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Home My WebLink AboutIR 23-1768 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-1768 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 5, 2023 �aT� • Page 1 of 1 xA. SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH'S 2024 FEDERAL VA LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide information regarding the background and adoption process for the 2024 Federal Legislative and Administrative Agenda, which involves the Mayor, City Council and City staff. Each year prior to the beginning of the Congressional Session in Washington D.C., City staff seeks input from the Mayor, City Council, and City departments on proposed federal legislative issues that affect the way the City of Fort Worth conducts its business. The Mayor and City Council, City Manager's Office, and City departments submit proposed initiatives that are compiled and reviewed by the Governmental Relations Office. The proposed legislative initiatives are then submitted to the City Council Legislative Affairs Committee (LAC) for discussion and review. After review and approval by the LAC, the recommended legislative initiatives are forwarded to the full City Council for adoption in the form of the City's Federal Legislative and Administrative Agenda. The LAC conducted a public meeting in October to consider the legislative initiatives submitted by the Mayor, City Council, City Manager's Office, and City departments. At the October 31, 2023 meeting, the LAC authorized forwarding the attached draft of the proposed 2024 Federal Legislative and Administrative Agenda to the full City Council for consideration and final approval. Below are some of the major strategies that will direct the efforts of the Governmental Relations Office staff and the City's federal consultants during the ongoing 1181" Session of Congress. • Administrative Agency Efforts: City staff and federal consultants will continue to advocate at the agency level on behalf of City priorities that are impacted by federal agencies. • Congressional Priorities: City staff and federal consultants will continue to support the "Central City"flood control project, educational and career development, the military, military installations and the City's local defense economy, mobility and connectivity improvements, and immigration system reform. A resolution approving the proposed 2024 Federal Legislative and Administrative Agenda will be included on the December 12, 2023 City Council agenda for final review and approval by the Mayor and City Council. If you have any questions about this information, please contact T.J. Patterson, Jr., Manager of Legislative Affairs, at (817) 392-6168. David Cooke City Manager Attachment ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS FORT WORTH FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2024 Pursuing Community Development and Renewal • 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 • Affordable House and Rental Assistance Programs • Support and Expansion of Fair Housing • Support for Whole Health Community Clinic Expansion • Healthy Communities Initiative—Mortality and Life Expectancy • Employment Non-discrimination Initiatives • Energy and Sustainability Grants • FEMA Designations and Flood Insurance Premiums • Fund "non-FEMA Food Plane" Flooding Recovery • Fund Universal Broadband Coverage—Building Access • Fund Broadband Infrastructure & Affordable Connectivity Program • Urban Park and Recreation Recovery (UPARR) • Fund and Support Greenspace Preservation and Development • Museum and Library Funding (IMLS Reauthorization) • East Lancaster Transit Corridor Project • Increased Funding Sources for Homeowner Lead Removal • Stormwater and Sewer Remediation Funding • Fund and Support Federal Homelessness Solutions • Support Small Business, Initiative Funding • Flood Mitigation Efforts across Fort Worth Neighborhoods Exploring Economic Development Opportunities • Home Ownership Focused 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 • Federal Aviation and Contract Tower Funding Increases • Management and Collection for use on Local Rights of Way • Wet Weather Facility • Juvenile Entrepreneurship Funding • Federal Assistance with Invasive Species (Egret Population) • Support for Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act • Youth Internship Initiative • Support for the Alliance Smart Port initiative Fighting for Public Safety Funding and Support • Emergency Services Funding including VA Formula Improvements • Oversight Funding 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 2 • Oppose Federal Collective Bargaining Legislation • Support Federal Funding and Guidelines for Drone Usage FEDERAL CONGRESSIONAL PRIORITIES FOR 2024 FiRhtinR for Mobility & Connectivity 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 and this will require continued cooperation with the Regional Transportation Council. (Bivens) Support for ongoing mobility and connectivity improvements—including support for more favorable federal, state, and local grant formula requirements, increase capacity in key corridors, support high-speed passenger rail that spans the city, expand TEXRAIL to additional stops in SW Fort Worth, including the medical district, enhanced public transportation systems, and alternative transit opportunities will be continuing priorities in the 118th Session of Congress. Support for Educational and Career 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 youth development initiatives and programs that provide a diverse continuum of educational resources with particular emphasis on workforce development, especially in STEM/R&D. 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 2024. Additionally, early childhood education programs, nutritional development, and access to health services are critical to the long-term success of Fort Worth's school aged children. Identifying opportunities to enhance and 3 create programs that increase access to quality early childhood education and care through "flexible," locally distributed federal funding dollars will continue to be a key priority in the 118th Congress. Also, the City is committed to partnering with the Texas A&M University System on the expansion of the A&M campus in Fort Worth. 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 additional and sustained federal funding and administration support for the "Central City" flood control project and is a key priority for 2024. 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 2024 budget and appropriations support 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. Honoring and supporting those who have served and continue to serve our country through federal support for veteran-owned small businesses (Williams), increased veterans services, and the establishment of a US Veterans Memorial in Fort Worth will be a key priority in the 118th Congress. 4 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 2024 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. Chy Lung v. Freeman, 92 U.S. 275(1875) 5