Flagship nlc Reports
Municipal Infrastructure Conditions Report 2026
Communities across the country depend on reliable infrastructure to ensure public safety, economic opportunity and quality of life. Over the past several…
City Fiscal Conditions 2025
The National League of Cities’ 40th annual City Fiscal Conditions report offers a comprehensive snapshot of the financial health of…
State of the Cities 2025
In the dynamic realm of local governance, the State of the Cities report captures local leaders’ collective vision and unwavering…
Featured resources: Advocating for strong federal-local partnerships
Featured resources: AI in Action
Featured resources: Housing
Cities in Action: Young Harris Financial Literacy Engagement
Cities in Action: Energizing the KC BizCare Small Business Support Ecosystem
The Policy Compass in Roanoke, VA: Child Care as Workforce Strategy
The Policy Compass in Dubuque, Iowa: Building Equity through Smarter, Shared Data
The Policy Compass in Tacoma, WA: Unlocking Workforce Access by Addressing Child Care
Cities in Action: Grand Island Community Kitchen Pilot
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Topics
Members Only
INTERACTIVE: Preemption Laws By State
Preemption and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Exploring the Impacts of Preemption
- Christiana McFarland
The Changing Landscape of Preemption
By:
- Christiana McFarland
- Julia Bauer
What You Need to Know About Preemption
Tracking State Preemption 2019: The Pre-Pandemic Landscape
Preemption Threatens Economic Development and Innovation
House Committee Advances Communications Infrastructure Preemption Bill
- Angelina Panettieri
New Guide: Restoring City Rights in an Era of Preemption
The Relationship Between State Preemption of Inclusionary Zoning and Health
How Preemption is Expanding and Changing in 2019
Net Neutrality Is Just the Tip of the Preemption Iceberg
One Year Later: State Preemption Undermines Pandemic Response & Recovery
- Kim Haddow
NLC Offers Cities Help In Resolving Justice Reform Preemption
Federal Preemption in Railroad Regulation Before Supreme Court
Three Strategies to Restore City Rights in an Era of Preemption
Navigating Preemption during COVID: Four Steps Cities Can Take to Increase Affordable Housing
What a Broadband Preemption Victory in Arkansas Means For Rural Cities
House Leaders Hear NLC on Issues of Preemption and Local Control
Ninth Circuit Hears from Local Governments on FCC Small Cell Preemption
Five Takeaways for Cities from the FCC’s Small Cell Preemption Order
City Rights in an Era of Preemption: A State-by-State Analysis
The Local Authority Landscape: Trends in Select Issues from 2019-2022
Members Only
Paid Leave & Local Authority
How States Preempt Local Laws
By:
- Christopher B. Goodman
- Megan E. Hatch
- Bruce D. McDonald, III
How to Support New Business Creation in a Preempted Policy Environment
Consequences of State Tax and Expenditure Limits on Local Services
Ban-the-Box and Local Authority
Reimagining Policing
Members Only
Local Authority and Emerging Technology: A State-by-State Analysis
Elections & Local Authority
Members Only
From the Event: Federal Budget Legislation Webinar
Tax Authority & Tax and Expenditure Limits
Five Year Review: How State Laws Have Impacted Local Decision-Making
- Julia Bauer
Small Cell Deployment
Supporting Wage Growth
Members Only
Executive Actions Fact Sheet: Protecting American Energy from State Overreach
Members Only
Executive Actions Fact Sheet: Protecting the American People Against Invasion
Members Only
Executive Actions Fact Sheet: Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens
Members Only
Executive Actions Fact Sheet: Securing Our Borders
Members Only
Executive Actions Fact Sheet: Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections
Three Local Authority Trends and Insights
By:
- Julia Bauer
- Patrick Rochford
Digital Equity Playbook: How City Leaders Can Bridge the Digital Divide
Members Only
Executive Actions Fact Sheet: Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence
Members Only
2025 State and Local Fiscal Facts
Future of Cities: Reenvisioning Retail for Recovery and Resilience
States Increasingly Preempting Local Laws Governing Transgender Rights
- Julia Bauer
Opportunities for Municipal Paid Leave Policies
By:
- Julia Bauer
- Patrick Rochford
- Jordyn Taylor
Cities Are Fighting to Close the Pay Gap – But States Are Standing in the Way
Reclaiming Our Local Democracy
Understanding Opportunities for Local Broadband Authority
By:
- Julia Bauer
- Patrick Rochford
The Short-term Rental Market Is Booming. Here’s Why Cities Should Regulate It.
Mayors Agree States and Cities Must Work Together
Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts From 2018
HB2’s Replacement Worse for Cities
NLC, Local Allies Oppose Wireless Petitions Before FCC
NLC Testifies before House on Strengthening Communications Networks
What Cities Can Learn from Be SMART
- CitiesSpeak Guest
When Cities and States Clash, Women and Families Suffer
FCC Cable Order Effective Date Set
What’s Next for the Supreme Court’s Transgender Bathroom Case?
Cities Should Be the Focus of Federalism
Legislation Would Allow Tourists to Carry Concealed Weapons in Your City
5 Things Cities Can Be Grateful for This Thanksgiving
What Do Local Leaders Need to Know about the FCC Cable Order?
Five Things Local Leaders Should Know about the American AI Action Plan
- Angelina Panettieri
Local Budget Pressures are Real. So Why Don’t Cities Just Raise Taxes?
2023 Media Highlights
- Rebeca Schiller
Public Spaces and Local Democracy
Infinite Hope (and Action!) for 2020
State, Local and Federal Partnership: An Essential Tool in Addressing COVID-19
Key FCC and NTIA Nominations Announced
- Angelina Panettieri
What’s in the Farm Bill for Cities?
By:
- Angelina Panettieri
- Carolyn Berndt
- Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
CCC Ends Atop Capitol Hill with Advocacy Day
List of Top Issues & Resources Prioritized by Local Governments In 2023
- Rebeca Schiller
Three Reasons Why Net Neutrality Matters for Cities
State Municipal Leagues Tell Congress: “Rebuild With Us”
Why the 2020 Budget Debate Indicates More Challenges for Cities
White House Announces State-Level Broadband Infrastructure Grant Allocations
- Angelina Panettieri
The Continued Importance of Antiracism
By:
- Beth Fry
- Beverly Scurry
Advancing Housing Reform: Lessons from Chattanooga’s Voluntary Zoning Incentives Program
- CitiesSpeak Guest
4 Practical Steps Cities Can Take to Protect Youth from Flavored Tobacco
- Lourdes Aceves, MPP
Tax Reform: Growing the Economy Starts with Cities
Small Cell Wireless Technology in Cities
Is Rent Control Available to Your City?
Why Housing Trust Funds Became Unifiers
New Autonomous Vehicle Grants Announced, Congress Contemplates Legislation
Net Neutrality Gives Cities Some Flexibility
How Lincoln, Nebraska Weathered the Great Recession
FCC Cable Order – What Comes Next for Cities?
FirstNet: Collaborating for Safer Communities
When Cities in Western North Carolina Needed It, FirstNet Stepped Up
8 Things NLC Has Accomplished in Trump’s First 100 Days
Three Important Takeaways from Silicon Valley
Local Governments Lead the Charge on Providing Emergency Leave to Employees
Reopening in Cities Across the Country: What Does the Data Show
Local Broadband Wins in the House Moving Forward Act
Smart Cities Projects a Solution in Tough COVID-19 Budget Times
- Lena Geraghty
Essential Municipal Employees Vulnerable to Severe Cuts
NLC Members Tell Congress: Rebuild and Reimagine America’s Infrastructure
Bring Your Community’s Perspective to NLC’s National Policy Issues!
- Irma Esparza Diggs
Chattanooga’s PILOT Reimagined: Honing a Powerful Housing Tool
- CitiesSpeak Guest
Infrastructure for the 21st Century: The Importance of Broadband to Cities
What the ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’ Will Mean for Cities
What Are Cities Doing to Keep Healthcare Costs Down?
New Bill Threatens City Authority on Small Cell Infrastructure
FCC Proposes Preemption, Fee Cap for Local Small Cell Deployment
State Municipal Leagues Build Relationships with New Congress
Census 2020: How to Count Hard-to-Count Communities
This Week in Photos: Local Leaders on Capitol Hill
Legal Considerations for Carbon Mitigation by Cities
Local Recovery: Five Principles for ARP Implementation
By:
- Jenn Steinfeld
- Michael Wallace
OSHA Files COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard
- Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
Action on Gun Violence: Why Every Town Matters
Cities EMERGING On Emerging Technologies
By:
- Julia Bauer
- Kyle Funk
- Julia Glickman
- Patrick Rochford
Finding Funding for Broadband: A State Comparison
By:
- Julia Glickman
- Kyle Funk
- Angelina Panettieri
What Local Leaders Need to Know About the Energy and Commerce Provisions of the Tax Package
By:
- Carolyn Berndt
- Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
- Angelina Panettieri
State, Local Lawmakers Must Take the Lead to Reduce Youth Use of Tobacco
Big Seven National Coalition Affirms State and Local Leadership Partnership
- Clarence E. Anthony
Supreme Court Significantly Modifies Test Used to Determine Voting Rights Act Compliance
- Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
Aligning City, County, and State for Early Childhood Success
- Jammie Albert
Local Impacts from Congress’ One, Big, Beautiful Bill
By:
- Carolyn Berndt
- Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
- Brittney D. Kohler
- Dante Moreno
- Yucel Ors
- Angelina Panettieri
- Michael Wallace
State of the Cities: The Case of Pensions
What Cities Are Doing About Pensions
State of the City: The Case of Healthcare
Could Higher Productivity Growth Lead to More Affordable Housing?
How Baltimore is Advancing Racial Equity: Policy, Practice & Procedure
How States and Cities Can Fight the Housing Crisis, Together
2020 Federal Advocacy Outlook
National Census Day at National League of Cities!
Why the 2020 Census is Essential to Municipalities
How COVID’s Impact on the Public Sector Workforce Has Evolved, and Why it Matters
Cities Celebrate One-Year Anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Clarence E. Anthony
When the Heat is On: How Cities Can Protect At-Risk Residents
- Monica Gregory
What Trump’s State of the Union Will Mean for Cities
The Data Cities Need to Understand & Address Their Eviction Crises
By:
- Lauren Lowery
- Tina Lee
- Samantha Carr
- Sabiha Zainulbhai
- Nóra Al Haider
Federal Rail Crossing Grants Moving Across America
By:
- Brittney D. Kohler
- McKaia Dykema
- Kyle Funk
