ARP & BIL Presentation

This past Wednesday, May 11, at the New Jersey Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, League Senior Legislative Analyst Paul Penna participated in a panel: American Rescue Plan and Infrastructure Program Funds: Leveraging Federal, ...

NTIA Announces Municipal Broadband Funding Opportunity

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) featuring Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure, which is direct competitive funding. Municipalities are among the e...

SCOTUS Issues Decision of Municipal Interest

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has released its decision in City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC, Et al. This case examined the City of Austin’s sign ordinance, which regulates “off-premises” signs ...

Rural Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook

The White House released a new resource to help identify and apply for funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook. The League has created a spreadsheet to help communities navig...

FY23 Congressionally Directed Spending Application Process Opens

The recently signed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 reinstituted the congressionally directed spending process, also referred to as earmarks. The Act authorized $9 billion for earmarks for state and local projects. New Jersey’s senators and congre...

Scam Targeting ARPA SLFRF NEUs

We want to share correspondence from the U.S. Treasury that was sent to the League’s federal partner, the National League of Cities, regarding a SAM.gov registration scam targeting Non-Entitlement Units (NEUs) as classified by the federal govern...

U.S. Department of Agriculture – Conservation Innovation Grants New Jersey Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) New Jersey State Program released the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Funding Opportunity. Municipalities are eligible recipients under this funding oppo...

U.S. Department of Agriculture – Conservation Innovation Grants New Jersey Program

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) New Jersey State Program released the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Funding Opportunity. Municipalities are eligible recipients under this f...

Lunch and Learn Briefing with White House Intergovernmental Affairs Office

On Wednesday, March 30 at 12:00 p.m., the League is hosting a free Lunch and Learn briefing with Gabe Amos, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. The White House team will outline the Biden Administration’s prio...

Federal Budget Update

The continuing resolution to fund the federal government expired Friday. On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus funding bill through September 30 and the Senate concurred later in the day. President Joe Biden is ...

League Releases Condensed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook

A few weeks ago, the Biden Administration released the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Guidebook. League staff reviewed the 465-page document and produced a condensed version, along with a separate spreadsheet that focuses on programs where f...

NTIA Host Pre-Funding Webinar Series

The National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) will host a pre-Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) technical assistance webinar series from March to May 2022 in connection with the five new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by...

Federal Budget Update

By a vote of 65-27 on Thursday evening, the Senate passed a three-week continuing resolution to fund the federal government through March 11. Last week, the House passed the continuing resolution and it now goes to President Biden for his signatu...

U.S. Treasury ARP Reporting & Compliance Portal for NEUs of Government

This week, Treasury released the Treasury Portal that Non-Entitlement Units of government (NEUs) that have requested American Rescue Plan funding from their state will use for reporting and compliance. Your municipality should have received an email to us...

Federal Debt Ceiling Resolution

This week, the House and Senate passed a one-time rule change to allow the Senate to pass an increase the debt ceiling with a 51 vote margin, instead of the customary 60-vote threshold.  Once this measure is signed into...

ARP Reporting Requirement Change

This week, Treasury alerted us that they have sent notification to Non Entitlement Units of government (NEUs), which generally are municipalities that have a population less than 50,000 residents, about updated timelines for reporting.  ...

Utilizing Federal Funds? Tell Us How!

Over the past year, there has been ample federal funding for local governments.  Whether it was the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) in the CARES Act or the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) in the American Rescue Pl...

Oct; 1: Federal Budget Update

The Federal fiscal year begins today, October 1. Yesterday, the Senate and House passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the government through December 3 with $27 billion in new funding for disaster relief and refugee resettlement. President Joe Biden sig...

National Flood Insurance Program

Risk Rating 2.0, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rating system, is scheduled to go into effect on October 1. This week, a bipartisan group of coastal Senators, including New Jersey’s Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker in a letter t...

Sept. 24 Federal Budget Update

SALT Deduction Cap & Budget Reconciliation Process Proceeding   Negotiations continue between the House and Senate on the topline price and included policies in the budget reconciliation package, including the status of the ...

Census Bureau Releases Data

Census Bureau Releases Data

On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released demographic data that had been delayed as a result of the pandemic. In addition to using this data to redraw legislative districts, the population data from this report also plays a p...

Senate Passes Infrastructure Bill, Congress to Consider

Senate Passes Infrastructure Bill, Congress to Consider

On Tuesday, the Senate passed the bi-partisan infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), by a vote of 69-30, which represents a significant step forward on $550 billion in...

Metropolitan Statistical Area Definition to Remain Unchanged

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released an initial recommendation to raise the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSAs) core population threshold from 50,000 to 100,000. This change would have resulted in 144 MSAs being removed and would have signi...

Senate May Consider Infrastructure Bill Next Week

Over the past two weeks, a bipartisan group of senators has been working to develop legislative text around the bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. During the week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated in news accounts that the Senate ...

Infrastructure Update

As reported last week, a bipartisan group of Senators, equally divided among Democrats and Republicans, along with President Joe Biden have come to an infrastructure agreement framework on the traditional infrastructure of roads, bridges, sewer, and broad...

American Rescue Plan Act Compliance and Reporting Guidance

Last week the U.S. Department of the Treasury released Compliance and Reporting Guidance for State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) including General Guidance with Key Principles, Statutory Eligible Uses, Treasury’s...

DLGS Posts Portal for ARP Funding

This week, the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) posted the application portal for municipalities with a population under 50,000 to apply for funding allocated in the American Rescue Plan. For more information, please read the League’...

Highlight Municipal Infrastructure Needs and Successes with #LeadWithInfrastructure

As Congress debates the details of an infrastructure package with the Biden Administration, including how it is paid for, it is critical that New Jersey municipalities highlight infrastructure needs and successes on social media and tag federal members.Us...

FEMA Request for Information on Climate Change & Underserved Communities

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to receive input from the public on specific FEMA programs, regulations, collections of information, and policies for the agency to consider modifying, streamlining,...

Highlight Municipal Infrastructure Needs and Successes with #LeadWithInfrastructure

As Congress debates the details of an infrastructure package with the Biden Administration, including how it is paid for, it is critical that New Jersey municipalities highlight infrastructure needs and successes on social media and tag federal members.&a...

DLGS Provides Application for Municipalities Under 50,000 Population Coronavirus-19 State and Local

This week, the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) posted the application portal for municipalities with a population under 50,000 to apply for funding allocated in the American Rescue Plan. For more information, please read the League’s recent b...

FEMA Releases Updated COVID-19 Food & Nutrition Resource Roadmap

FEMA recently updated the COVID-19 Food and Nutrition Resource Roadmap to assist local and State partners with the challenges associated with food and nutrition support during the COVID-19 pandemic.In addition to the CARES Act, this version includes resou...

US Treasury Guidance on State, Local Recovery Funds

On Monday, the U.S. Treasury adopted implementation rules for the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP).Please see the League’s recent blog post...

Senators Announce Congressionally Directed Spending

Senators Menendez and Booker announced that the application process for Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests is open after the Senate Appropriations Committee released guidelines for FY22.Public entities, including local units of government an...

Experts See Local, State, Federal Cooperation Key to Election Security

On Oct. 3, 2018, in Washington, federal election watchdogs conducted an election security briefing with state officials and members of Congress. William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, and Christopher Krebs, the ...

National Flood Insurance Program

Risk Rating 2.0, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rating system, is scheduled to go into effect on October 1. This week, a bipartisan group of coastal Senators, including New Jersey’s Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker in ...