County Countdown – Feb. 20, 2024

Every other week, NACo’s County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership.

Watch the video above and explore NACo resources below.

1. Legislative Conference Wrap-Up

Thank you to everyone who participated in NACo’s Legislative Conference last week. The conference brought together nearly 2,000 county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact counties and our residents.

• Conference highlights: We strengthened intergovernmental partnerships through bipartisan meetings on Capitol Hill, the federal agency expo and a keynote address from the President of the United States.
• Explore new resources: Visit the conference homepage, as well as our advocacy hub to check out new resources, and read conference coverage from County News here.
• Stay tuned for a full recap and new advocacy resources, and follow us on social media for the latest.

2. Federal Budget Watch

As the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 federal budget deadline looms once again, NACo is focused on engaging Congress to ensure long-term certainty for essential programs supporting food security and internet access.

• Food security: As Congress negotiates government funding for FY 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is warning of a critical $1 billion budget shortfall within the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
• Broadband: Urge your members of Congress to support the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024. The ACP has become an important resource for counties to promote high-speed internet services to underserved communities.

3. Administering the 2024 Election

Federal election security funding is also a priority in the 2024 federal budget process. As elections become increasingly complex, counties need federal support for training, infrastructure and personnel.

• County role: Counties are responsible for funding and managing over 100,000 polling places staffed with over 630,000 poll workers each election cycle.
• Take action: Use NACo’s Election Administration Federal Advocacy Toolkit to highlight the county role with your members of Congress.
• Dive deep: Listen to the recent County News Podcast where the team talks shop with county election officials.

4. SALT Deduction

While Congress has rejected a SALT deduction reform bill, NACo continues to advocate for fair tax provisions.

• Unfair tax implications: The current SALT deduction structure burdens homeowners disproportionately compared to landlords, and caps married couples at a lower amount per person than individuals.
• Ongoing advocacy: NACo aims to revisit the issue with Congress for equitable tax treatment.

5. HOME Investment Partnerships Program

In the coming weeks, expect more discussions around the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnership Program.

• Legislation introduced in both the House and Senate would reauthorize the program and incrementally increase authorization levels until 2028.
• The HOME program is the largest federal block grant for state and local governments, designed to create affordable housing for low-income households.
• Counties can use HOME funds for a wide range of activities including building, buying and/or rehabilitating housing for rent or homeownership, or providing direct rental assistance to low-income people.