NACo secures bipartisan congressional resolution recognizing April as National County Government Month
Key Takeaways
On April 22, a bipartisan group of U.S. House Representatives introduced a resolution designating April 2026 as National County Government Month, recognizing the critical role county governments and their employees play in communities across the nation.
Read the resolution.
Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) introduced the resolution alongside Reps. John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) – all of whom held county government positions before serving in Congress. Rep. Olszewski served six years as Baltimore County Executive and previously co-chaired NACo's Large Urban County Caucus. Rep. Rutherford is a former county sheriff, Rep. Bell a former county prosecutor and Rep. Schweikert a former county treasurer.
The resolution highlights key facts about America's 3,069 counties – we employ approximately 3.6 million public servants, support roughly 70 percent of all local public health departments and invest approximately $130 billion annually in community health and hospitals.
Specifically, the resolution calls on counties nationwide to participate in National County Government Month, encourages local jurisdictions to pass proclamations highlighting county programs and services and urges Members of Congress to engage with local governments to raise awareness of the county role in the intergovernmental system.
Why it matters
County governments are often the least visible level of government – yet we deliver the services residents depend on most. Congressional recognition of National County Government Month puts the county role on the record in Washington and creates an opportunity for counties to amplify that message locally. For NACo members, the resolution is a concrete advocacy tool: a signal from Congress that county work is valued and that the intergovernmental partnership is worth protecting. It also reinforces NACo's longstanding efforts to elevate county priorities in federal policymaking – from infrastructure investment to public health funding to workforce support.
NACo has designated April as National County Government Month since 1991.
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