As more states and localities have implemented closures to help limit the spread of coronavirus, many cities are working overtime to transition a largely in-office workforce to telework. While telework is not possible for those in essential positions such as emergency responders, sanitation workers, and utility workers, those employees who can work from home, should
Life in the age of coronavirus has established a new “normal” in college towns across the nation, and that “normal” is anything but. College towns and university communities across the United States have seen large numbers of student-residents return to their homes, dealing a blow to local economies and carefully planned strategies for ensuring a
Mayor Penny Sweet never expected that in her first year as mayor of Kirkland, Washington she would be leading her community through a global pandemic. The former health administrator and small business owner has lived in Kirkland, a first-tier suburb on the outskirts of Seattle, since 1985. The first novel coronavirus case in the United
The last federal transportation bill, the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2016, will expire in September of 2020. It brought cities year over year increases in federal transportation block grant funding, and now, a brand new transportation bill must be stitched together by Congress. Cities need this new legislation to set the course
Before leaving Washington for the holidays, Congress made headlines with an agreement to fund the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2020 and avert a shutdown. However, the federal government also completed a large amount of legislative and regulatory activity that you may have missed. Congress slipped a tax-extenders bill into its FY2020 spending
This Sunday, thousands of city leaders from across America convene in Washington to advocate for local priorities at the Congressional City Conference. From NLCU workshops to advocacy briefings and our Capitol Hill Advocacy Day, opportunities to engage at the federal level will abound. Here’s our insider’s guide to how to engage, what to watch, and where
This is a guest post from Richard Leadbeater, State Government Industry Manager at Esri. Last Thursday, I lost five dollars. I had bet that Detroit would be the winner in the Amazon HQ2 bid. I thought the city met all the basic criteria: Delta Airlines hub, space to grow, economic incentives, lower cost of living,
From 2010 to 2017, homelessness among American military veterans declined by an astonishing 46 percent. This historic progress was the result of sustained partnerships between federal, state and local officials, as well as philanthropy, the private sector and nonprofits. The progress for veterans is encouraging — but veterans only represent a fraction of the 553,742
For Washington, DC, August is a quiet month. With Congress in recess and the President typically on vacation, the federal government has a chance to hear from constituents and work on long-term plans and issues. For NLC’s Federal Advocacy Committees, however, that pause in the action is golden opportunity. This week, over three dozen city
