Inside 208

Congress is about one week away from a federal government shutdown, as both sides continue posturing on the federal budget. Late last week, the House Republicans passed a spending measure that would continue spending at post-sequester levels, to the tune of approximately $986 Billion. However, it included language to defund...

You are invited to join President Barack Obama and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for a conference call with state and local elected officials on Wednesday, September 25, at 2:30 pm EDT to discuss the October launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace. The White House encourages...

The US Department of Health and Human Services has just released a toolkit for local governments to understand and implement the Affordable Care Act. The toolkit includes an overview of the Affordable Care Act, a sample outreach and enrollment plan that you can tailor for your community, frequently asked questions...

“The Affordable Care Act and Your City” is a learning session being hosted by the National League of Cities and The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, August 28th at 2:00pm. Beginning October 1, 2013, a new Health Insurance Marketplace will open in every state, giving Americans a whole...

League CEO Dan Gilmartin has signed on with MSHDA’s CEO Scott Woosley in a letter to Michigan’s Congressional delegation regarding the critical importance of keeping municipal bonds tax exempt as Congress debates federal tax reform. The letter (attached) was distributed from Governor Snyder’s Washington DC Office last week. This is the League’s latest effort to impress...

The US House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development voted to cut Community Development Block grant (CDBG) funding to communities in half from $3.08 Billion in 2013 to $1.6 Billion in 2014. This reduction is on top of the cuts from the sequester. An amendment by Rep. Fattah (D-PA)...

Now that the Marketplace Fairness bill, referred to also as the online sales tax parity issue, has moved to the US House of Representatives, local officials need to be contacting their Congressional Representative to urge them to move the bill. Currently, the House introduced bill, H.R. 684, is in the...

Last night, the US Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would allow states to collect sales taxes from online purchases. The legislation passed by a vote of 69-27 in a bipartisan manner. Both Michigan Senators Levin and Stabenow supported the measure, which now heads to the House for consideration....

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced $473.8 million in TIGER grant funds to be awarded for projects that will have a significant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area, or a region. Applications open on Monday, April 29 and final applications are due by June 3, 2013.   No pre-application...

The following information was received from the federal government for the COPS Hiring Program and Community Policing Program. COPS Hiring Program (CHP) The application period for the 2013 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) is now open. Applications for this year’s CHP solicitation must be completed and submitted by 7:59 PM EDT...