Human Services & Education Policy Steering Committee
About the Committee
All matters pertaining to children’s issues, foster care, public assistance and income support, services to senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, immigration policy, social services, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education.
Policy Platform 2025-2026
Every county in the U.S. administers and funds part of the cost of strengthening communities and protecting and enhancing families. The NACo Human Services & Education Steering Committee exists to support counties in this work.
Resource
County Policy Priorities for Transforming the Child Welfare System
J.D. Clark is up to a Texas-sized challenge
NACo's new president got his start in county government covering meetings for his local newpaper as a high school student.
EPA releases proposal to repeal 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding
On July 29, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposal to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding. Following the announcement from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a supporting report—A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate.
U.S. House of Representatives introduce Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act
On July 25, U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.-04) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine-02) introduced the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. This bipartisan bill would amend the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to clarify ambiguity and streamline the permitting process.
HALT Fentanyl Act signed into law
On July 16, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act (HALT Fentanyl Act) (P.L. 119-26) was signed into law, marking a major turning point in the nation’s response to the opioid epidemic. The bipartisan legislation permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, granting law enforcement the authority to combat the growing threat posed by synthetic opioids. The law’s enactment follows years of temporary extensions that placed these substances under federal control on a provisional basis.
Resource
The County Human Services and Education Landscape
Human Services & Education Policy Briefs
Committee Chair
View all committee members here.
Hon. Shannon Jones
Committee Contact
Julia Cortina
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