HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020/11/17-Attachments-RESOLUTION - 2021 Federal Legislative and Administrative AgendaA Resolution
NO.
ADOPTING THE CITY OF FORT WORTH'S
2021 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA
WHEREAS, the 117th United States Congress will convene in January 2021; and
WHEREAS, during the fall of 2020, the City's Governmental Relations staff, in conjunction
with its federal legislative consultants, solicited input from various members of the Fort Worth City
Council, the City Manager's office, and department directors to identify programmatic and funding
needs that could, potentially, be resolved by Congressional or federal administrative actions; and
WHEREAS, recommendations for a federal legislative and administrative agenda were
presented to the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, which approved a final version
of the proposed federal program on October 20, 2020, for presentation to and consideration by the full
City Council; and
WHEREAS, the proposed program was presented to the City Council on October 27, 2020 and
the approval of this resolution will serve as City Council's adoption of its federal legislative and
administrative program.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT WORTH THAT:
1. The 2021 Federal Legislative and Administrative Program outlined in the attached document is
hereby adopted; and
2. The City Manager is hereby authorized and directed to distribute copies of the City's 2021
Federal Legislative and Administrative Program to members of Congress, to other cities, and to other
interested parties; and
3. The appropriate City officials are authorized and directed to send letters of support or to meet
with federal officials to discuss the City's position on the attached initiatives; and
4. The City's Government Relations staff and the City's federal legislative consultants are
authorized and directed to take the appropriate actions to advance the 2021 Federal Legislative and
Administrative Program before Congress, the Administration, and corresponding federal agencies.
Adopted the day of November 2020.
ATTEST:
By:
Mary J. Kayser, City Secretary
FORT WORTH..,
FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2021
Pursuing Community Development and Renewal
• Long-term Transportation Reauthorization/"Highway Trust Fund"
• Education Opportunity Programs
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
• New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC)
• Second Chance Act
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP/WAP)
• Expanded LIHEAP Eligibility Documentation Requirements: Voter ID
• HOME Grants
• Low Income Housing Tax Credits
• Housing Choice Vouchers: Budgetary Increases for FWHS
• East Lancaster Multimodal Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor Project
• Supporting Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
• Supporting legislation creating a national Juneteenth Holiday
• Continued pursuit of COVID relief to help City services
• Supporting creating a fund for non-FEMA flood plane flooding recovery
• Employment Non-discrimination Initiatives
• Healthy Communities Initiative
• HHS and Community Health
• Urban Park and Recreation Recovery (UPARR)
• Land and Water Conservation Fund Reauthorization/Full Funding
• Museum and Library Funding (IMLS Reauthorization)
• Energy/Sustainability Grants
• Flood Insurance Premiums
• Increased Funding Sources for Homeowner Lead Removal
Exploring Economic Development Opportunities
• Mixed Income Community Development Funding
• Municipal Debt Income Tax Exemption
• State and Local Tax Deductibility
• Collection of Remote Sales Taxes
• Internet and Wireless Tax Authority
• Municipal Bond Access and Liquidity (HQLA, Dodd Frank)
• Federal Aviation and Contract Tower Funding Increases
• Clean Energy and Natural Gas Initiatives
• Management and Collection for use on Local Rights of Way
• Wet Weather Facility
• Juvenile entrepreneurship funding
Fighting for Public Safety Funding and Support
• Emergency Services Funding and Training for Procedural Justice,
Implicit Bias, Reconciliation, and Community Policing
• Emergency Responder Funding for Prevention and Care of Dangerous
Exposure Related Illnesses
• Emergency Management Preparedness Grants (EMPG)
• Homeland Security Top 10 Re -Designation for Urban Areas Security
Initiative (UASI) funding
• CASA Funding (innovative weather satellite pilot)
• Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)
• Broadband Spectrum for First Responders
• Opposition to Federal Collective Bargaining Legislation
2
FEDERAL CONGRESSIONAL PRIORITIES FOR 2021
Fighting for Mobility Improvements
Summary: Traditional and alternative forms of transit are essential to Fort
Worth's current and planned investments in economic growth and
community development. Fort Worth is completing transformative
infrastructure improvements that will increase access to jobs and
encourage new residential and business developments. Support for
ongoing highway improvements —including money to elevate 1-35 in key
places, if such a plan is part of the Regional Transportation Plan—, robust
passenger rail that spans the city, enhanced public transportation systems,
and alternative transit opportunities, including bike trails, will be continuing
priorities in the 1s' Session of the 117th Congress.
Support for Educational Development
Summary: Fort Worth's continued growth and economic success depends
in large part on our city's ability to deliver quality educational opportunities
for our future workforce. Families in our community deserve access to
programs that provide a diverse continuum of educational resources with
particular emphasis on workforce development, especially in STEM.
Supporting high school programs that encourage workforce preparedness,
better equipping students for the needs of today's job market, will remain a
priority in our federal engagement in 2021. Additionally, early childhood
education programs are critical to the long-term success of Fort Worth's
school aged children. Identifying opportunities to enhance and create
programs that increase access to quality early childhood education and care
through "flexible," locally distributed federal funding dollars will be a key
priority in the 117th Congress.
3
Supporting "Central City" Flood Control
Summary: Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing large cities in America.
The "Central City" flood control project is a key element in managing and
modernizing the "Fort Worth Federal Floodway" levee system, essential to
protecting our rapidly expanding population and economy. The "Central
City" flood control plan will protect people and businesses north and east
of our current downtown while providing much needed economic security
and certainty to these flood prone communities. Continued modernization
of the Trinity River levee system will depend greatly on substantial and
sustained federal funding and administration support for the "Central City"
flood control project and is a key priority for 2021.
Supporting Our Local Defense Economy
Summary: Fort Worth's economic growth and development is inextricably
tied to the health of America's military and defense industries. The Naval
Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) and Fort Worth's synergistic
relationship with top military contractors in the United States are models
for many cities across our nation. Continuing support for NASJRB as well as
sustaining the growth of our defense contracting industries through federal
2022 budget and appropriations support for programs like "Future Vertical
Lift", the Bell "360 Invictus Helicopter" and military modernization will be a
key priority. Additionally, Fort Worth is home to a large and growing
population of active duty and reservist military personnel as well as
veterans of all ages. Supporting those who have served and continue to
serve our country will be an ongoing priority in the 117th Congress.
51
Calling on Congress to Reform America's Broken
Immigration System
Summary: The City of Fort Worth is a large and growing community, deeply
rooted in diverse and multicultural Texas traditions. For more than 140
years, laws governing and regulating immigration to our country have been
the exclusive responsibility of the United States Congress.' As a community
that chooses to stand united, the City of Fort Worth calls on the United
States Congress to fulfill its duty to the American public and pass
immigration reforms in 2021 that strengthen our nation's rule of law and
sovereignty, beginning at our national borders, while also treating all
people, regardless of their origin, with the dignity and respect our nation's
shared values and principles of democracy demand.
1 Chy Lung v. Freeman, 92 U.S. 275 (1875)
5