6.0. SR 02-02-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

CCC '98 will feature policy and legislative sessions, work- shoF -I roundtables on Cap. ~fil with Congressional and administration leaders to focus on the federal issues that will affect cities and towns in 1998. These sessions are designed not only to provide you with useful information, but also to give you a chance to ask ques- tions and make your views and concerns known. Key issues that will be on the federal-local agenda in 1998 and which will be addressed during CCC '98 include: PREEMPTION What happened to Congress' commit- ment to turn more authority back to states and local gov- ernments? In 1997, Congress tried to pre- ~ erupt local authority over "ional and esser, ~ocal respon- sibilities such as zoning, taxation, and regulation. Takings legislation threatens to undermine local zoning authority by permit- ting local decisions to be made by federal courts. Internet taxa- tion legislation threat- ens to reduce local revenue raising capac- ity and limit state and local ability to collect taxes on Internet transactions and severely handicap Main Street retailers who will con- tinue to be required to collect and pay all state and local taxes. A tobacco litigation settlement will preempt local regulation of tobacco advertising in local communities and limit the ability of cities and towns to recoup tobacco-related health expenses. TRANSPORTATION The surface transportation war will resume when Congress reconvenes in 1998. Will Congress agree to invest all the surplus in the Highway Trust Fund for a new, six-year highway and transit pro- gram or not? Will Congress act before current funding expires? How will Congress deal with the donor-donee issue- that is how will Congress propose to allocate dollars back to cities and states from the federal gas tax? Will Congress remove authority to make trans- portation deci- sions from your city, impose man- dates, cut key programs- or will Congress add flex- ibility and a clear- ly defined role for local leaders? ELECTRIC DEREGULATION Congress is beginning to consider proposals to deregulate the nation's electric utility industry -- our last monopoly. Just as local govern- ments have been forced to react to changes from the deregulation of the telecommunications industry, electric deregulation may not be positive for all local governments. Some of the changes being consid- ered by Congress could make obsolete many of the existing taxes collected by state and local govern- ments from electric utilities. TELECOMMUNICATIONS Implementation of the Telecom- munications Act of 1996 continues to be a key challenge and a continu- ing threat to local authority. Despite language in law protecting local zoning and land use planning authority, the Federal Communi- cations Commission (FCC) has issued proposed rulemakings which would preempt local jurisdiction over the siting of cellular towers and broadcast towers. FEDERAL MANDATES Federal mandates -- the local bat- tle cry of the 90s -- have evolved into a modern-day version of taxa- tion without representation. Despite a successful campaign in 1995 to bar the federal government from imposing new mandates on cities and towns, Washington con- tinues to force local governments to take action without providing any federal funds to support those requirements. STATE AND LOCAL REVENUE SYSTEMS Changes in the economy, electronic commerce, tax reform, and deregulation are having or will have dramatic impacts on state and local revenue systems. Working with the National Governors' Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures, NLC is examin- ing the impact of these changes and exploring new ideas for revenue systems of the future. Learn about actions at the federal level that could affect your city's ability to collect revenue and about options for restruc- turing city and state rev- enue systems to ensure com- petitiveness in the global economy. o :4 STORMWATER On March 1, 1998, the Environ- mental Protection Administration (EPA) will issue final regulations on a new program for cities in urban- ized areas with populations of 50,000 or more to mandate control of pollutants in rainwater runoff.