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

County News Article
County News Coverage: 2020 NACo Legislative Conference

2020-02-28

County News Article

2020-03-10

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 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.

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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, Energy & Land Use

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

Community & Economic Development

Blog

Member Profile: Supervisor Larry Nelson, Waukesha County, Wis.

This member profile is the third in a series highlighting members of NACo’s Economic Mobility Leadership Network, a cohort of county leaders working to improve economic outcomes for their residents and sharing strategies and solutions in a peer learning setting.
Intergovernmental Affairs

Blog

U.S. Treasury Department provides update on revenue calculation in Recovery Fund reporting portal

On August 30, the U.S. Treasury Department issued the following update on calculating revenue in the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund reporting portal:
Intergovernmental Affairs

Blog

U.S. Treasury releases video walkthrough of reporting portal; Fiscal Recovery Fund reports deadline August 31

The U.S. Treasury Department released a step-by-step video walkthrough of the Treasury Portal for the Interim Report and Recovery Plan.
Health

Blog

CDC Updates Indoor Mask Guidance in Response to COVID-19 Case Surges

On July 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released revised guidance on mask wearing, recommending that vaccinated individuals resume wearing masks indoors and in public areas that are seeing spikes in COVID-19 transmission rates.
Leadership

NACo’s new executive team, elected July 12 at the 2021 Annual Business Meeting in Prince George’s County, Md. are (l-r): Immediate Past President Gary Moore, Boone County, Ky. judge/executive; President Larry Johnson, commissioner, DeKalb County, Ga.; First Vice President Denise Winfrey, board member, Will County, Ill. and Second Vice President Mary Jo McGuire, commissioner, Ramsey County, Minn.
Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Larry Johnson, Georgia commissioner, takes the lead as NACo president

DeKalb County, Ga. Commissioner Larry Johnson was sworn in as NACo’s new president Monday afternoon at NACo’s 2021Annual Business Meeting in Prince George’s County, Md.
Broadband

Broadband Task Force Co-Chair Craig Rice, councilmember, Montgomery County, Md. discusses findings of the Broadband Task Force report released July 12 at the 2021 NACo Annual Conference. To his right is Task Force Co-Chair J.D. Clark, county judge, Wise County, Texas.
Photo by Denny Henry

County News

NACo’s Broadband Task Force releases report

In an effort to bridge the digital divide in counties both rural and urban across the country, NACo’s Broadband Task Force released a report July 12 during the 2021 NACo Annual Conference outlining nine specific themes that address communities seeking broadband.
Tax & Finance

White House rescue plan coordinator Gene Sperling (center) and Deputy Treasury Sec. Wally Adeyemo (right) discuss ARP funding in a General Session Monday morning with NACo President Gary Moore, Boone County, Ky. judge/executive, at the NACo Annual Conference.
Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Architects of ARP implementation discuss local funding

Passing the American Rescue Plan was only the beginning. To ensure a full economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration was determined to successfully implement the $1.9 trillion stimulus, a task equal in importance to summoning the political will to pass the bill.
Intergovernmental Affairs

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks with NACo First Vice President Larry Johnson during the General Session Monday morning at the 2021 NACo Annual Conference in Prince George’s County, Md.

County News

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks power of counties

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi discussed the roles and power of counties in advocating for bipartisan COVID-19 relief funding July 12 at the 2021 NACo Annual Conference in Prince George’s County, Md.

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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

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