Date: April 21, 202
(04/21/2022)
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration today announced a new program that unlocks $6.4 billion in formula funding for states and localities over five years. The new Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), created under the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help states develop carbon reduction strategies and address the climate crisis facing our nation.
Date: April 11, 202
Please urge your members of Congress to support HOME in FY 2023 appropriations. Please urge your local, state, and regional partners to support the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program and urge Congress to direct renewed investment of $2.5 billion for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 through the National Sign On Letter by COB Friday, April 22.
Date: April 8, 2022
In a letter to the Federal Highway Administration, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) and the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) write to jointly request consideration of the following comments in response to the Request for Information (RFI) (Docket No. FHWA-2021-0021) that was published in the Federal Register on December 1, 2021.
Date: April 12, 2022
Please call your Representatives and urge them to sign the Bipartisan OAA Funding Letter sponsored by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) calling for increases in OAA funding for this year. Rep. Bonomici, along with Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Ted Deutch (D-FL) and John Katko (R-NY), is sponsoring a “Dear Colleague” letter calling for a doubling of fiscal year 2023 OAA Title III “aging independently” programs. Signatures for the Bonamici-Stefanik OAA sign-on letter are due Friday, April 22.
OAA programs are facing stagnant funding levels along with declining emergency funds. These fund levels are inadequate to meet the growing numbers of older adults needing support. Please encourage your representatives to join Reps. Bonamici and Stefanik in calling for increased OAA funding. If adopted it would increase funding for OAA Title III B Supportive Services, Title III C Nutrition, Title III D Evidence-Based Health Promotion and Prevention Programs and Title III E National Family Caregiver Support Program.
For more information click here:
USAging’s request to double FY 2023 funding for Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III programs.
Again, signatures for the Bonamici-Stefanik OAA sign-on letter are due Friday, April 22.
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the historic investment in the nation from passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Throughout the week the White House has been celebrating the one-year anniversary by highlighting achievements made possible by the passage of the bill relevant information, fact sheets, and toolkits for communities. The $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package was designed to facilitate the United States’ recovery from the devastating economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. ARPA included $350 billion in aid to states, cities, tribal governments, and U.S. territories.
ARPA authorized the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, including $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county, parish and borough in America. It represents a strong federal-state-local partnership and an investment in localities on the front-line keeping communities healthy, safe and vibrant.
Funding allocated under the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program is subject to the requirements specified in U.S. Department of the Treasury’s May 17, 2021 interim final rule, which became effective on that date and detailed whether a program, project or service was an eligible use. Treasury accepted public comments on the interim final rule through July 16, 2021 and after reviewing some 1,000 submitted comments adopted the final rule in early January 2022.
On January 6, 2022 Treasury issued the Final Rule for SLFRF program adding clarifications and additional guidance not available under the interim rule. For an in-depth overview of the Final Rule check out the National Association of Counties (NACo) analysis.
To date, Treasury has distributed more than $245 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments as a part of the SLFRF program, accounting for over 99% of funds eligible to be disbursed in 2021. Recipients of funds were encouraged to begin using funds under the interim final rule, which was released in May 2021 as the final rule does not take until April 1, 2022.
An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that state governments have appropriated nearly 70% of their available funds as of November 2021. Their review of these spending decisions shows that many states are using the funds constructively: to offset declines in their revenue collections; to address the health, economic, and fiscal impacts of the pandemic and contribute to the economic recovery; and to start new long-term investments to address racial and economic inequities.
In addition to this analysis of broad state– allocated ARPA spending, a partnership between Brookings Metro, the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the National League of Cities (NLC), aimed at highlighting innovative, evidence-based, well-targeted uses of SLFRF ARPA funds. They created the Local Government ARPA Investment Tracker. An online resource that compiles information from local governments to offer a detailed picture of how large cities and counties (with populations of at least 250,000) are deploying funding.
This tool adds to other important efforts to understand local ARPA implementation, including Results for America’s ARP Data and Evidence Dashboard, and the Treasury Department’s analysis of highlights from initial SLFRF reports.
Communities have until 2024 to fully plan for and commit their funds, and until 2026 to spend them. Local governments’ initial SLFRF expenditure reports contain useful roadmaps on where they are heading with ARPA funds; large cities and counties (those with populations of at least 250,000) have also delivered the first in a series of annual plans that outline their intended and actual uses of SLFRF dollars.
Collectively, these reports and tools detail thousands of projects across dozens of eligible expenditure categories and form the data behind the Local Government ARPA Investment Tracker.
The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) will be collecting information and tracking ARPA spending from regional councils over the next few months. If you have questions or information to share on how you are spending and planning for ARPA dollars please contact Jessica Routzahn at jessica@narc.org.
Additional Resources:
COVID-19 Communications Toolkit for Counties
Utilize NACo’s COVID-19 communications toolkit, including top-level messaging, outreach ideas and templates to share how your county is investing ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds.
Visit NACo’s ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund Resource Hub to find tools to share your story, explore county best practices, access analysis and more.
White House ARPA Anniversary Toolkit
Join the White House and states, cities, counties, territories to amplify the successful, historic, and lasting impact of the American Rescue Plan in social media and your local press!
Date: January 6, 2022
The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the Final Rule for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, enacted as a part of the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), which delivers $350 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments to support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The SLFRF program ensures governments have the resources needed to respond to the pandemic, including providing health and vaccine services, supporting families and businesses struggling with the pandemic’s economic impacts, maintaining vital public services, and building a strong and equitable recovery. Click here to view the final rule text. Click here to view a user-friendly overview of the major provisions of the final rule.
Date: November 05, 2021
Last week the Honorable Alejandra Castillo U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) testified before the Senate Committee on EnviOn November 4, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) tCongress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Friday, approving a signature part of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda. It will deliver $550 billion of new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years, touching everything from bridges and roads to the nation’s broadband, water and energy systems. Experts say the money is sorely needed to ensure safe travel, as well as the efficient transport of goods and produce across the country. Democrats claim the bill pays for itself through a multitude of measures and without raising taxes. But the Congressional Budget Office brushed aside several of those pay-for provisions, ultimately finding the bill would add $256 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years. It’s significantly smaller than the $2.25 trillion proposal that Biden unveiled in March, known as the American Jobs Plan.
Date: November 04, 2021
Last week the Honorable Alejandra Castillo U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) testified before the Senate Committee on EnviOn November 4, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to require large employers to develop, implement and enforce a COVID-19 vaccination policy or institute a policy to allow employees to choose between vaccination and weekly testing. The ETS applies to employers with 100 employees or more that are subject to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970. This includes county governments located in the 26 states with OSHA-approved state plans, which are OSHA-approved workplace safety and health programs operated by individual states or U.S. territories. The ETS will take effect on November 5, 2021, and covered employees must have their vaccination policies in place within 30 days. The deadline for employees to be fully vaccinated or begin regular testing is January 4, 2022. OSHA has already initiated a 30-day public comment period. Aside from seeking general comments on all aspects of the rule and how it would be adopted as a final standard, OSHA is seeking public input on nine specific topics.
Date: November 03, 2021
Last week the Honorable Alejandra Castillo U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) on the importance of reauthorizing EDA, which has not been reauthorized since 2004. In her testimony, Secretary Castillo highlighted EDA’s growth in size and budget over the past 17 years and especially over the past four years in response to disasters. She also recognized the need for regional collaboration as a means to achieving economic growth and ensuring equitable growth that reaches the nation’s underserved communities. EDA has increasingly been called on to play a prominent role in disaster recovery efforts, including two disaster supplementals in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 totaling $1.2 billion, $1.5 billion under the CARES Act, and now $3 billion under the ARP Act. Reauthorization is vitally important now to position EDA to respond to new and existing economic development challenges.
On November 19, the U.S. House passed its version of President Biden’s Build Back Better Act (BBBA), a $1.75 trillion (H.R. 5376) reconciliation package that includes paid family leave, universal preschool, tax incentives, climate initiatives, and a Medicare drug price negotiation program. The legislation passed on a 220-213 party-line vote, utilizing the reconciliation process that give the House majority nearly complete control over all elements of the bill and substantially limits the minorities ability to amend the bill. The bill now goes to the Seante where a similar drafting process will be used. Most importantly, however, the reconciliation process enables the Senate majority to pass a bill with a simple majority. Once drafted, the majority leader can bring the bill straight to the floor. and any amendments are required to comply with reconciliation rules, with a vote on passage to follow. If the Senate’s version differs from the House’s version the House and Senate will have to conference both bills and come to an agreement on a single bill that must then pass the House and Senate. The House also has the option of skipping conference and vote on the Senate bill. If it passes it will go to the president for his signature.
The BBBA invests heavily in social programs such as childcare, preschool education, paid parental leave, resources to address climate change, education and housing stabilization and much more. Below are more details about some of these important programs.
Investments in Affordable Housing:
BBBA would provide a total of $150 billion for affordable housing programs that either improve or build over 1 million housing units.
Investments in Workforce Development:
The bill would provide $4.5 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I programs within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
Investments in the Economic Development Administration:
The bill would provide $5 billion to the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Of this total, counties would be eligible to receive funding under the following programs
Raises the Cap on The State and Local Tax Deduction:
The bill would raise the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction from $10,000 to $80,000 and extend this cap through 2030. The $80,000 SALT cap amount would also apply to the 2021 tax year. For 2031, the SALT deduction cap would be set at $10,000.
Investments in Climate Action:
The BBBA would provide $555 billion for climate and clean energy investments. The bill provides tax credits up to $12,500 to those buying new electric vehicles, as well as incentives to encourage solar panel installation as well as the following:
Investments in Rural Development:
The bill would provide $873 million to establish a new Rural Partnership Program through USDA, which aims to enhance rural communities’ access to federal community and economic development funding by providing flexible grants and technical assistance to a range of entities. Some additional investments in rural communities include:
Investments in Telecommunications:
BBBA would allocate grants for NG911 (next generation 911) services including $9 million to establish an NG911 Cybersecurity Center within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) in addition to $1 million to establish a 16-member Public Safety NG911 Advisory Board. Beyond the NG911 funding, the Act also allocates $295 million to NTIA for grants to public-private partnerships aimed at increasing access to broadband in urban communities. Some of the funding programs include:
Investments in Transportation:
This legislation would make transportation more accessible and affordable, and help tackle the climate crisis by reducing carbon pollution from transportation and building more resilient infrastructure. Some of the transportation related programs in the bill include:
The above is not an exhaustive list of every program and funding source in the entirety of BBBA. Additional resources and analysis from the National Association of Counties (NACo) can be found here. NARC will continue to monitor the legislation as it progresses through the Senate and provide you with additional information.