TITLE
Recommendation to request City Council to approve the 2018 Federal Legislative Agenda as recommended by the Federal Legislation Committee.
DISCUSSION
Each year the City Council adopts a Federal Legislative Agenda, which outlines the City's Federal legislative priorities for the coming year. This document provides policy direction
to staff on Federal legislative issues, enabling the City to support, oppose, or work with
Federal elected officials on advancing priorities adopted by the City Council.
The Federal Legislation Committee met on November 21, 2017, received staff's
recommended changes for the 2018 Federal Legislative Agenda and voted to forward
those changes, along with 16 additional changes from the Committee to the City Council
for consideration and adoption. The Committee's proposed changes are described below:
Economic Development
City Council Directives
1. Grow and strengthen our established industry clusters
Add new Item (p): "Support policies, legislation and grants that provide support for women and minority owned businesses."
5. Support workforce development activities that align with industry needs
Add new Item (k): "Support policies, legislation, and grants that assist families in gaining access to quality and affordable childcare."
Add new Item (I): "Support policies, legislation, and grants that restrict employers from requesting criminal history information for purposes of employment while also providing job training resources to individuals with criminal histories."
Public Safety
2018 Focus Statements
Add a new focus statement, which shall read: "Oppose policies and legislation that ban LGBTQ Americans for serving in our military."
City Council Directives
1. Protect civil liberties, life, limb and property
Add new Item (a) to read: "Oppose legislation that would require concealed carry reciprocity from state-to-state."
Amend staff's proposal for existing Item (a) by removing reference to "mitigate", so that the item now focuses on prevention, rather than mitigation and reads: "Support legislation, policies and grants that provide funding to prevent mass casualty shooting incidents."
2. Foster a healthy economic environment through law enforcement
Amend item (d) to include adult-use marijuana so that the item now reads: "Support policies and legislation to classify medical and adult-use marijuana as a recognized pharmaceutical medication dispensed through pharmacies."
3. Ensure that Long Beach residents live in safe families and communities, attend
safe schools, and are contributing members of the community connected to
their communities
Add new Item (i): "Support legislation, policies, and grants for restorative justice
programs."
Education
City Council Directives
1. Support education equity
Add new Item (f) to reflect changes in California law and encourage those changes to extend nationally: "Support policies, legislation, and grants that include underrepresented groups in the development of California in the United States as it pertains to history in textbooks."
Add new Item (g) to support access to higher education. This item reads: "Support legislation that includes favorable interest rates for students and new borrowers, refinancing for existing borrowers, and which would prevent the federal government from profiting off student loans."
Sustainable & Livable Cities
City Council Directives
1. Maximize Long Beach's Livability Index
Add new Item (a) to support the Medicare for All Act of 2017 as authored by Senator Kamala Harris. Mayor Garcia requested this item be included in the agenda, and the Federal Legislative Committee agrees it is important to Long Beach. Item (a) will now read: "Support legislation, policies and grants that will establish a national health insurance program to provide every resident of the United States with health insurance through an expanded Medicare program, inclusive of improved and comprehensive benefits."
Amend Item (h) by capitalizing "Gold Star Mother."
Amend Item (i) to include support for the rights of individuals with disabilities so that this item now reads: "Support policies and legislation that expand the Americans with Disability Act to fully support the rights of individuals with disabilities and provide assistance for businesses and local governments to implement ADA requirements."
Add new Item (x) to: "Support full and stable funding for the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)." CHIP covers 9 million children nationwide, and a reauthorization of the program is needed to enable states to draw down on the federal funding to provide services. CHIP has traditionally enjoyed broad bipartisan support, as it enables lower-and middle-income families that otherwise earn more than income eligibility would allow, to be eligible for Medicaid. In addition to healthcare for children, CHIP covers healthcare costs for 370,000 pregnant women a year. California receives $2.7 billion federal funds for CHIP; this amount covers over 85% of program costs in this State. While California is required to continue coverage through 2019, the lack of federal funding for this program has required the State to shift resources to cover the shortfall.
Add new Item (y): "Support policies, legislation, and grants to support voice and broadband services for low-income consumers."
3. Support efforts to improve stormwater management and recreational water
quality
Add new Item (d): "Support policies, legislation, and grants that support small businesses with transitioning to non-polystyrene and green business practices."
5. Support affordable housing policies consistent with the City Council's adopted
Housing Element
Strike Item (e): "Support policies and legislation to prohibit tenants who no longer meet income requirements from continuing to live in units that are dedicated for affordable housing."
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
[Timing Considerations]
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
VICE MAYOR RICHARDSON
CHAIR OF THE FEDERAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE