LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: September 11, 2023
Subject: Federal Legislation of Interest to Contra Costa County
Submitted For: Legislation Committee
Department: County Administrator
Referral No: 2023-07
Referral Name: Federal Update
Presenter: Paul Schlesinger and Jim Davenport, Thorn Run Partners
Contact: L. DeLaney, (925) 655-2057
Referral History:
The Legislation Committee regularly receives reports on federal legislation and budget matters of interest to the County and provides direction to staff and the County's federal lobbyists.
Referral Update:
The County's federal lobbyists from Thorn Run Partners, Mr. Paul Schlesinger and Mr. Jim Davenport, will attend the Committee meeting via Zoom to provide a report on these and other matters, including FEMA reimbursement for COVID-19 related Non-Congregate Shelter costs.
House Considering Local Authority Preemption Bill for Broadband Development Projects
As we have frequently described over many years, efforts to preempt local authority frequently crop up in Congress or during a particular Administration. Most recently, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023 (H.R. 3557) out of committee this summer. Among other things, H.R. 3557 would enact new restrictions on a variety of state and local land use and zoning authorities pertaining to the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure, including both wireless deployment and wireline deployment, as well as impose limitations on the ability for local governments to negotiate and renew cable franchise agreements. The bill passed on a party-line vote of 27-23.
This legislation continues the long-term trend in state and federal preemption impacting local governments on a wide range of issues. With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, permitting streamlining has seen increased focus for lawmakers from both parties and created an opportunity for further business-driven preemption. Th...
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