700 MHz band for public safety and emergency management use, and eliminate interference problems in public safety communications.
4. Create a National Trust Fund for Geospatial Data: Work with the geospatial community to develop a proposal for a trust fund similar to the National Highway Trust Fund to assist local governments in obtaining accurate, timely and robust geospatial data.
• Transportation
1. AIR-21 Reauthorization: Support the reauthorization of the federal airport and aviation program, including a well funded Airport Improvement Program, guaranteed funding from the Aviation Trust Fund; and increased assistance for rural and underserved communities to help them in attracting and retaining air service.
2. Security for Transportation Facilities: Support legislation aimed at improving security and the funding for security for county-owned transportation facilities, including airports, transit systems, highways, and ports, and other significant non-county facilities, where county government has been called upon to provide security or where enhanced security of such a facility is a high priority for county residents.
3. Amtrak: Support an inter-city rail and regional rail passenger system that is adequately funded and provides a reasonable transportation option.
