National Association of Towns and Townships - www.natat.org
How Townships can access clean energy tax credits in the form of direct pay/transferability
Draft 2024 NATaT Policy Platform - 2/23/2024
NATaT December 2024 Annual Meeting
Jerry B. Crabtree, Heidi Fought (Ohio ED), Past President Neil Sheradin (Michigan Ed), and NATaT President Dave Sanko (PA ED)
NATaT Weekly Legislative Report
January 13, 2025
Congressional Outlook
Both chambers return to Washington as lawmakers continue to start their work in earnest, just one week before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Many Trump administration nominees will have their nomination hearings in the Senate over the next three days.
As fires continue to devastate California, lawmakers are beginning to think through how to assist what is shaping up to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. Unfortunately, supplemental disaster funding is often political and tied to other priorities, leading to delays in aid for those in need. Assistance to those communities in Southern California will be no different. With early estimates of damage totaling at least $50 billion and rising, many speculate that deficit hawks in the Republican conference will stick to demands of offsetting new spending and, in this case, emergency funding through offsets elsewhere in the budget. As conversations about funding begin, President-elect Trump and House Republicans are discussing potentially tying wildfire assistance to a debt ceiling increase. While no decisions have been made, attaching disaster relief to a budget hike would complicate and potentially bring delays to one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. Unfortunately, supplemental disaster funding is often political and tied to other priorities, leading to delays in aid for those in need. Assistance aiding those in Southern California will be no different. With early estimates of damage totaling at least $50 billion and rising, many speculate that deficit hawks in the Republican conference will stick to demands of offsetting new spending and, in this case, emergency funding through offsets elsewhere in the budget. As conversations about funding begin, President-elect Trump and House Republicans are discussing tying wildfire assistance to a debt ceiling increase. While no decisions exist, attaching disaster relief to a budget hike would complicate and potentially delay enacting a package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) first big test as leader of the upper chamber has arrived: the confirmation process for Trump administration nominees. In total, the Trump administration has 13 cabinet nominees slated for nomination hearings in various committees this week. On Tuesday, the Senate will begin confirmation hearings,with Doug Collins for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense; on Wednesday, there will be hearings held for Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security, Chris Wright for Secretary of Energy, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for Secretary of State, John Ratcliffe for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation, and Russ Vought for Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and on Thursday, there will be hearings for Scott Turner for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Bessent for Secretary of the Treasury, Lee Zeldin for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior. Pam Bondi’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearings to be Attorney General will span two days, on Wednesday and Thursday. Following the hearings, Senate floor votes on confirmations will begin, at the earliest, on the afternoon of January 20, after Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance are sworn into office.
The House will consider seven bills under suspension of the rules this week, including the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act (H.R. 152), which amends the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to develop a study regarding streamlining and consolidating information collection and preliminary damage assessments; the Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act (H.R. 153), which provides for an online repository for certain reporting requirements for recipients of federal disaster assistance; and the Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience (POWER) Act of 2025 (H.R. 164), which amends the Stafford Act to authorize federal agencies to provide certain essential assistance for hazard mitigation for electric utilities. The House will also vote on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (H.R. 28), which bars schools receiving federal funds under Title IX from allowing transgender women who were assigned at male at birth from participating in women’s sports; the United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act (H.R. 33), which amends the U.S. tax code to reduce double taxation for individuals and businesses in both the U.S. and Taiwan; and thePreventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act (H.R. 30), which makes non-U.S. citizens or nationals who commit sex offenses, domestic violence, child abuse, stalking, and related crimes inadmissible to and deportable from the U.S. After passing through the House last week (by a vote of 264-159) and clearing a cloture vote in the Senate last week by a vote of 84-9, the Senate is scheduled to take another procedural vote on the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 29/S. 5) later this week, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain migrants who entered the U.S. unlawfully if they are arrested for or charged with theft and related crimes.
Aside from the nomination hearings, the House and Senate will hold hearings including a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on “The Need to Make Permanent the Trump Tax Cuts for Working Families”; and a Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee hearing on “America Builds: the State of the Nation's Transportation System." Several House committee are also formally voting this week to organize themselves and adopt rules for their committee during the 119th Congress, including the Ways and Means, T&I, Veterans’ Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, Homeland Security, Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, and Education and Workforce.
Outgoing President Joe Biden will deliver a Farewell Address to the nation on Wednesday evening at 8pm ET. It’s expected that he will reflect on his legacy and the challenges facing the country in the coming years.
Bills and Regulations of Interest to You
Bill
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Title
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Sponsors
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Background
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H.R. 50
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Keeping Aid for Municipalities And Localities Accountable (KAMALA) Act
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Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-5)
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This bill prohibits communities from utilizing Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from being used to assist persons who are neither a national of the United States nor lawfully admitted for permanent residence.
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H.R. 68
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Housing Fairness Act of 2025
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Rep. Al Green (D-TX-9)
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This bill authorizes funds to prevent housing discrimination through the use of nationwide testing, and to increase funds for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program.
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H.R. 132
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Western Water Accelerated Revenue Repayment Act
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Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO- 4)
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This bill permanently authorizes a provision under the WIIN Act that: (1) allows certain water users (e.g., agriculture and municipal water users) in western states to prepay what they owe under contracts with the Bureau of Reclamation for the storage and supply of water resources; and (2) requires a specified portion of the receipts generated from such prepayments be directed to the Reclamation Water Storage Account for the construction of water storage.
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H.R. 137
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TCJA Permanency Act
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Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16)
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This bill makes permanent the tax cuts for individuals and small businesses originally enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017.
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H.R. 168
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Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards (TORCH) Act
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Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-1)
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This bill addresses the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to carry out forest management actives that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
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H.R. 178
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A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires.
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|
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H.R. 191
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A bill to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
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Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN-5)
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This bill repeals the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and rescinds any unobligated funds made available by such act.
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H.R. 198
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Stop Enabling Repeat Violence and Endangering (SERVE) Our Communities Act
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Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24)
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This bill authorizes $10 million in anti-recidivism grant funding from the Department of Justice for states with laws allowing courts to assess the dangerousness of individuals when determining bail or pretrial release. To qualify for this funding, eligible states must demonstrate efforts to hire and retain law enforcement personnel or launch public awareness campaigns aimed at countering anti-police sentiment and fostering improved community-police relations.
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H.R. 205
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No Congressional Funds for Sanctuary Cities Act
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Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24)
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Thie bill prohibits the use of Congressionally-appropriated community project funds from cities that have sanctuary city policies—such as laws, ordinances, regulations, or practices that obstruct immigration enforcement or shield individuals from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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H.R. 224
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Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act
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Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX-15)
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This bill mandates that service-connected disability pay is excluded from eligibility requirements for CDBG assistance, ensuring fairness when seeking housing assistance.
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H.R. 232
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SALT Fairness and Marriage Penalty Elimination Act
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Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY-17)
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This bill increases the federal State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap to $100,000 for single filers and $200,000 for married couples filing jointly.
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H.R. 246
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SALT Fairness for Working Families Act
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Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14)
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This bill increases the SALT deduction cap to $15,000 and eliminates the marriage penalty.
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H.R. 290
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Rural Telehealth and Education Enhancement Act of 2025
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Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23)
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This bill reauthorizes the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program (DLT), which awards grants to support and improve distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas.
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H.R. 291
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Creating Access to Rural Employment and Education for Resilience and Success (CAREERS) Act
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Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23)
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This bill assists several industry sectors with setting up their workforce pipelines by expanding skills development opportunities in the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program for existing workforce challenges in rural America.
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H.R. 310
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Restoring Energy Market Freedom Act
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Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA-10)
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Repeals tax credits for renewable energy sources.
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H.R. 312
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Restoring Vehicle Freedom Act
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Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA-10)
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Repeals tax credits for electric vehicles.
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S. 25
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Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act of 2025
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Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
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This bill requires the biggest polluters to pay into a $1 trillion Polluters Pay Climate Fund, with their contributions based on a percentage of their global emissions. The Fund would then be used to finance a wide range of efforts to tackle the impacts of climate change.
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Agency
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Title
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Proposed Regulation
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Comment Deadline
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DOT
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Asset Management Plans; Management and Monitoring System
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The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is proposing to amend its regulations governing risk-based Asset Management Plans (AMP).
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January 13, 2025
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OSHA
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Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings
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OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 15 days until January 14, 2025, to allow stakeholders interested in the NPRM on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.
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January 14, 2025
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Week in Review
House passes immigration crackdown as first act of 2025
US House votes to sanction International Criminal Court over Israel
House Republicans and Trump discuss tying California wildfire aid to debt ceiling
Here's the confirmation hearing schedule for Trump's Cabinet picks
Biden to deliver farewell address from Oval Office on Wednesday night
Jimmy Carter lies in state at the U.S. Capitol as Americans pay their respects