CITY OF SAN ANTONIO
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
TO: Intergovernmental Relations Council Committee
FROM: Jeff Coyle, Director of Government & Public Affairs
SUBJECT: Federal Legislative Update
DATE: January 10, 2020
At the Intergovernmental Relations Council Committee meeting on January 14, 2020, Government & Public Affairs staff will provide a federal legislative update regarding the FY 2020 appropriations and the upcoming SA to DC 2020 visit.
FY 2020 Appropriations
The U.S. House and Senate passed FY 2020 spending bills last month, and the President signed the legislation on December 20, 2019 to avoid a government shutdown. This spending measure funds the federal government through September 30, 2020.
The appropriations package totaled nearly $1.4 trillion, increasing the federal budget by $49 billion. As detailed below, funding levels were increased for most of the programs of interest to the City for FY 2020:
§ Defense Communities Infrastructure Program (DCIP): $50M. Similar to the State of Texas’ DEAAG program for off-base infrastructure projects, this is the first time this program is funded
§ CDBG, $3.425B, an increase of $125M from FY19
§ CSBG, $740M, an increase of $15M from FY19
§ HOME, $1.35B, an increase of $100M from FY19
§ CHOICE, $175M, an increase of $25M from FY19
§ Homeless Assistance Grants, $2.7B, an increase $177M from FY19
§ Violence Against Women Grants, $502M, an increase of $5M from FY19
§ Urban Area Security Initiative, $665M, an increase of $25M from FY19
§ Firefighter Assistance Grants, $355M, an increase of $5M from FY19
§ Edward Byrne Justice Grants, $547M, an increase of $124M from FY19
§ COPS Hiring Grants, $235M, an increase of $10M from FY19
§ Brownfields, $89M, an increase of $2M from FY19
§ State and Local Homeland Security Program, $560M, an increase of $35M from FY19
§ Airport Improvement Program (AIP), $3.35B, level funding from FY19
SA to DC 2020
The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and partners will be hosting SA to DC February 3 - 6, 2020. SA to DC is the Chambers’ annual trip to Washington, DC to advocate for federal funding and programs beneficial to the San Antonio community. The SA to DC agenda is developed with input from business, military, and community stakeholders - including the City of San Antonio. Currently, GPA staff is working on the issue papers that will be part of the SA to DC package and that are used by the participants to advocate for the various San Antonio issues.
The SA to DC agenda will be divided among thirteen Issue Teams: Aerospace, Cybersecurity, Education and Workforce Development, Energy and Sustainability, General Business, Housing, International trade, Military affairs, Public Health; Tourism and Hospitality, Transportation and Water. The Issue Teams will participate in meetings with members of Congress and federal agencies to advocate for the priorities in the SA to DC agenda.
At the IGR meeting, GPA staff will brief the committee on the preparations and discuss staff recommendations for participation by the Council members.