Marc Molinaro champions Restore the Partnership Act

Key Takeaways

America needs to find common ground across multiple levels of government and party lines, Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) told a roomful of county officials Feb. 12 at the NACo Legislative Conference General Session.

Molinaro, a former county official, said the federal government needs to “better support and give voice to” the work counties do, as they’re on the frontlines of critical issues, like mental health and public safety.

One of the ways to make that happen, he said, is through the Restore the Partnership Act.

The bipartisan legislation, which Molinaro co-introduced with Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) (also a former county official from Fairfax County, Va.), would reconstitute the U.S. Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations, establishing a national commission focused on improving collaboration across tribal, local, state and federal government.

Molinaro served as a county executive in Dutchess County, N.Y. for 12 years before being elected to Congress in 2022.

“In one way, I got a demotion,” Molinaro told the audience of nearly 2,000 county officials.

“I became a member of Congress. The truth of course, is that if you want problems to be solved, you start at the local level. And county leaders … you’re the ones who are solving problems.

“You’re facing your constituents every day. There are a lot of folks in Washington who spend a lot of time talking about solving problems, and don’t often know the direct impact of the decisions, which is why restoring the partnership is so critically important.”

While federal policies and funding are determined at the federal level, the impact of them is experienced locally, and it’s “crucially important” that county officials are able to personalize how their communities are affected to representatives in Congress, Molinaro said.

“The further away, the less we understand the impacts of our choices and decisions,” Molinaro said of Congress.

“We may think, ‘The president’s going to be talking about infrastructure investment, that’s really powerful, we need to get money out there.’ But are we spending it effectively? “ he asked.

“Is it efficiently getting on the ground? Are your governors cooperating with you to make sure that highways, roads and bridges are working?

“Is border security only about border security, or is it about fentanyl? Is it only about fentanyl or is it about substance use and mental health disorder and how are you confronting those challenges?”

There’s “little question” the Restore the Partnership Act, which has bipartisan support, will be adopted by Congress, Molinaro said.

One of the aspects of Molinaro’s year in Congress that he said he has been most impressed by is how much of the work is bipartisan, and he urged county officials to not limit themselves to only work with elected officials in their party.

“When it comes to lobbying members of Congress, when it comes to advocating on behalf of your communities, stop being so damn predictable,” Molinaro said.

“… Common ground is an elusive space — do not miss the moments to find it.w Don’t miss those opportunities to reach out beyond your comfort zone, your party affiliation, even locally, to find that common ground. Americans are desperately yearning for it.”