May 20, 2013 - Vol. 45 No. 10

Farm bill makes its way out of House, Senate ag committees
The obstacles preventing a reauthorization of the farm bill are quickly clearing as both the House and Senate agriculture committees passed farm bill packages with bipartisan support on May 14 and May 15.
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In This Issue

Air traffic control towers remain open
The U.S. Department of Transportation will not close the 149 contract air traffic control towers that it had previously announced would be closed on June 15 due to sequestration.
Arlington, Va. will share county website code
Arlington County plans to share some of its website code with the open-source programming community.
Bipartisan forest roads bill introduced in House and Senate
Members of the U.S. House and Senate introduced a bipartisan bill May 16 to reaffirm EPA’s 37-year stance that forest roads runoff should be regulated as nonpoint sources through the states’ best management practices.
Counties celebrate National County Government Month
More than 100 counties in 26 states participated in National County Government Month to raise public awareness about the import role county government plays in their communities.
Public works association recognizes county directors
The American Public Works Association named its annual Top Ten Public Works Leaders last month, including two county public works directors with contrasting backgrounds.
Questionable sequester: Forest Service plan to squeeze more money from counties
Count another sequester victim: 2012 Secure Rural Schools funding.
Senate begins immigration reform bill mark-up
The Senate Judiciary Committee began its mark-up of the immigration reform bill May 9.
Tax reform presents some risk for counties
As the tax-writing committees in both chambers move full-steam-ahead with efforts to draft a plan for comprehensive tax reform, there is still the question of whether the 113th Congress would even be able to pass such a major piece of legislation.
USDOT Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Limits Study
The U.S. Department of Transportation invites you to participate in the upcoming Public Input Session for the Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Limits Study May 29.

Rep. Fattah encourages broader persuasion efforts for LUCC members
NACo’s Large Urban County Caucus came away from a meeting with Rep. Chaka Fattah May 8 assured that their messages were being heard by members of Congress, but also with suggestions for how they could magnify what they had to say.
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Infrastructure bank pools small revenue streams
Counties in Pennsylvania and New York have debuted loan programs to help fund infrastructure improvements in areas where work is needed.
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House next stop for Water Resources Development Act
With a strong bipartisan vote of 83–14, the Senate okayed the Water Resources Development Act, a popular biannual bill that authorizes Army Corps of Engineers projects and provides policy direction to the Corps.
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May 20, 2013 - Vol. 45 No. 10

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