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i.g26 ~~~ " $ 4,486;~~ ~ 4o7,b64 ~"~~, g~56.p'11 $1 r_ ^y g1 ~,. ' ,~:. 2525 ~~,: ~° 1 ~ a' _ ~ '~ ~'. Homeland Security The White House and the Republican Congress will be under enormous pressure to move quickly on launching the Department of Homeland Security, appropriating long overdue funding to cities and towns, and providing broad guidance on how to protect the homeland. The Federal Budget The budget and appropriations process is the foun- dationfor the federal-local relationship. The process will get underway in February when the President submits his budget request. For cities and towns, the focus will be on protecting funding for critical programs like the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG), and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs. Transportation Reauthorization of several key transportation laws -the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st entury (TEA-21) and the Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21} - e scheduled in 2003. These laws authorize pro- grams and federal funding for roads, bridges, tran- sit systems, bike paths, and aviation. Continued federal support for the nation's passenger rail sys- tem including Amtrak and high-speed rail will also be on the federal agenda. The 2003 Congressional City Conference will feature general sessions, workshops, and strategy meetings built around NLC's lobbying priorities for the year. The NLC Officers will define the lobbying priorities at their early January leadership meeting. Watch for updates on the NLC web site and in Nation's Cities Weekly to learn about the specific issues that will be covered once the priorities are set. Among the topics that are important to cities and towns that are likely to be on federal agenda in 2003 are: Affordable Housing Debate about how to increase the availability of affordable housing and homeownership will contin- ue in 2003. City leaders have supported a trust fund to provide a dedicated source of federal money for affordable housing. President Bush has proposed a Blueprint for the American Dream which focuses on closing the homeownership gap. Public Safety In 2002, funding proposals merged support for tra- ditional public safety with new homeland security responsibilities. And, as plans for the necessary emphasis on new homeland security roles for the FBI developed, federal attention to supporting cities and towns in crime prevention and traditional law enforcement activities seemed to wane. While there are new responsibilities at the federal and local level, those new responsibilities don't replace traditional law enforcement roles. Can we ensure the right balance? Water Infrastructure The 107th Congress began work on legislation to authorize significant new resources for municipal wastewater and drinking water infrastructure needs. Keeping this on the agenda of the 108th Congress will be important to ensure long-term attention to bridging the funding gap between resources avail- able at the local level and the need to maintain, repair, and replace critical water infrastructure, Electronic Commerce With aty and state governments feeling the squeeze of a soft economy, protecting local revenue streams remains an essential goal. While Congress isn't likely to take up the debate about whether online vendors should be required to collect state and local sales taxes, making sure Congress doesn't do anything to interfere with local revenue authority will be important. Telecommunications The crash of the telecommunications industry has exacerbated the tension between making money and protecting public rights of way. The battles get played out in Congress, in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and in the courts. The newest challenges have come over how to provide high-speed Internet service while protecting local autonomy. Visit the Congressional City Conference section of the NLC web site at www.nlc.org for regular updates on key issues and specific NLC advocacy priori- ties. And come to Washington prepazed to be part of a unified voice calling for action on clearly defined priorities on behalf of all of America's cities and towns.