2026 NACo Legislative Conference Coverage

Counties can help improve health outcomes by prioritizing prevention over treatment, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told NACo Legislative Conference attendees.

House Agriculture Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.): “Let’s face it — the 2018 policy was really great for 2018, but it’s no match for the challenges of 2026.”

Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.): “Right now, it is too difficult to access providers … and get mental health care in a facility that is the right size and also the appropriate acuity level to meet patients’ needs.”

An Arizona congressman hopes to link Social Security funding and public lands policy.

"Self-efficiency" is in and Housing First is out at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Child welfare experts outlined current priorities at the federal level, including better supporting foster care youth who age out of the system and recruiting more foster parents, at NACo’s Human Services and Education Policy Steering Committee meeting.

Prince William County, Va.’s Crisis Receiving Center is bridging the gap between emergency room care and traditional outpatient care in behavioral crisis response and reducing burden on local law enforcement and hospitals.

In April, the National Integrated Drought Information System will launch the Mid-Atlantic Drought Early Warning System, which will help county officials allocate resources and attention to mitigate drought-related disasters.

The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act could provide more than 30,000 state and local judges with access to security assessments, best practices and a database of threats made against colleagues in the justice field.

Facing headwinds on making PILT funding permanent, county veteran Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) told county officials to reach out to any member of Congress who will listen.

Nearly 300 first-time NACo Legislative Conference attendees heard from a slate of speakers welcoming them to the event and providing some guidance.

More than 2,000 county officials from across the nation are visiting Washington, D.C., for NACo 2026 Legislative Conference, at the Washington Hilton Feb. 21-24.