Good frigid afternoon, NSDC.

Hoping all from Illinois to Colorado to Texas are staying bundled up and warm. Everyone else, we would love to split the difference on our temperatures.
In this week’s update:

• Congressional leaders announce two-tiered continuing resolution to avoid partial government shutdown after Friday.
• Learn how to use the Streamline-powered NSDC Member Portal on February 16.
• Don’t forget about the NSDC/TFG grants survey!
• Provide your feedback on NSDC programming.

As we mark Martin Luther King, Jr., Day and the opening barrage of the 2024 election season, let’s dive into this week’s update.

The Week Ahead in Washington

House and Senate Action

The House and Senate are both scheduled to return to D.C. on Tuesday, though a winter storm system could delay first votes until Wednesday. With a partial government shutdown looming at the end of the week, a stopgap funding bill is the top priority for congressional leaders (more on this below). Aside from the budget negotiations, the House is set to consider a resolution (H. Res. 957) this week denouncing the Biden administration's immigration policies and condemning the migrant crisis along the southwest border. The chamber is also moving forward with a contempt vote against Hunter Biden.

Congress Set to Move Forward with Short-Term Funding Patch

With a partial government shutdown set to begin on Friday, House and Senate leaders have agreed to move forward with a stopgap funding bill that would extend the government’s spending authority until March.

Similar to the latest Continuing Resolution (CR), leadership seeks to stagger the new deadlines. Under the agreement, four (of the 12) spending bills – covering Agriculture, Energy and Water, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development – would be extended until March 1. Funding for the remaining federal agencies – which was set to expire on February 2 – would run through March 8. The stopgap package is meant to give appropriators more time to write spending bills that adhere to the topline budget deal that was agreed to last week.

The CR also extends funding for community health centers, teaching health centers, and the National Health Service Corps. In addition, the measure would extend special diabetes programs and avert steep cuts to hospitals that have a high volume of Medicaid and uninsured patients.

Looking ahead, the CR will be taken up by the Senate first. However, unless there’s a bipartisan agreement in place to move forward, votes could spill into the weekend, potentially exposing several federal agencies to a brief shutdown. Furthermore, some opposition among House conservatives will force Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to rely on Democratic votes to pass the CR.

Assuming the CR is enacted into law, House and Senate appropriators would then turn their attention to hashing out spending levels for the various federal departments, as well as individual programs, for the remainder of the current Fiscal Year 2024, which runs through September 30. Despite opposition from the House Freedom Caucus and other hardline conservatives, Speaker Johnson is expected to move forward with the agreement that was recently negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Pursuant to the Johnson-Schumer deal, topline spending levels would be set at approximately $1.66 trillion, with $886 billion allocated for defense programs and $773 billion set aside for non-defense spending. This would result in relatively flat funding for non-defense programs and a three percent increase for the Pentagon.

House Panel Discusses Upcoming Water Resources Development Act Reauthorization

Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee held a hearing entitled “Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024.” The event was the third in a series of subcommittee hearings in preparation for renewing the biennial WRDA legislation, which authorizes key projects, programs, and policies under the purview of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Looking ahead, both the House T&I Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee are expected to continue the process of drafting their respective WRDA 2024 proposals. While it remains to be seen how much bicameral, bipartisan cooperation there will be on Capitol Hill heading into election season, WRDA bills are typically among the most bipartisan pieces of legislation considered in Congress.

Relevant Hearings

House Natural Resources – On Wednesday morning, January 17, the full Committee will meet to consider eight bills within the panel’s jurisdiction, including a bipartisan outdoor recreation package – H.R. 6492 (Westerman), the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. Among other things, H.R. 6492 aims to modernize visitor experiences, streamline the permitting process for small businesses relying on public land access, and improve accessibility for various groups including sportsmen and women, military service members, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and kids. The bill also focuses on protecting rock climbing areas, creating new bike trails, restoring campgrounds, and modernizing infrastructure while supporting gateway communities by addressing housing shortages and outdated infrastructure. A section-by-section summary of the legislation is available here, and more information on the markup can be found here.

House Transportation and Infrastructure – On Wednesday morning, January 17, lawmakers will meet to discuss the state of transportation in America. More details on the hearing, including a full witness list, can be found here.

Legislative insights are provided by NSDC’s partners at Paragon Government Relations.

Save the Date: Streamline Presentation on NSDC Portal

NSDC’s new Streamline-powered website provides new opportunities for NSDC Members to access benefits of coalition membership, enhance ease of access to supporting legislative documents, and new ways to engage with Coalition programing.

Please save the date for Friday, February 16, at 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. to join Mac Clemmens, Streamline CEO, for a live (hybrid) presentation of the new NSDC website and a walk-through for NSDC Members on the use and functionality of the Member Portal. This presentation is scheduled to be part of the 2024 Quarter 1 NSDC Executive Meeting.

Reminder: Please Provide Your Feedback on NSDC Programming

NSDC Members are encouraged to complete this Microsoft Form to share thoughts on NSDC’s programs and actions for 2024.

The NSDC Executive Committee will receive survey results for program evaluation and during the 2024 Quarter 1 Meeting on February 16.

Reminder: TFG/NSDC Grants Services Survey 

The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) partners with The Ferguson Group (TFG) to provide grant services, training, and more to Coalition members and their special district members.

As NSDC and TFG seek to provide the quality services to the nation’s special districts, our Grants Team is seeking NSDC special district members’ perspectives and concerns with the federal grants landscape – including awareness of grant programming, understanding of grants process, application preparation, grant writing, review, and more.

Please complete this Microsoft Forms survey no later than February 2 to help inform and continue improving the NSDC Grants Program.

Special district member feedback will help the NSDC/TFG Grants Team continue to enhance the services provided to our members. Thank you!

Upcoming Events

Special Districts Association of Oregon Annual Conference
February 8-11 | Seaside, Ore.

NSDC Regular Member & Executive Committee Meeting, 2024 Quarter 1
February 16 | 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time| Hybrid | Denver, Colo.

Special Districts on the Hill
April 29 – May 2 | Washington, D.C.

Click here for a rundown of NSDC Legislative Committee Meetings – the final Thursday of each month (except November/December)

Click here for scheduled dates of NSDC’s five policy advisory groups.

Got an event/meeting coming up? Submit it here.