County Countdown – June 3, 2024
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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.
Farm Bill
Congress is advancing on the Farm Bill reauthorization, with consensus on key elements beneficial to rural development and federal nutrition programs.
- County priorities: Both the U.S. House and Senate agree on crucial funding for rural and nutrition programs, with the House proposing a three-year extension for the Secure Rural Schools program.
- Take action: As this bill moves through the legislative process, read about county priorities for the Farm Bill and make sure your member of Congress knows where your county stands.
Michelle Alyssa Go Act
NACo endorses the Michelle Alyssa Go Act to expand Medicaid-eligible psychiatric care, addressing gaps in mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
- Legislative focus: The bill aims to modernize the outdated Institutions for Mental Disease exclusion, facilitating better access to long-term psychiatric care.
- Bipartisan progress: This legislation represents a significant bipartisan effort to enhance mental health services and lower barriers to comprehensive treatment.
- NACo's advocacy: By supporting this bill, NACo highlights the urgent need to remove federal restrictions that hinder effective mental health services.
AI and Election Administration
As counties prepare for the 2024 General Election, NACo is working with our federal partners to ensure election officials have the resources necessary to address risks and leverage opportunities related to artificial intelligence (AI).
- Senate action: The U.S. Senate is focusing on legislation regarding the intersection of election administration and AI.
- NACo AI Exploratory Committee: For the latest on the potential impacts of artificial intelligence, access resources from NACo's AI Exploratory Committee.
- Stay tuned: NACo is set to release a county toolkit and report on AI at the 2024 NACo Annual Conference in Hillsborough County, Fla.
HOME Program Updates
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) new rule aims to modernize the HOME Investment Partnership Program, enhancing counties' ability to address the housing affordability crisis.
- About HOME: The program provides formula grants to counties and states and is used to build, buy, or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership, as well as fund direct rental assistance to low-income individuals.
- Proposed changes: The rule introduces significant modifications to streamline funding application and implementation.
- Public feedback: Stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments on the proposed changes by July 29, 2024.
House, Senate Agriculture Committees release frameworks for 2024 Farm Bill Reauthorization
After months of negotiations and gridlock, lawmakers on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have released competing frameworks for the 2024 Farm Bill. Explore NACo's full analysis.
Senate Rules Committee considers elections and AI legislation ahead of 2024 General Elections
Senate Rules Committee held business meeting on May 15 to markup and consider legislation on the role of artificial intelligence in elections.
HUD issues proposed rule to modernize the HOME program
On May 29, HUD issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize the HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and enable counties to implement funding more efficiently.
Related News
Podcast: Eastern Tennessee counties invest in tourism during shutdown
Sevier County, Tenn. refused to let the government shutdown devastate its fall tourism draw—Great Smoky Mountains National Park. County Mayor Larry Waters describes the lengths he and his neighbors went to keep the park open. And NACo Chief Government Affairs Officer Mark Ritacco offers an outlook on what counties can take away from the shutdown and into the future.
CMS announces new funding opportunity for the Innovation in Behavioral Health Model
On October 16, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Cohort II of the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model. This new round of funding builds on the initial IBH model announced in 2024 and continues CMS’s efforts to improve outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs) by advancing integration between behavioral and physical healthcare.
U.S. Department of Agriculture releases plan to strengthen beef industry
On October 22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its plan in a white paper to stabilize and strengthen the nation’s beef industry. USDA’s white paper lays out a long-term strategy that aims to reverse these trends by improving the resilience of the domestic beef industry, increasing consumer access to American beef products and boosting demand
Upcoming Events
From Secure Collaboration to AI insights: Streamlining GIS Analysis, Field Work and Records Management
Join county government leaders as they share practical, battle-tested ways they’ve transformed operations in the age of AI — from consolidating content and replacing legacy file systems to securing mission-critical election workflows.
FAA-NACo Airport Land Use Compatibility
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:300 p.m. ET
Counties play a crucial role in our nation’s aviation system, owning and operating hundreds of airports across the country. And even in places where the county may not own the airport, county planning departments and development organizations work to maximize the value of this asset to the community’s economic and overall wellbeing. Join NACo and staff from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Airports Planning and Programming to learn more about the FAA’s “Advisory Circular on Airport Land Use Compatibility Planning,” which will enable counties work smarter to integrate airports into broader planning efforts for land use, economic development and more. FAA staff will also be available to answer questions from county leaders about planning needs in their community and how the Advisory Circular can guide those efforts.
Speakers:
- Jacqueline Essick, Associate Director, Jacobsen|Daniels
- Amber McNair, Founder & Principal Investigator, AV McNair, LLC
- Michael (Mike) Hines, Manager of Airports Planning and Environmental Division, FAA
- Jean Wolfers-Lawrence, Manager of Environmental Planning Branch, FAA