ARPA Impact Report: An Analysis of How Counties are Addressing National Issues With Local Investments
America's nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees are on the frontlines of the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the country emerges from the pandemic and grapples with the toll it has taken on our citizens, counties are responding and rebuilding. At the same time, many counties are still confronting significant workforce shortage pressures at a time with growing, critical resident needs.
With American Rescue Plan funds, counties are strengthening America's workforce, addressing the nation's behavioral health crisis, expanding broadband access, improving housing affordability and building prosperous communities for the next generation.
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NACo Analysis of the American Rescue Plan Act
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County Investments of American Rescue Plan Recovery Funds
U.S. Forest Service seeks comment on proposal to rescind 2001 Roadless Rule in National Forests
Roadless Rule
On August 20, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. The rule prohibits road construction, reconstruction and most timber management on almost 45 million acres of National Forest land, and its repeal would give federal forest managers significant flexibility to manage forests in accordance with local need.
U.S. Forest Service reopens Resource Advisory Committee nomination process
On August 13, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced it was reopening the nomination process for Resource Advisory Committee (RACs) that direct certain funding from the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. County elected officials are eligible and encouraged to apply to serve on a RAC by November 12, 2026.
NACo sends letter to Congressional leadership asking them to reauthorize or extend key programs
NACo sends letter to Congressional leadership asking them to prioritize reauthorizing or extending key programs for counties ahead of September deadline
HHS proposes changes to Head Start standards
On August 6, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would significantly revise the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
Senate passes bill to fund the government through December 11 and delay OMB Rule
The U.S. Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend government funding through December 11 and delay the OMB proposed rule on Unform Guidance that governs how every federal grant can be administered.
Senate Confirms New FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton
The U.S. Senate Confirmed Cameron Hamilton as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator, re-establishing a leader for the agency which faced significant staffing cuts in recent years.