County Countdown – Nov. 19, 2024

Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership.

2024 election analysis

NACo continues to analyze the results of the 2024 election, which yielded a victory for President-elect Trump and unified Republican control of Congress. 

• County role in elections: Counties once again oversaw the election process this year, facilitating a nationwide election with over 160 million registered voters. Prior to the election, NACo recognized counties' essential role in administering elections.
• County leaders in Congress: Local officials know how to solve problems for their residents in a pragmatic way, which is why NACo was pleased to see 69 former county officials elected to serve in the 119th Congress, including two new senators - Senator-elect Alsobrooks from Maryland and Senator-elect Banks from Indiana.
• NACo analysis: Find NACo's latest election analysis online here and keep an eye out for developments as additional results are confirmed.

Secure Rural Schools reauthorization

Counties are applauding the U.S. Senate's passage of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Reauthorization Act, which took place on November 12.

• Take action: The House must pass this bill for forest counties to receive the support they need. NACo is encouraging counties to reach out to their House members to emphasize the importance of SRS for rural communities.
• Why it matters: Over 700 counties receive support from SRS, which aids rural counties and school districts affected by the decline in revenue from timber harvests on federal lands. Without reauthorization some will experience budgetary shortfalls impacting the delivery of vital services.

Upcoming ARPA deadline

The December 31 deadline is approaching for obligating American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). Counties nationwide are assessing how best to allocate any remaining funds.

• How we got here: ARPA was passed in 2021, providing $65.1 billion in direct, flexible resources for counties. These resources offered a unique opportunity to respond to pandemic-related needs, support long-term recovery and strengthen community resilience.
• Deadline details: Counties must not only allocate funds by Dec. 31, but also must have contractual commitments in place before the year ends. NACo will host a webinar to discuss these deadlines on Monday, Nov. 25 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET - register here.

New Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force

Last week NACo announced the formation of the Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force, a group of county leaders appointed by President James Gore and tasked with modernizing federal disaster policies, strengthening intergovernmental partnerships and enhancing local disaster mitigation, response and recovery capacities.

• By the numbers: In 2023, nearly one-third of all counties experienced at least one federally declared disaster. Click here to view federally declared disasters by county from 2000-2023 and see additional data from NACo's County Explorer.
• Building on county leadership: The Task Force will draw guidance and build upon findings from a series of intergovernmental roundtables hosted from 2022-2024 with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

2025 NACo Legislative Conference

Register now for NACo's 2025 Legislative Conference. Join nearly 2,000 county leaders March 1-4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. to focus on county federal policy priorities.

• Highlights: Attendees can participate in timely policy sessions, meet with members of Congress and interact with federal agency officials.
• Learn more: Visit the conference homepage to learn more and explore the full schedule.