Advocacy

Dear NACE Members,

As you know, advocacy is one of the pillars from which NACE was founded. This has taken a new hones in recent years with the growing importance of relationships with policymakers when it comes to funding and the reintroduction of limited infrastructure earmarks.

With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in full swing, and with it an unprecedented amount of funding local governments can apply do directly, NACE is not resting on its laurels. In my travels to many of your State Association Conferences, I have attempted to gain more insight into what is affecting your communities and your ability to do your jobs most effectively. The response has been overwhelming and, in most cases, directed towards one agency……

It is no secret that when natural disasters occur, we find ourselves on the front lines of emergency response and recovery. With these recovery efforts come great expenditures, which many of you have waited (or are still waiting) years to be reimbursed. With budgets tight already, this unforeseen but immense expense can break the backs of county road departments for years. Some counties have resorted to measures that include issuing bonds to simply fill the budget gap, while others are forced to make cuts to future projects and scheduled maintenance. While well intentioned, FEMA has fallen short in the expediency of its reimbursement timeframes to county road departments.

Realizing this issue, the NACE Executive Committee made it a priority to establish inroads with FEMA. While such issues cannot be solved overnight, definitive progress has been made in a relatively short amount of time. During the 2024 NACE Fly-in, NACE for the first time met with FEMA at their D.C. Headquarters. In the meeting sat over 10 representatives from FEMA, including some deputy and assistant administrators. With the initial introductory goals accomplished, we built upon that meeting with an invitation for FEMA to address our Annual Conference in Palm Springs, which they did.

As proof that these outreach efforts are working, a few weeks ago NACE members from over 15 states participated in an info gathering and input session with FEMA. While this meeting dealt with Public Assistance Hazard Mitigation, the seeds have been sewn on this growing relationship. NACE had never been invited for a private audience with FEMA, and in less than 8 months we found ourselves with a seat at the table. We will continue to work towards strengthening this relationship to ensure lines of communication can be open for all of us during the times we need it most. Our committee chairs are integral to this process, and we invite the chairs and members of pertinent committees to engage in this dialogue as well.

I know I speak for the EC when I say we look forward to providing you more results from these efforts in the coming year. In the meantime, if you need to be connected with, or have any questions FEMA HQ can assist with, please do not hesitate to contact me and I am happy to assist.