Orange County Commissioners Marilyn Carter and Phyllis Portie-Ascott attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., held from February 21 to 24. The event brought together nearly 2,000 county leaders from across the United States to discuss federal policy issues and advocate for county priorities.
During the four-day conference, participants heard from a range of speakers, including subject matter experts, executive branch officials, and bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Topics discussed included nutrition, healthcare, disaster recovery, mental health, surface transportation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, tax policy, election security, energy policies, data centers, international economic development opportunities, housing issues and permitting reform.
Marilyn Carter represented Orange County as its delegate to NACo. She said: “this is a crucial moment to ensure that county input is provided on federal policies. There was remarkable bipartisan concern voiced about unfunded mandates for counties resulting in unintended consequences for local communities.”
The conference ended with an Advocacy Day of Action on Capitol Hill. Phyllis Portie-Ascott serves as District 9 Director for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. She stated: “North Carolina had the largest delegation at the conference, and we made sure our presence was felt. Our delegation filled the room during meetings with our U.S. Senate representatives, ensuring that the voices of our counties were clearly heard.”
County leaders focused their advocacy efforts on several key issues: delaying changes to Federal Nutrition Services and expanded Medicaid programs that would increase costs for counties; increasing funding for disaster preparation and assistance; streamlining access to FEMA individual assistance programs; reducing jail populations with mental illness through continued Medicaid coverage; recurring funding for behavioral health services addressing substance use epidemics; supporting farmland preservation and food system resiliency; and stronger regulation and funding concerning emerging drinking water contaminants.
NACo President J.D. Clark said: “Federal policies have direct and long-lasting impacts on county governments and our residents,” adding that “NACo’s Legislative Conference is an important opportunity for county leaders to strengthen relationships with our intergovernmental partners, tell our county story and advocate for county priorities that help our communities and residents thrive.”
Education outcomes remain a priority in Orange County alongside these national concerns. According to recent state data reports:
– Of 1,407 senior students taking the science portion of the ACT in Orange County school districts during the 2022-23 year,49.2% were considered ready for college.
– For junior students taking science during this period,50.7% met college readiness standards.
– On reading assessments,56.1% of seniorsand55% of juniorswere deemed college-ready.
– In math,46.1% of seniorsand45.1% of juniorsmet readiness benchmarks.
The National Association of Counties represents nearly 40,000 elected officials nationwide as well as millions more employees working in county government roles.
For further details about this year’s Legislative Conference visit NACo’s website at www.naco.org.
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