Behavioral Health Matters to Counties

The House and Senate Budget Committees have marked up Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget resolutions to initiate the budget reconciliation process to enact policy priorities without garnering bipartisan support, although the two chambers differ in their approach to drafting the legislation. 

Rural communities face unique health care challenges, from provider shortages to funding disparities. To address these concerns, the U.S. Senate recently introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at improving rural health care access and funding: the Rural Health Focus Act and the Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act.

On January 30, a bipartisan group of senators reintroduced the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act of 2025, a bill aimed at eliminating federal taxation of state-provided residential mitigation grants. NACo previously supported this legislation and continues to advocate for its passage to support county resilience efforts. 

Local counties responded with practiced coordination to the deadly collision between an airplane and helicopter, offering help for search and rescue, recovery and support operations.

Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features a first 100 days update, testimony on rural road safety and more.

On January 29, President Trump signed the bipartisan Laken Riley Act into law, requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain any undocumented immigrant who has been arrested for violent or property-related crimes and giving states new authority to sue the federal government over certain immigration-related decisions.