FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA
During Tuesday’s work session, the Fort Worth City Council received a presentation on the 2020 Federal Legislative and Administrative Agenda from T J Patterson, Jr., Government Relations and Kasey Pipes of Corley Pipes Consulting.
“We think it’s important to be pounding the pavement every day championing the city’s causes, and we have some great causes to champion,” Pipes said.
Highlighting the Federal Administrative priorities for 2020 is the pursuit of community development and renewal. This includes such topics as a long-term transportation re-authorization (highway trust fund), education opportunity programs, block grants, new markets tax credits, low income home energy assistance program, employment non-discrimination initiatives, and more.
And something new under this heading are Section 8 housing vouchers, something District 8 Councilwoman has led the push for. Pipes said this will include research into where allocations are going and what allocations haven’t been used.
“We think this has a lot of promise for the city,” Pipes said.
Another administrative priority is exploring economic development opportunities, such as mixed income community development funding, municipal debt income tax exemption, municipal bond access and liquidity, clean energy and gas initiatives, and more.
The fight for public safety funding and support includes new entries emergency responder funding for prevention and care of dangerous exposure related illnesses, along with emergency services training and funding for procedurial justice, implicit bias, reconciliation and community policing. There’s also CASA funding, and more.
Among priorities for the 116th Congress include mobility improvements, educational development, central city flood control, local defense economy, and calling on the U.S. Congress to reform America’s broken immigration system.
Council is expected to have this as an agenda item in an upcoming meeting. The council is off for the holidays until Jan. 14.