Official Publication of the National League of Cities OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
NATION’S CITIES WEEKLY
Volume 35, Number 19 | may 14, 2012

IN THIS ISSUE
www.nlc.org
PAGE 3

PAGE 4
2020 Plan Will Raise College
Completion Rates
PAGE 5
City Leadership in Protecting and
Preserving Water Resources
PAGE 6
U.S. Communities Announces New
Temporary Staffing Solutions Contract

Florida City Leaders “Fly-
In” to Meet with Congress,
Obama Administration

by Stacey Levitt
The Florida League of Cities
brought its Federal Action Strike Team
(FAST) to Washington last week to
meet with key Obama Administration
officials and several Florida members of
Congress. Most notable was an oppor-
tunity to meet with Representative
John Mica (R-Fla.), Chair of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee and Co-Chair of the
House-Senate Transportation
Conference Committee that began
bipartisan deliberation on a long-term
transportation bill just as the FAST
team arrived on Capitol Hill.

see page 6, column 1

APAMO Leaders Talk
Transportation, Local
Priorities on Capitol Hill

From left to right: Madison Nguyen, San Jose vice mayor; Evan Low, Campbell vice mayor;
Rep. Pete Stark; and Gilbert Wong, Cupertino council member.

by Stacey Levitt
Last Tuesday, as the House and
Senate Conference Committee began
work crafting a transportation reau-
thorization bill, leaders of NLC’s Asian
Pacific American Municipal Officials
(APAMO) group took to Capitol Hill
to echo NLC’s call for Congress to stop
the quick fixes and finally pass a com-
prehensive, long-term program that
rebuilds America’s roads and bridges,
modernizes transit systems, and creates
or saves good-paying jobs.

see page 6, column 1

Congress Begins Tough Negotiations on
Transportation Programs

by Leslie Wollack
Lawmakers appointed to resolve dif-
ferences on a new federal surface trans-
portation program met last week to stake
out their opening positions, but gave no
indication of a quick resolution of the
deep divisions between the House and
Senate positions.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.),
chair of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee and chair of
the transportation conference, pointed
out that the Senate had passed a bipar-
tisan bill, S 1813, with 74 votes. “If
Sens. Boxer and Jim Inhofe can agree
on a bill, we can all agree on a bill,”
Boxer said, noting the improbability of
finding a solution appealing to a liberal
Democrat from California and a conser-
vative Republican from Oklahoma.
Although the House bill only
included a 90-day extension of the
current program, from June 30 to
September 30, and three controversial
provisions, House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee Chair Rep.

John Mica (R-Fla.) indicated the House
conferees were not ready to compromise
and adopt the Senate bill.

Mica expressed concern over the cost
and financing of the $109 billion, two-
year Senate bill. Congress will have
to fund a new transportation program
without raising taxes, Mica told the
conferees. “Anyone who wants to raise
taxes, you’re on the wrong committee,”
he said.
Although the House Rules Committee
adopted a robust authorization bill, HR
7, House leaders were unable to gain
consensus among House Republicans to
support their five-year authorization bill
see page 6, column 1