NACo Information Series on Treasury’s ARPA Flexibility Guidance: Relief from Natural Disasters

On May 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA) announced $2.9 billion in funding to help states support lead service line replacement. The funding will be distributed through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and can be used by communities to identify lead pipes, plan removal projects, and replace lead service lines that deliver drinking water to homes.

On May 20, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee began consideration of the fiscal year (FY) 2027 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which funds key environment and public lands programs at the Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The bill provides agency and program funding levels and sets policy goals for the agencies for FY 2027.

NACo urges Congress to fully fund the U.S. Census Bureau in FY 2027, consistent with the administration’s budget request, to support 2030 Census preparation.

On May 18, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) published a Federal Register notice establishing a new computer matching program under the Privacy Act of 1974. The notice authorizes Treasury to compare records held by about 40 of its programs against the Do Not Pay (DNP) Working System, a centralized verification portal operated by Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service. NACo will be submitting comments. 

On May 29, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in coordination with all federal grantmaking agencies, published a proposed rule in the Federal Register rewriting 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200 which is commonly referred to as Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR Part 200. This is the regulation that governs federal grants administered by all federal agencies that applies to counties and other entities. Teh proposed ruling  includes substantial changes to federal code. 

NACo sent a letter to the U.S. Senate endorsing the Municipal Investment and Neighborhood Transformation Act (S. 3941), or MINT Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.).