The White House has announced a number of actions federal agencies have taken to reduce regulatory burdens and eliminate unnecessary costs for local governments. 

As a example, federal traffic sign regulations have become more than just a nuisance for locals, but a financial burden as well. A new rule eliminates 46 regulations on traffic signs, providing more flexibility to state and local governments. For instance, communities will now be allowed to replace street signs after they wear out rather than by some imposed deadline from the federal government.

The elimination and or curtailing of such regulations is expected to result in $6 billion of savings in five years.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

House Budget Committee Chairman, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), has introduced a plan to stop mandatory across the board spending cuts required by last summer's debt deal. The plan is actually meant to prevent any cuts to defense spending but targets cuts to other areas of the federal budget.

Ryan's Sequester Replacement Act, H.R. 4966, would eliminate language in last year's Budget Control Act that requires the cuts to 2013 spending, known as the “sequester.”

Another piece of legislation, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act, is a bill that outlines the various cuts and savings to mandatory programs that will make up for ending the sequester. Cuts in this bill come from recommendations made by six House committees: Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform and Ways and Means.

The League will be working with the NLC and other national local government advocacy groups to watch how these developments play out.  The League board has adopted a resolution calling for a balanced approach to reducing the federal deficit.  Members are urged to contact their congressional representative to do the same.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

Both the House and Senate are moving forward with separate versions of spending bills for the 2013 budget. 

In the Senate, leaders from both parties have agreed on an overal spending level of $1.047 trillion for fiscal year 2013, which is the total amount available under the 2011 debt limit agreement.

The House however has adopted a lower spending limit of $1.028 trillion. The House also has so far chosen to spare defense spending from any cuts, meaning that non-defense programs would bear the brunt of any cuts. This includes federal programs that are local priorities such as CDBG, Rural Development, etc.

Recall that if no agreement is reached by the end of the year, the debt agreement calls for automatic cuts in both defense and non-defense spending beginning in January of 2013. Both sides have expressed their desire to avoid such cuts but at this point in time there appears to be little common ground to get there.

Members are urged to encourage Congress to take a balanced approach to the budget.  Be sure to speak to your representative about the importance of various federal programs you have used to improve quality of living in your community. 

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

The House and Senate have named their conferees and the first meeting of the committee tasked with hammering out a new transportation authorization before the current extension expires will meet on May 8.  The most recent extension ends June 30th.

That said, Michigan is represented on the conference committee as both Congressmen Dave Camp and Fred Upton have been named as conferees. Congressman Camp chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and Congressman Upton the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

This means that local officials have a unique opportunity to contact both Congressmen Camp and Upton about the need for a long term solution that will help to bring certainity to decisions being made at the local level on transportation and infrastructure projects. 

Recall that the Senate has passed a two-year, $109 billion transportation bill (S. 1813) with bipartisan support, but House Republican leaders oppose it because it does not contain their reforms for highway programs. Speaker Boehner and House Republicans also want to link revenues from expanded domestic energy production to infrastructure spending.  The House on the other hand has passed a bill that would add a additional 90 days and sets the stage for a conference committee with the Senate on their own recently passed two year bill.

The House extension however also contains a poison pill to the Obama administration, mandating construction of the controversial Keystone pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast.

The League and a host of transportation advocacy groups, including the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (this year led by Michigan MDOT Director Kirk Steudle) supported the Senate version.  While not perfect, it is a good place for negotiators to start.

Below you will find a League letter regarding the Senate bill and a fact sheet detalining where we stand on a long term transportation bill.  Please contact Congressmen Camp and Upton. 

CCC congressional update_transportationture update.doc (142.00 kb)

s1813_congressional letter2_mar2012.pdf (167.48 kb)

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.