CITY OF SAN ANTONIO
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
TO: Intergovernmental Relations Council Committee
FROM: Jeff Coyle, Director of Government & Public Affairs
SUBJECT: 115th Congress Federal Legislative Update
DATE: June 8, 2018
This update will provide a mid-year update of key issues that have advanced during the second session of the 115th Congress and the federal legislative advocacy efforts by the City. The 115th Congress is comprised of two one-year sessions running from January 3, 2017 to January 3, 2019. The Congress is mid-way through their second session. Below is a summary of the topics that will be covered.
115th Second Session Recap
Federal Budget: On February 9 Congress passed a 2 year budget package, which was subsequently signed by the President. Congress' package raised budget caps by $300 billion (which sets the maximum amount that Congress can allocate), increased the debt ceiling and included nearly $90 billion in disaster relief for Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Of the $300 billion, roughly $165 billion would go to the Pentagon with $131 billion earmarked for non-defense programs.
FY 2018 Omnibus Appropriations: On March 23, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill (H.R. 1625) was signed into law by the President. The bill included a $1.3 trillion package that funds the federal government through September 30, 2018. The package maintains or increases funding for programs that cities use to fund infrastructure, public safety, homeland security, housing, and economic development, among others. Ultimately, Congress rejected the severe budget reductions proposed by the Administration and increased funding in many key areas for FY 2018. City staff will present a summary of key funding areas included in the FY 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
FY 2019 Appropriations: On February 12 the President sent his FY 2019 budget request to Congress. Similar to last year, the President proposed the elimination of many key programs that support local communities such as Community Development Block Grants, TIGER Grants, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. Currently, Congress is working on the FY 2019 appropriations bills at the sub-committee and committee levels. This process will continue in the House and Senate though the summer months and into the fall. House leadership intends to pass all appropriations bills in an attempt to return to a regular appropriations process. GPA staff and federal consultants will continue to track and advocate for programs important to the City.
Grant opportunities: Once federal funding levels are established, it is incumbent on the City to compete for federal grants within these programs. During this Session the Mayor, IGR Committee and the Government Affairs team has led and supported advocacy efforts for a number of grants. The list below is a list of grant awards received to date. Successfully secured grants:
• COPS Hiring $3.25 million
• Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant $273,000
• 2018 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) $1.5 million
• DOJ National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) $209,000
• America’s Promise Job Driven Grant $2 million
• Promise Zone Workforce Training Project Grant $1.5 million
• Combat Human Trafficking $1.8 million
Transportation grants: The City regularly coordinates with VIA and Bexar County to seek federal funding for transportation projects in the community. Earlier this year, VIA secured a $1.75 million grant for a FTA Bus & Bus Facilities Project; the City advocated for this grant application. On June 6, 2018, the City was notified that its proposal for a Frio City Road & Zarzamora rail overpass under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) was not selected for funding. There were 26 projects selected to share about $1.5 billion. Only one grant was awarded to an entity in Texas, going to the Texas Department of Transportation for a project in Tarrant County. Although the grant was not successful, the City was able to secure $15.6M from the MPO and $10M from the city bond for a total of $25.6M for the overpass project. The BUILD grant, formerly TIGER, is an upcoming opportunity identified by GPA. TCI is coordinating with VIA to review the grant opportunity and identify projects for submittal.
Non-stop Flight/Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization: FAA Reauthorization remains pending in the Senate. City staff provided a briefing on this topic to the IGR Committee on May 15, 2018. The current FAA extension expires on September 31; Congress will have to pass reauthorization legislation or approve another temporary extension before this date. On May 26, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Bill. The bill did not include City supported language allowing for a nonstop flight from San Antonio International Airport to Reagan National Airport (DCA). Due to heavy pressure from several airlines Congressman Henry Cuellar, the lead sponsor, withdrew the amendment when it became clear that it did not have the votes to pass the full House.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): March 5 was the deadline established by the President’s executive order ending the DACA program. However, on February 26, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Trump administration's appeal of a lower court ruling requiring the government to continue the DACA program.
In Congress, on February 15 the Senate failed to pass legislation that would provide permanent legal status for DACA enrollees. None of four different Senate bills considered, that would have protected DACA enrollees, secured the 60 votes necessary to proceed to final passage.
Recently, with the issue stalled in the Senate, a group of House Members including Congressman Hurd introduced a discharge petition in the House of Representatives to force a series of floor votes on four proposed DACA, immigration and border bills. The petition requires 218 member signatures to proceed and would allow debate on the issue under the “queen of the hill” rule. The rule permits several bills to be considered and voted on, whichever receives the most votes and meets the mandatory majority-vote threshold would be adopted. To date 215 Members have signed the discharge petition. Congressman Hurd, Congressman Castro and Congressman Doggett have signed on from the San Antonio delegation. Congressmen Cuellar and Smith have not signed on.
On June 7, after a two hour immigration and DACA meeting, Speaker Ryan asked members not to sign on to the DACA/Immigration resolution to give leadership more time to develop compromise legislation. This sets up an unofficial deadline of June 12 to develop compromise legislation.
NAFTA: In May Speaker Ryan announced that Congress needed to have the NAFTA deal for consideration no later than early June in order for lawmakers to vote on a new NAFTA deal this year. This week Senator John Cornyn indicated that Congress probably would not have time to approve the NAFTA agreement in 2018. To date, negotiations between the three countries are ongoing but have hit additional roadblocks because of steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the administration. Senator Cornyn also indicated that at this point it looks like the Congressional process will likely spill into 2019.
Air quality designation: Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed air quality designations for the eight counties that comprise the San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA. A final designation is expected on July 17. The proposed EPA designation was that “all or portions of Bexar County [be designated] as, at best, Unclassifiable.” Governor Abbott has recommended for the EPA to designate Bexar County as in Attainment and that “under no circumstances should Bexar County receive a designation worse than unclassifiable.” On April 30, 2018, the Mayor sent a response to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt regarding the proposed designation, urging the EPA to adhere to the State of Texas recommendation, or to designate Bexar County as “Attainment/Unclassifiable.”