CITY OF SAN ANTONIO
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
TO: Intergovernmental Relations Council Committee
FROM: Jeff Coyle, Director of Government & Public Affairs
SUBJECT: Federal Update: 116th Congress Legislative Program and 2018 Federal Representation Services Requests for Proposal
DATE: December 12, 2018
On December 12, the Intergovernmental Relations Council Committee will receive a briefing on the City’s 116th Congress Legislative Program development and the 2018 Federal Representation Services Request for Proposal (RFP).
116th Congress Legislative Program
A new session of Congress begins on January 3, 2019. The Federal Legislative Program is designed to be strategic and impactful, align with the priorities of the San Antonio community and help provide needed city infrastructure. The legislative program provides direction to Government and Public Affairs (GPA) staff and consultants on the City’s federal priorities for 2019-2020.
The development of the new Federal Program was launched in September 2018 in collaboration with City Departments and the City’s federal consultant team. GPA staff is collaborating with the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, San Antonio Congressional Delegation and community partners to identify issues important to the San Antonio community. Furthermore, the priorities and initiatives included in the final proposed Federal Legislative Program are developed with the input of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
The proposed Federal Legislative Program will be comprised of the following categories: Priorities, Legislative Issues, Agency Initiatives and Partnerships. The following priorities will be presented on December 12:
Military Protection: Sustain and enhance Joint Base San Antonio’s (JBSA) mission readiness, and ensure the long term protection of the region’s military bases by helping to preserve, protect and grow military missions and installations in the San Antonio region.
Transportation Infrastructure: Support the city’s multimodal transportation plan to help meet the community’s transportation goals by identifying new funding sources and advocating for funding increases in key programs.
Affordable Housing: Support the enhancement and expansion of San Antonio’s affordable housing programs and services by identifying any new funding sources and advocating for funding increases to programs such as the Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME), the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and other federal programs.
Additional topics identified for consideration to include in the Federal Legislative Program include: Public safety enhancements, municipal bond tax exemption, work opportunity and employment tax credits, marketplace fairness act, funding for homeless services, air quality/nonattainment, pre-disaster mitigation, domestic violence prevention, and substance abuse prevention. These and other topics will be further developed with input from City partners and the Intergovernmental Relation Committee. A full draft of the Federal Legislative Program will be presented to the IGR Committee in January.
2018 Federal Representation Services Requests for Proposal (RFP)
The City of San Antonio has retained consultants to represent its interests with the federal government for more than 24 years. The City retains consultants to support and strengthen the City’s advocacy efforts with federal agencies, members of Congress and the Administration to advance legislation and seek federal funding that is beneficial to the San Antonio community.
In collaboration with the Finance Department and the Small Business Office GPA will launch two congruent, but separate RFP’s in December 2018. There will be an RFP specifically for Washington D.C. representation and another for a local liaison.
The selected firm will be responsible for supporting and implementing the City’s federal legislative program and implementing a strategic plan, including timelines, goals, objectives and expected outcomes for the advancement of the City’s Federal Legislative Program. The services sought include, but are not limited to, continuously monitoring legislative and regulatory activities, developing strategies to advance the City’s interests, scheduling meetings with elected officials and government agency representatives, and coordinating with City staff and San Antonio representatives.
The local liaison firm will be responsible for supporting and implementing the City’s federal legislative program and implementing a strategic plan. This firm will have extensive knowledge of the San Antonio community and the San Antonio delegation. The services sought include, but are not limited to, coordinating with Washington D.C. based representatives and acting as an intermediary between San Antonio, federal representatives and elected officials, interacting and communicating effectively with local and federal elected officials to advance the City’s federal program, and representing the City’s federal representative team locally to City Council and local partners.