NACo

National Association of Counties

County News

County News Coverage: 2020 NACo Legislative Conference

By Mary Ann Barton, Charlie Ban, Rachel Looker Feb. 28, 2020

Tags: About NACo

Intergovernmental Affairs

County News

President Trump addresses NACo General Session

President Trump was the first sitting U.S. president to address a NACo conference since 1996.

Elections

Montgomery County, Md. Deputy Director of Elections Alysoun McLaughlin speaks during a March 3 Capitol Hill briefing on county elections. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Federal funding not reaching county elections departments

Most election functions counties carry out haven’t gotten outside support in a while.
Human Services

Arapahoe County, Colo. Commissioner Nancy Sharpe greets St. Charles Parish, La. Sheriff Greg Champagne during a March 3 briefing on Capitol Hill. Looking on is Ed Zackery, veterans service officer, Medina County, Ohio. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Proposed policy change aims to fix loss of benefits for pre-trial detainees

NACo and the National Sheriff’s Association joint task force took their cause of jail health reform to Capitol Hill, discussing a proposed policy change that would reinstate federal health care benefits for non-convicted justice-involved individuals.
Transportation & Infrastructure

Rep. Sam Graves, Jr. (R-Mo.), speaks to NACo members March 3 during a transportation briefing on Capitol Hill. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Transportation allies give voice to wish lists

Counties are eager to see what will reauthorized the current surface transportation bill, which expires in September.
Leadership

General Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, gives leadership advice to county officials during the general session on Tuesday at NACo’s 2020 Legislative Conference. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

General Colin Powell shares leadership skills

Gen. Colin Powell discussed leadership with NACo Executive Director Matt Chase during Tuesday's General Session.
Public Lands

Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt addresses the Monday Opening General Session. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Interior Secretary Bernhardt wants counties to feel heard

Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt spoke to Monday's Opening General Session and County News.
Housing

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson addresses county officials at the general session on Monday during NACo’s 2020 Legislative Conference. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

HUD Secretary talks cutting regulations to create affordable housing

HUD Secretary Ben Carson told county officials that HUD is working with local leaders to provide counties with housing affordability options.

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About Mary Ann Barton (Full Bio)

County News Editor & Senior Writer

Mary Ann Barton is the County News editor and senior staff writer and is returning to NACo after previously working at the association. She comes to NACo after covering local news for Patch.com in Northern Virginia.

More from Mary Ann Barton

More from NACo

Explore all of NACo's 2020 Legislative Conference resources.

Elections

Video

Capitol Hill Briefing: All Elections are Local: The County Role in Ensuring Safe & Secure Elections

Counties administer and fund elections at the local level, including overseeing polling places and coordinating poll workers for federal, state and local elections.
Transportation & Infrastructure

Video

Capitol Hill Briefing: Investing in Infrastructure: County Priorities in Transportation and Infrastructure Legislation

oin this Capitol Hill briefing to hear from members of Congress on the status of this legislation, as well as from county leaders about the unique infrastructure challenges local governments face and how the federal government can implement public policy to improve our nation’s transportation infrastructure system.
Justice & Public Safety

Video

Capitol Hill Briefing: The Intersection of Health and Justice: A Look Inside County Jails

During this briefing, hear from key congressional champions working to amend this federal policy and members of the task force, who will provide insights from group’s comprehensive report.

Intergovernmental Affairs

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) spoke to the Opening General Session audience on Monday. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Connolly: Help me pass ‘Restore the Partnership Act’

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). came to NACo's Legislative Conference seeking county officials’ support for a bill he’s introduced, “Restore the Partnership Act.”
Intergovernmental Affairs

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del) spoke to a familiar crowd at the Opening General Session. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Sen. Chris Coons brings county experience to Capitol Hill

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) called his former work as a county official back in Delaware “the most meaningful and significant” public service of his life when addressing Monday's Opening General Session.
Environment

County News

Chinese restrictions bring changes to county recycling

The recent crackdown on U.S. recycled materials to China has impacted counties, forcing localities to either invest in resources to reduce contamination of recyclables or limit recycling services.
Health

CDC Chief Medical Officer Mitch Wolfe discusses the 2019 coronavirus with members of NACo’s Large Urban County Caucus in Washington D.C. at the 2020 Legislative Conference. Photo by Leon Lawrence

County News

NACo members get briefing on coronavirus from CDC

"Everyday preventative measures" are major steps to preventing coronovirus contagion.
Rural Affairs

Anne Hazlett, senior advisor at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, addresses members of NACo’s Rural Action Caucus Sunday at the Legislative Conference. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Rural development expert takes aim at rural drug addiction

USDA's rural development expert takes aim at drug addiction.
Intergovernmental Affairs

Ginger Delegal, executive director of the Florida Association of Counties and Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties discuss how states are tackling county priorities at NACo’s 2020 Legislative Conference in Washington D.C. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

State governments’ actions affect county operations

As creatures of the state, county government operations are tightly linked to what happens in the capitol.
Urban Counties

Katharine Sullivan, principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, discusses funding opportunities Sunday with county officials at the Large Urban County Caucus meeting during NACO’s 2020 Legislative Conference. Photo by Leon Lawrence

County News

LUCC members talk funding opportunities at the federal level

Intergovernmental partnerships are a potential funding source for county priorities.
Resiliency

County News

Help your most vulnerable in a disaster with a special needs shelter

Special needs shelters are a crucial part of disaster response measures.

More News from NACo

Education & Training

County News

Counties help guide fall school reopenings

County health departments are providing guidelines to help school districts form strategies for reopening to keep students, teachers and staff safe.
Management & Administration

County News

Counties make use of coronavirus funding

Counties with populations of more than 500,000 received direct allocations from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which totaled $150 billion among state and local governments. Here's how a few allocated their CRF payments.
Human Services

County News

Counties step up mental health services

As demand for mental health services increases as a result of economic uncertainty and social isolation, the ways to provide it get more inventive and efficient.
Human Services

County News

Faces on the Front Lines: Child protective caseworker Christina Lee

A child protective caseworker in Oswego County, N.Y. shares a day in her life.
Labor & Employment

County News

Local government jobs decline for second consecutive month

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its monthly jobs report for May, reflecting a dramatic change of course in labor market conditions, but not for local governments. On top of approximately 800,000 local government jobs lost in April, local governments lost another 487,000 in May.
Management & Administration

County News

COVID-19: Counties move to ‘next normal’ as they reopen

With almost all states beginning to reopen in some manner, counties are following reopening strategies as the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
Health

Aaron Cignarale trains a class of colunteer contact tracers at the Monroe County, N.Y. public health building. Photo by Brett Dahlberg

County News

Contact tracers work to notify public, limit COVID-19 spread

Contact tracing is one of the crucial components to limiting COVID-19 spread.
Telecommunications & Technology

Orange County, N.Y. Health Commissioner Irina Gelman and County Executive Steve Neuhaus view data from the health department's mobile app that provides county residents with information related to COVID-19. Photo courtesty of Orange County

County News

Counties turn to apps, alert systems in pandemic

When combating the impacts of a global pandemic in the 21st century, counties are turning to innovative tech to provide accurate information to county residents. “With the ability to use apps — the sky’s the limit,” according to Rich Collins, director of Emergency Services for Sarasota County, Fla.

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County News Sections

County Innovations and Solutions

Open data portal brings transparency to county medical examiner’s office
The HR Doctor is in

Protecting your county employees from COVID-19

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Aug. 2, 2020 | View Issue

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Contact Information

Mary Ann Barton

County News Editor & Senior Writer

(202) 942-4223
Charlie Ban

County News Digital Editor & Senior Writer

(202) 942-4210
Rachel Looker

Staff Writer

(202) 942-4215

Additional Resources