Capitol Hill Advocacy Day is the culmination of all the calls to action in NLC’s Congressional City Conference programming. This year, Annual Capitol Hill Advocacy Day was a huge success and reaffirmed that local-federal leaders must lead together and with urgency, during these unprecedented times.
On Wednesday, March 11th, municipal officials across the 39 states participating in Hill Day were briefed on 11 pieces of legislation that would have direct impact on local governance. These target bills reflected the three urgent priorities of America’s cities, towns and villages in 2020:
- Investing in infrastructure and the American workforce to rebuild transportation, water and broadband networks is essential to moving America forward.
- Restoring local authority by preventing federal and state preemption is critical to local leaders who are working to improve the health and welfare of their communities and the people who live there.
- Ending housing instability and homelessness will remove barriers to economic prosperity for American families.
NLC officers Joe Buscaino, President Pro Tempore, Los Angeles City Council, Kathy Maness, Councilmember, Lexington, South Carolina, Vince Wiliams, Mayor, Union City, Georgia, along with Clarence Anthony, NLC CEO and Executive Director, topped of the briefing with a rousing rally that underscored the importance of local voices on the Hill.
In addition to the briefing, CCC programming integrated the importance of the above priorities by offering deep dives through workshops and main stage panels. The content provided additional context for advocates as they developed their asks for federal partners.
On Wednesday, March 11, Capitol Hill Day kicked off with a breakfast reception at the Capitol Visitor Center hosted by Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-5), a key member of the House Budget and Ways and Means committees. His greetings reaffirmed the commitment to federal-local partnership on key priorities, which was further cemented by the attendance of Congressman Peter Defazio (OR-4), Chair of the House Transportation Committee.
NLC’s officers joined the 363 participating local leaders across 39 states to meet with over 230 offices throughout the day. Overall, 172 members of Congress across key committees listened to the concerns of their constituents and committed to Leading Together.
The local government takeover of Capitol Hill was an excellent success. All #NLCCCC Hill Day participants, please share pictures & stories from meetings with your members of Congress and tag @leagueofcities! Together, we can invest in our communities and our nation’s future.
About the author: Archana Sridhar is the senior specialist for grassroots advocacy at the National League of Cities.