Washington, DC, March 10, 2005 ------- The National League of Cities (NLC) will release its 2005 State of the Cities Survey as part of its Congressional City Conference, March 11-15, 2005.  Representatives from Congress and the Administration will join 2,400 local elected officials discussing the need to retain the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, fund public safety, housing and transportation programs and support communications tax reform.  Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will be held at the Washington Hilton and Towers, 1919 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC.  Details below.

Friday, March 11 ?
Opening Press Conference
11 a.m. (State Room); release of State of the Cities Survey

? NLC President, Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams
? NLC 1st Vice President, Clarksburg W.Va. Council Member James C. Hunt
? NLC 2nd Vice President, Indianapolis, Ind. Mayor Bart Peterson

Sunday, March 13 ?
Celebrate Diversity Breakfast
8:45 ? 10:15 a.m. (Jefferson Ballroom); Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

Opening General Session
10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon (International Ballroom)

? NLC President, Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams 
? Chris Matthews, Host, Hardball, MSNBC, and The Chris Matthews Show, NBC 

Public Safety and Crime Prevention Steering Committee
Noon ? 1:30 p.m. (Monroe East)
? Kathy Patterson, Councilmember, Washington, DC, on transportation of hazardous materials

Transportation, Infrastructure and Services Steering Committee
Noon ? 1:30 p.m. (Lincoln East)
? Rep. James Moran (D-VA), on tow truck legislation

Afternoon General Session
3:30 ? 5:00 p.m.  (International Ballroom)
? Amy Showalter, The Showalter Group, Momentum and Motivation for Grassroots and PAC Success
? Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) Ranking Member on House Budget Committee

Monday, March 14 ?
Federalism and Unfunded Mandates: Where Do We Go From Here?
9 ?9:45 a.m. (International Ballroom) 
? Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
? Governor Dirk Kempthorne (R- Ida.)

Perspectives on the Federal Budget in Tight Times
9:45 a.m. ? 10:30 a.m.
? Treasury Secretary John Snow
? Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala)

Media Availability ? Hispanic Press
11 ? 11:30 a.m. (State Room)
? Liberato Silva, Pres., Hispanic Local Elected Officials (HELO), Councilman, Flagstaff, Az
? Joseph Maestas, First Vice Pres., HELO, Councilmember, Espanola, NM
Presentation on DC Voting Rights Act

12:30 ? 2 p.m. (Thoroughbred Room)
? NLC President, Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams
 
Preserving the Community Development Block Grant Program, Panel Discussion
2:30 ? 3:30 p.m. (International Ballroom)
? Moderator Renee Poussaint (former ABC Anchor)
? Rep. Michael Turner (R- Ohio)
? David Sampson, Ph.D., Asst. Sec. for Economic Development, US Dept. of Commerce
? Donald L. Plusquellic, Mayor, Akron, Ohio

Closing General Session on Critical Legislative Priorities
3:45- 5 p.m. (International Ballroom)
? Rep. Melvin Watt (D- N.C.)
? Senator Joseph Biden (D- Del.)
? Senator Norm Coleman (R- Minn.)
? Senator Dick Durbin, (D- Ill)

Media Availability:  Leadership Challenges of Asian-American Officials
7 ? 8 p.m., City Lights Restaurant, 1727 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC
? Tzeitel Paras Caracci, Pres., Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials (APAMO), Mayor Pro Tem, Duarte, Calif.
? Gordon Quan, Immediate Past Pres., APAMO, Councilman, Houston, Texas
? Dean Chu, Mayor, Sunnyvale, Calif.
? Josie Rosales, Councilmember, Kodiak, Alaska
? Jean Quan, Councilmember, Oakland, Calif.
? Daphne Kwok, Exec. Dtr., Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

Tuesday, March 15 ?
Press Conference ? No Cuts, No Move, Saving Community Development Block Grants
11:15 a.m., Capitol Hill (Location to be determined)
? Mayor Anthony A. Williams, President of the National League of Cities, along with representatives from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), the National Association of Counties (NaCO), and the US Conference of Mayors (USCM), will hold a joint press conference on Capitol Hill to discuss CDBG budget cuts and their effect on cities.

City Lobby Day
8 am to 5 pm (Capitol Hill)
? NLC Delegates will go to Capitol Hill to meet with their House and Senate members (Note:  Although media will not be able to attend these meetings, representatives from the caucuses may be available to comment on their outcome.  Contact NLC for specific states/localities.)

Workshops will be held throughout the conference.  See more details on the Congressional City Conference Overview on  www.nlc.org for details.