[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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