Washington Report – March 11, 2024

FY 2024 First Funding Package Passes Congress

The funding package totals $459B and is composed of six appropriations bills for the following federal departments and agencies through Sept. 30:
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies; Energy and Water Development and related agencies; Interior, Environment, and related agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and related agencies; and Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies;
Funding to the remaining federal agencies and departments still operating under a continuing resolution is set to expire March 22;
Additionally, President Biden is scheduled to release his proposed FY25 budget today;
Highlights of the first omnibus enacted for FY24:
- $12.7B for 6,630 local and state projects, and with six appropriations bills still to pass the total amount and cost of earmarks is on pace to exceed FY23’s $15.3B for more than 7,000 projects
- Clean Water and Drinking Water state revolving funds, unfortunately, receive flat funding ($2.8B) and half of this money is already earmarked
- $8.68B for the Army Corps of Engineers, and directs the allocation of unused previous appropriations to specific projects
- EPA funding cut of 10% ($1B) though cuts are falling primarily on a Superfund program that is now reinforced by other funding sources, such as $1.2B from reinstated polluter-pays taxes along with $538M from Congress and $3.5B allocated in waves from the infrastructure law
- Brownfields at $98M
- Department of Interior receives $1.92B, of which $1.75B is for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Water and Related Resources account, $450.7M above the president’s budget request
- $2.2B for flood and storm damage reduction activities
- Geographic regional water programs receive $681.7M
- Fully funds Reclamation Safety of Dams Act activities at $210.2M
- $135.3M for rural water projects
- $134M for water storage projects authorized by the WIIN Act
- $72.3M to the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation program
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – $6.4B
- Energy and Water Development and related agencies – The Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response office would receive $200M
  - This funding goes towards securing the nation’s energy infrastructure against all hazards, reduce the risks of and impacts from cybersecurity events, and assist with recovery activities
- Interior will receive $1.5B for its U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
  - Wildland Fire Management (WFM) fund receives $6.1B and includes $2.7B in cap-adjusted fire suppression funding
- USDOT receives more than $106B, including
  - $2.16B to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with a limit of $60B from the Highway Trust Fund
  - Language directing FHWA to brief House and Senate appropriations committees within 60-days of enactment on the status of an implementation plan for research on truck size and weight. APWA is a member of the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) and this is something the group will closely watch
  - $1.24B to the National Highway Safety Administration
  - $20B to the Federal Aviation Administration
  - $16.6B to the Federal Transit Agency
  - $2.97B to the Federal Railroad Administration
  - $345M for local and regional project assistance grants (formerly called TIGER and BUILD) with no less than 5% for projects in historically disadvantaged communities/areas of persistent poverty
  - $24.3M for department planning, research and development with $5.4M of that amount to the Interagency Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Center
  - $49M for department cybersecurity initiatives.

APWA Free Webinar: Public Works Opportunities for Hiring Veterans

Tune in this Thursday, March 14, at 11 a.m. ET for a free webinar by the APWA Workforce Development Committee and the Veteran’s Employment and Training Service (VETS);
Learn more about the VETS program and how you can meet your workforce development challenges while helping those who served our country;
The deadline to register is this 1 p.m., Wednesday. Click here to register.

APWA Seeks Increased Local Input in Federal Flood Mitigation, Community Resilience Efforts

APWA and several other like-minded organizations sent a letter last week to Senate and House leadership advocating for greater state and local input on matters pertaining to the federal government’s flooding adaptation planning and mitigation efforts;
The letter focused on the following:
- Simplifying federal programs and enhancing efficiency to reduce barriers for access
- Enacting long-term National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) authorization legislation
- Empowering communities to implement the most beneficial adaptation solutions to fit their unique needs
- Using updated data to plan and prepare for future risks
- Training the climate adaptation and resilience workforce
- Focusing on comprehensive regional efforts and coordinating said efforts nationally
APWA priorities call for the federal government to increase reliance on input provided by state, local, territorial, and tribal governments when awarding funds for emergency management and preparedness.

FEMA Announces New Biological Incidents Online Course

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it will offer a biological incidents course for anyone interested in learning more about responding to/recovering from biological incidents;
For this course, FEMA factors in biological incidents, which may lead to highly infectious diseases and require specialized medical countermeasures and resources to address long-term contamination;
Specifically, the course will focus on:
- Detecting and characterizing a threat
- Communicating with external partners and the public
- Controlling the spread of disease
- Expanding the provision of health and medical services to the affected population, and
- Expanding essential services to achieve recovery outcomes
Visit the following website for additional information, and to register for the course.

IRS Clarifies Tax Treatment of Lead Service Line Replacements

The IRS has announced that the replacement of lead service lines will not be considered as income for residential property owners under the Internal Revenue Code;
Accordingly, water systems and state governments are not required to file information returns or furnish payee statements with respect to the replacement of lead service lines;
This follows interagency commitments to more robust collaboration on addressing risks of exposures to lead by EPA, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Health and Human Services (HHS).

FMCSA Safety Grants Open for Application–Due April 19

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has five grant programs, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), open for application;
Local governments, states, tribal and territorial organizations and academic insitutions are eligible, and the funding is focused on safety and training programs;
Full details for each grant program are available at FMCSA’s grants website.

Federal Program Inventory Launched

The Office of Management and Budget announced the Federal Program Inventory, which visitors can use to search for information about all federal programs that provide grants, loans, or direct payments;
The inventory is part of administration efforts to ease the process for applicants by raising awareness of programs;
Success stories and increasing access to federal funds in conjunction with bolstered technical assistance programs are included.

On the Horizon

All times ET.

March 12 at 10 a.m., the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management will hold a hearing on Disaster Readiness – Examining the Propriety of the Expanded Use of FEMA Resources;
March 12 at 10 a.m., the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the recommendations of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission;
March 14 at 10 a.m., the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on A Nation on Fire-Responding to the Increasing Wildfire Threat.