COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR RESOLUTION NO. 210950
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RESOLUTION - Establishing the City of Kansas City’s legislative priorities and positions on matters that may come before the 117th United States Congress in 2022.
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WHEREAS, the City desires to publish general statements of its priorities and positions on matters that may become the subject of or be affected by proposed federal legislation during the 117th United States Congress in 2022; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. MAJOR PRIORITIES. That the City adopts the following major priorities on matters that may come before the 117th United States Congress in 2022:
1. Violence Reduction: Increase funding for evidence-based efforts that address the root causes of gun violence, including programs to provide support to victims of gun violence, diversion and intervention programs, and programs that help law enforcement agencies solve more homicides and shootings. Provide greater amounts of funding to cities that are disproportionately impacted by violence.
2. Infrastructure: Provide additional funding for municipalities to repair and upgrade roads, bridges, sewers, sidewalks, parks, public transit services, and fulfill other critical infrastructure needs.
3. Housing: Increase federal support for cities to develop affordable housing and to provide transitional housing and social services to support the homeless.
4. Relief Fund Flexibility: Allow cities enhanced flexibility in spending federal relief dollars in accordance with local needs and priorities.
5. Economic Support. Fully enact proposals to build the economy back with federal investments in child care, health care, job training programs, education, and climate change resiliency.
Section 2. POSITIONS. That the City adopts the following positions on matters that may come before the 117th United States Congress in 2022:
Finance and Governance
1. Municipal Bonds. Oppose the elimination of the municipal bonds tax exemption and restore the ability to advance refund tax-exempt municipal bonds.
2. Treasury Offset Program. Support an amendment to section 6402 of the IRS Code of 1986 to allow the City’s participation in the Treasury Offset Program.
Infrastructure and Transportation
1. Investments in Enhanced Transit Service. Support Legislation which allows for increased funding for KCATA to invest in priorities such as free fare transit, expanded and more frequent service provision, and enhancements to fleet efficiency.
2. Infrastructure Efficiency. Support programs which assist the city and residents with increasing the energy efficiency of homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
3. Local Decision Making. Support local control of federal funding in the Surface Transportation reauthorization. Specifically, support role of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) in funding decision making by maintaining the requirement for the states to pass funding on to MPOs, keeping non-highway projects eligible, bringing back a Safe Routes to School set aside, and increasing the Transportation Alternatives STP set aside.
4. Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Program. Support robust funding of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, formerly known as the TIGER program.
5. Streetcar Expansion Project. Support the Federal Transit Administration application submitted by the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, Kansas City Area Transit Authority and the City of Kansas City, to secure federal funding for the Streetcar expansion project.
6. Airport Improvements. Support federal funding for Airport Improvement Program funds for Taxiway Lima at MKC (downtown) airport. Additionally, support efforts to acquire TSA Security Equipment for the new MCI terminal.
7. Rate Payer Assistance. Support efforts to provide assistance to rate payers, including the WIFIA program and continued investment in low interest loans through the State Revolving Fund program for clean water and drinking water.
8. Construction and Investigations Programs. Support funding of flood risk management and water resources efforts through construction and investigations accounts.
9. Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) and Planning Assistance to States (PAS). Support robust funding of CAP and PAS to provide the means of small flood risk management and ecosystem restoration projects to move forward under the Congressional no earmark policy, including:
• Section 14 - Emergency Steambank Protection - $15 million;
• Section 1135 - Environmental Restoration - $20 million;
• Section 205 - Small Flood Risk Management Projects - $35 million; and,
• Section 206 - Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects - $15 million.
10. US Army Corps of Engineers Partnership Projects. Support funding and authorization requests for critical flood risk management and water resources projects with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including:
• Blue River Watershed - Support efforts to initiate a General Investigations study and $500,000.00 for the first year of funding;
11. FEMA. Support continued Federal Funding for the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities (BRIC) program; Cooperating Technical Partners program (CTP); and Community Rating System (CRS) of the National Flood Insurance Program.
12. Missouri River Basin. Support of the development of the Missouri River Recovery Management Plan provided it is based on science and allows for full stakeholder input to the process while recognizing all of the 8 authorized purposes and the current Master Manual, with flood control and navigation as primary purposes.
13. Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP). As water, wastewater, and stormwater rates rise to meet unfunded mandates in Kansas City and across the nation, the lower income sector of society is greatly impacted. We support development of an assistance program for Water to provide the needed relief; similar to LIHEAP for Energy.
14. Clean Water Affordability Legislation. Support legislation to allow for extension of combined sewer overflow remediation timeframes, better computation of affordability, and more flexible permit requirements.
15. Land Water Conservation Fund. Support the permanent re-authorization and full funding of the Land Water Conservation Fund.
16. Wet Weather Grant Program. Support grant programs to reduce sewer overflows and municipal stormwater.
17. Integrated Planning Framework. Support legislation to allow for extension of compliance schedules for meeting water quality-based effluent limits beyond permit cycles.
18. Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (WIFIA). Support the permanent authorization of WIFIA, a new financing mechanism to help meet the nation’s critical water infrastructure needs introduced in WRRDA 2014.
19. Water Infrastructure Trust Fund. Funded by voluntary consumer goods label to augment federal investment in the Clean Water & Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds.
20. Farm Bill. Support increased funding for the conservation programs contained in the 2018 Farm Bill which should improve source water quality in various water bodies used by communities across the United States.
21. Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act. Support legislation for matching grants to communities for resiliency and climate adaptation infrastructure projects.
22. EPA Consent Decree. Continue efforts to reduce the financial burden of water rates on residents through implementation of the amended EPA Consent Decree.
Neighborhoods & Healthy Communities
1. Affordable Housing Development and Preservation. Support increased funding for programs such as Community Development Block Grants, HOME, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, and other programs which are catalysts for community development and which support the production of affordable housing in the Kansas City region.
2. Home Ownership and Local Development. Support programs which offer incentives for small-scale developers and residents to convert vacant or underutilized land into owner-occupied affordable housing.
3. Building Efficiency. Expand funding for programs such as the Weatherization Assistance Program, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and others which allow city residents to improve the energy efficiency of their residences and businesses.
4. Family & Medical Leave. Support the creation of a national paid family leave program, which will support child development, early childhood health outcomes, and families.
5. Center for Disease Control Funding. Support increasing the Center for Disease Control’s total budget and appropriations for programs that impact local health departments or public health activities.
6. Affordable Care Act and State Children’s Health Insurance Program Funding. Support the full funding of the Affordable Care Act and State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
7. Early Childhood Education. Support increased funding to early learning programs including Head Start, Early Head Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant to allow assistance to an increased number of eligible children.
8. AmeriCorps. Support increased funding for the AmeriCorps program.
9. Pell Grants. Support the extension of Pell Grant funding to include job training and certification programs through an alternative accreditation process.
10. Climate Protection and Resiliency, including Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Sequestration. Support efforts to meet the City’s climate goals by accelerating the transition to affordable, zero carbon energy, make buildings more efficient, invest in pedestrian and bike infrastructure, increase affordable housing near transit and jobs, and preserve and increase tree canopies and other natural areas.
11. Economic Justice. Support efforts to study options providing economic justice for historically disenfranchised groups.
Public Safety
1. Violent Crime Prevention. Support increased funding for initiatives that will reduce violent crime in Kansas City and pursue funding for grants that assist communities with developing collaborations between law enforcement, public health practitioners, and community organizations to address violent crime with evidence-based strategies.
2. Re-Entry Support. Support legislation for policies and programs which address and mitigate involvement in the criminal justice system, particularly among youth, and proven interventions which reduce rates of recidivism among the formerly incarcerated.
3. Research into Gun Violence. Support funding which allows the Center for Disease Control to resume studying the causes of gun violence.
4. Urban Areas Security Initiative Funding. Support the restoration of funding from the Department of Homeland Security through the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) for the public safety agencies in our bi-state metropolitan area to maintain regional capabilities to prevent terrorism and to respond promptly and effectively to both man-made and natural disasters.
5. Immigration Reform. Support extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and comprehensive reform of current immigration laws to allow undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States to earn legal status and apply for citizenship.
Section 2. OTHER ORGANIZATIONS’ POSITIONS. That the City supports the legislative positions adopted by the Kansas City Consensus Agenda for Economic Development and the Kansas City Health Commission for matters that may come before the 117th United States Congress in 2022.
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