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 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.

Summary: This resolution recognizes the work of the National League of Cities over the last century and the role it will play in the next century in supporting the nation's municipalities with research, technical expertise, and advocacy.