By: @Kyle Packham
The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) approved the Special District Grant Accessibility Act (SDGAA) Wednesday, July 31 on a 10-1 vote. Senator Laphonza Bulter of California, who sits as a member of HSGAC, was among those voting “aye”.
Having already passed off the House floor, the strong support for the SDGAA in HSGAC well positions the legislation heading into Congress’ summer recess. The collective goal for supporters will be to secure Senate Floor time for the SDGAA this fall.
CALL TO ACTION
CSDA is calling all special districts and organizations that partner with them to join over 230 California districts and hundreds more nationally in our collective coalition efforts.
The SDGAA embodies the National Special District Coalition’s (NSDC’s) longstanding legislative objective of codifying in federal law a first-ever, formal definition of “special district.” In addition to establishing such a definition, the SDGAA would direct federal agencies to recognize special districts as local governments for the purpose of ensuring that districts are eligible to receive appropriate forms of federal assistance, including funding and resources through key grant programs.
CSDA is a founding member of NSDC, which is the nationally recognized voice for all special districts in Washington D.C. NSDC developed the SDGAA through an extensive, stakeholder process and has worked since its inception to grow awareness and understanding of special districts and the essential services and infrastructure they provide to millions of Americans.
The House bill, H.R. 7525, which is sponsored by Representative Pat Fallon (R-TX) and Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) with co-sponsorship by 14 Representatives from both sides of the aisle of the California Congressional Delegation, cleared the House of Representatives on an overwhelming 352-27 vote and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee 10-1. The Senate companion bill, S. 4673, is sponsored by Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX).
Those in support of the SDGAA should continue to raise the importance of the measure with your U.S. Senators, respectfully requesting their cosponsorship and favorable consideration when the bill comes up later this year.
CSDA staff met this spring in Washington with the offices of California Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler to advocate for their support and recently coordinated a virtual roundtable with Senator Butler’s Los Angeles District Office. During the roundtable meeting, officials from the Altadena Library District, Beach Cities Health District, and Three Valleys Municipal Water District provided valuable examples related to the need for the SDGAA.
One of the leading factors driving the need for the SDGAA is the fact that special districts were omitted in COVID-19-era legislation that provided direct federal financial assistance to local governments for coronavirus relief and response activities (namely CARES Act funding and ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars). Unlike other forms of local government, special districts were excluded from receiving direct federal aid, despite the fact that many special districts provided essential public services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including ambulance/EMS, hospital, and open space services.
Compounding the problem, while special districts are eligible for many current federal funding opportunities, they have faced unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to accessing certain grant programs due largely to the lack of clarity absent a formal definition. The SDGAA seeks to level the playing field by ensuring that special districts and the communities they serve have access to all appropriate and relevant federal funding streams.
More than 35,000 special districts across the country provide a range of infrastructure and essential services, including water, flood protection, sanitation, fire protection, parks, ports and harbors, cemeteries, healthcare, electricity, mosquito abatement, resource conservation, libraries, and more.
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