Month: December 2020

NARC / Urban Institute Webinar: Integrating Racial Equity in Regional Housing Policy

Register here
Webinar recording will be posted here

Please join the Urban Institute, in collaboration with NARC, for a timely presentation and discussion on integrating racial equity in regional housing policy. Throughout the presentation, participants will learn about policies that promote regional housing equity, see examples of promising work being done across the country, learn about Urban Institute data tools for decision making, and discuss how to unite diverse jurisdictions under one common equity-focused policy agenda.

Speakers: 

Monique King-Viehland
Monique King-Viehland is the director of State and Local Housing Policy at the Urban Institute. She leads efforts to catalyze Urban’s vast housing policy expertise into actionable strategies for, and with, state and local housing leaders. Her portfolio extends across Urban, encompassing a range of housing policy areas from homelessness and affordable housing to zoning reform, homeownership, and housing finance. King-Viehland previously served as executive director of the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) where she oversaw 580 employees and a budget of $600 million. She was the first woman and African American to take the helm of the 40-year-old agency. She led the agency through significant transformation, including the merger of the Community Development Commission and housing authority into one unified agency to augment cross-agency thinking and client service, increase organizational effectiveness, and reposition the agency as a forward-thinking, industry leader in the provision of housing, community, and economic development.

Gabriella Velasco
Gabriella Velasco is a policy assistant in the Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute and a contributor to the Housing Matters Initiative. Before joining Urban, she worked with the sustainability program at the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, providing research and project management support across the state. Velasco received a BA in sustainability studies, a BA in urban political ecology, and a minor in women’s and gender studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Regional Councils Urge Congress to Include Relief for Transit in COVID-19 Stimulus Bill

Twenty-one NARC-member regional councils have written to congressional leadership requesting critical funding for transit agencies to maintain operations as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain their resources.

Click here to view the letter.

The agencies call for $32 Billion in emergency federal funds to be included in an upcoming stimulus package to be passed before the end of 2020. This figure has been identified by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) as what is needed to ensure that transit agencies “can survive and help our communities and the nation recover from the economic fallout of the pandemic.”

COVID-19 has caused massive drops in transit ridership and lost revenue has forced transit agencies across the country to consider service and personnel cuts. With relief funds from the CARES Act running out soon, transit agencies will be forced to make these proposed cuts and layoffs unless further funding is provided to cover the budget gaps created by this year’s lost revenues. 

In the letter, the agencies emphasize how important it will be to have a strong transportation network in order to recover from the shutdowns and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also highlight the danger presented by letting transit systems fail or face significant cutbacks; service and maintenance could take years to recover. 

Problem Solvers Caucus Release Language on New COVID-19 Relief Package

Late yesterday afternoon, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus released the long-awaited bill text for their $908 billion coronavirus relief package. The legislation  is a two-part stimulus plan: a $748 billion package focusing on areas of agreement and a separate $160 billion bill that includes the most controversial provisions for lawmakers — additional funding for state and local government and liability protections. It’s important to keep in mind that while many lawmakers see this bill as the most concrete and realistic compromise on COVID-19 relief we have seen in months, House and Republican leadership see it as a marker for broader negotiations and not a final vehicle for aid. Critics of this two-part approach, especially those that are pushing for state and local-directed aid, have pointed out that it defeats the purpose of negotiations to pass contested legislation when it’s not tied to the un-controversial provisions. 

Here is a breakdown of the distribution formula for state, local, and tribal assistance in the proposed Bipartisan State and Local Support and Small Business Protection Act of 2020: 

  • $152 billion in state and local aid through the Coronavirus Relief Fund 
    • 1/3rd would be distributed based on state population in proportion to the U.S. population. 
    • 2/3rd would be distributed based on the proportion of each state’s revenue loss relative to the total revenue losses of all U.S. states. 
  • Each state will receive at least $500 million.  
  • $8 million in funding for Tribes, allocated by 60% population and 40% based on the number of employees for each Tribal entity. 
  • Governors must distribute 40% of the state’s funding to local government but choose how from the following: 
    • Proportional population 
    • Proportional revenue loss 
    • Combination of both. 
  • There are no population thresholds, so every county and municipality would be eligible for funding regardless of size.  
  • Extend the deadline for spending CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) aid on COVID-related expenses through December 31, 2021.  
  • State funding would be distributed in three tranches.