LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: December 9, 2024
Subject: Draft 2025-26 Federal Legislative Platform
Submitted For: Legislation Committee
Department: County Administrator
Presenter: E. Struthers and L. DeLaney
Contact: (925) 655-2045
Referral History:
The Legislation Committee annually reviews and considers the draft State and Federal Legislative Platforms prior to their proposal to the Board of Supervisors for adoption. The adopted Legislative Platforms of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors are available on the County’s website: <https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/2859/Legislation>
Referral Update:
In 2020, the County shifted its State and Federal Legislative Platforms from one to two-year documents running concurrently with the legislative and congressional sessions. With the start of new sessions anticipated in January 2023, the County Administrator's Office, which is responsible for coordinating the development of the Platforms, launched the Platform development process for 2025-26 in the fall of 2024.
To date, the Legislative Platform development process has included the following steps:
1. Board members, County Department Heads, and/or senior staff were invited to meetings with the County's federal and state lobbyists to discuss the department’s legislative and regulatory priorities, sponsored bill proposals, and policy interests.
2. Department Heads and their senior staff were requested to solicit input from any Board-established advisory bodies for which they provide staff support. They were also requested to provide the legislative priorities and principles of the professional associations to which they belong.
3. Policy positions, when included in the Platform, were requested to be refashioned to “principles.” This is intended to streamline the documents, moving away from program, project, or legislation-specific policy statements and toward more general principles. Principles are more basic than policy and objectives and are meant to govern both.
4. Draft Platforms are presented to the Legislation Committee for consideration in November and/or December, prior to recommendation of adoption to the Board in January 2024.
SUMMARY OF
DRAFT 2025-26 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM CHANGES
Introduction: Demographic data updates. Board of Supervisors District V member change to the newly-elected Supervisor, Shanelle Scales-Preston.
Surface Transportation Funding Needs: Several changes were proposed to the Surface Transportation Funding Needs section by the Transportation, Water, and Infrastructure (TWI) Committee. Changes include the consolidation of several local trail projects into a more comprehensive Countywide Multi-Use Trail and Corridor Program. Two projects were also recommended for removal by the TWI Committee.
Priority Policy Statements: Edits proposed to several sections, including: Climate Change, the Delta, Health Care, Safety Net Programs, Library Services, Natural Resources/Permit Streamlining, Telecommunications and Broadband, Transportation, Mobility Management and Coordination, and Veterans. Additionally, a new section has been proposed for Public Information and Transparency.
Attachment A is the Draft 2025-26 Federal Legislative Platform content showing redline changes from the 2023-24 adopted Platform.
Attachment B is the Draft 2025-26 Federal Legislative Platform, with changes incorporated into a clean copy.
Attachment C includes a proposal form the Office of Emergency Services, which was received on the publication date and could not be incorporated due to time constraints. Staff requests that the Committee provide direction on these items during the December 9 meeting.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
REVIEW and provide input on the Draft 2025-26 Federal Legislative Platform. PROVIDE direction to staff on the development of the 2025-26. Proposed Federal Legislative Platform and recommend its adoption by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting in January 2025.
Fiscal Impact (if any): None.