[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1070 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1070
Recognizing the essential work of the National League of Cities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 8, 2024
Mr. Stanton (for himself and Ms. Granger) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
Accountability
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the essential work of the National League of Cities.
Whereas the National League of Cities is the oldest and largest organization
representing municipal governments throughout the United States,
representing the interests of more than 19,000 cities, towns, and
villages across the country and more than 218 million residents;
Whereas the National League of Cities is an organization that was founded in
1924 in Lawrence, Kansas, as the American Municipal Association by State
municipal leagues seeking more coordination and national representation
as cities, towns, and villages expanded rapidly following the Industrial
Revolution;
Whereas today, the National League of Cities works in partnership with 49 State
municipal leagues across the country to strengthen local leadership,
drive innovation, and have influence on the policies that impact local
programs and operations;
Whereas, as the voice of cities, towns, and villages in Washington, DC, the
National League of Cities has successfully championed Federal
legislative solutions that support municipalities and has worked closely
with Congress to educate on the realities of local implementation;
Whereas the National League of Cities has championed the passage of foundational
Federal legislation and bolstered the supportive efforts of Congress to
strengthen the essential services that municipalities provide to their
communities such as the following:
(1) In 1965, the National League of Cities President Mayor Henry Maier
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, spoke at the National League of Cities' First
National Legislative Conference and called on the Federal Government to
create a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Later that
year, President Lyndon B. Johnson consolidated five existing independent
Federal housing and community development agencies into HUD.
(2) In February 1972, on behalf of the National League of Cities, Mayor
Thomas Bliley of Richmond, Virginia, testified to the Senate's Committee on
Public Works, Subcommittee on Air and Water Pollution, supporting the
passage of the Clean Air Act of 1970. One key element of the Act is the
congressional finding ``that the prevention and control of air pollution at
its source is the primary responsibility of States and local
governments.''.
(3) Since the creation of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
program in the 1974 Housing and Community Development Act, CDBG grants have
extended HUD's reach beyond the urban core to cities, towns, and villages
of all sizes, becoming an irreplaceable tool in projects advancing
rehabilitation of affordable housing, the construction of vital public
facilities, and the expansion of business and employment opportunities.
(4) In 1991, the National League of Cities made unfunded mandates a key
issue, putting it in the preamble of the organization's National Municipal
Policy. The National Municipal Policy stated that ``Federal mandates that
impose direct costs must be accompanied by adequate Federal funding''.
During the 1990s, the National League of Cities took the case of unfunded
mandates to Congress, testifying three times before Congress on the
importance of not imposing unfunded mandates on cities, towns, and
villages. On March 25, 1995, President Bill Clinton signed the Unfunded
Mandate Reform Act into law, with the National League of Cities' 1996
President Greg Lashutka, Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, standing beside him.
(5) In the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, Mayor Anthony Williams of
Washington, DC ``represented [the National League of Cities] interests
very, very well,'' according to Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.
The efforts of the National League of Cities, he added, helped create the
Department of Homeland Security.
(6) In 2017, Mayor Gary Resnick of Wilton Manors, Florida, testified
before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee about
policies to remove barriers to broadband deployment by reducing costs,
avoiding preemption, and increasing ``local input in Federal decision-
making processes,''.
(7) In 2020 and 2021, the National League of Cities worked in a
Federal-local partnership to ensure economic relief for all cities in the
United States.
Whereas the National League of Cities is proud that 21 percent of serving
Senators and Representatives, or 115 elected Members of Congress, are
former local elected officials; and
Whereas the National League of Cities supported the creation of the Former Local
Elected Officials Caucus, which brings together Members of Congress with
prior service in local government to improve our Nation's
intergovernmental partnership and ensure that local governments' voice
is heard in Federal decision making: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the
essential work of the National League of Cities over the last century
and the role it will play in the next century in supporting our
Nation's municipalities with unparalleled research, technical
expertise, and relentless advocacy as a key partner in preserving and
strengthening the Federal-local partnership.
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