News Flash

Blog Post: Available Federal Grants

Please read the League’s recent blog post for newly announced and application instructions for various competitive federal grants that are available to municipalities.  Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ...

Financial Data Transparency Act of 2022: A Costly Unfunded Mandate for Municipalities

As Congress prepares to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), municipalities should be aware of a provision that may have a negative impact on their operations through the imposition of a new unfunded mandate. Senators Mark Warner (D-...

Please Complete NJDEP Survey on Clean Energy Funding

New Jersey will compete for billions of dollars in Federal funding for publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations later this year through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.   This is a national competit...

USDA Grant Money Available for Biofuel-Related Infrastructure Upgrades

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $100 million in grants with the goal of helping to increase the sale and use of biofuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. The program will market higher blends of...

LIHWAP Application Process Open

As we have previously shared, the Department of Community Affairs’ Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) application process is open. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-funded program will provide benefits directly to water ...

ARP Project & Expenditure Reporting to DLGS

If you are among the municipalities that have yet to file your American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Project and Expenditure Report that was due on April 30, please be advised that the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) has ...

President Signs CHIPS and Science Act

On Tuesday, August 9, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act, into law. In addition to authorizing funding for research and innovation programs, the law appropriates a total of $54.2 billion to support domestic semiconduc...

Inflation Reduction Act Activity

This past weekend, the U.S. Senate utilized the chamber’s reconciliation rules to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, along a party-line vote of 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. On Wednesday...

U.S. Treasury Releases ARPA SLFRF Affordable Housing Guidance

The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced How-to Guidance on increasing the ability of state, local, and tribal governments to use American Rescue Plan (ARP) State and Local Recovery Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) payments to boost the...

Ground Broken on Portal North Bridge

Earlier this week, Governor Murphy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and other officials broke ground on the Portal North Bridge, a critical link in the congested territory between New Jersey and New York. Replacement of the 111-year-old b...

Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program Funding Opportunity

The National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program. Municipalities are eligible to apply and can partner with industr...

President Biden Proposes Federal Fuel Tax Holiday

As a measure to reduce increasing costs as well as to mitigate the supply chain issues regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for 90 days. Pausing the 18.4 cents per...

Second Tranche of ARP SLRF Expected

According to statute, the second tranche payment for local governments in areas defined as Metropolitan Cities by U.S. Treasury will be made available no earlier than 12 months after the first tranche. The second tranche payment for localities will occur ...

U.S. Treasury Issues Guidance for Federal Requirements for Single Audits

U.S. Treasury Issues Guidance for Federal Requirements for Single Audits

 U.S. Treasury released the 2022 Compliance Supplement – 2 CFR Part 200 Appendix XI. Among the changes that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issue...

ARP & BIL Presentation

This past Wednesday, May 11, at the New Jersey Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, League Senior Legislative Analyst Paul Penna participated in a panel: American Rescue Plan and Infrastructure Program Funds: Leveraging Federal, ...

NTIA Announces Municipal Broadband Funding Opportunity

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) featuring Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure, which is direct competitive funding. Municipalities are among the e...

SCOTUS Issues Decision of Municipal Interest

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has released its decision in City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC, Et al. This case examined the City of Austin’s sign ordinance, which regulates “off-premises” signs ...

Rural Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook

The White House released a new resource to help identify and apply for funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook. The League has created a spreadsheet to help communities navig...

Scam Targeting ARPA SLFRF NEUs

We want to share correspondence from the U.S. Treasury that was sent to the League’s federal partner, the National League of Cities, regarding a SAM.gov registration scam targeting Non-Entitlement Units (NEUs) as classified by the federal govern...

U.S. Department of Agriculture – Conservation Innovation Grants New Jersey Program

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) New Jersey State Program released the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Funding Opportunity. Municipalities are eligible recipients under this f...

Lunch and Learn Briefing with White House Intergovernmental Affairs Office

On Wednesday, March 30 at 12:00 p.m., the League is hosting a free Lunch and Learn briefing with Gabe Amos, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. The White House team will outline the Biden Administration’s prio...

Federal Budget Update

The continuing resolution to fund the federal government expired Friday. On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus funding bill through September 30 and the Senate concurred later in the day. President Joe Biden is ...

League Releases Condensed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook

A few weeks ago, the Biden Administration released the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Guidebook. League staff reviewed the 465-page document and produced a condensed version, along with a separate spreadsheet that focuses on programs where f...

NTIA Host Pre-Funding Webinar Series

The National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) will host a pre-Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) technical assistance webinar series from March to May 2022 in connection with the five new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by...

Federal Budget Update

By a vote of 65-27 on Thursday evening, the Senate passed a three-week continuing resolution to fund the federal government through March 11. Last week, the House passed the continuing resolution and it now goes to President Biden for his signatu...

U.S. Treasury ARP Reporting & Compliance Portal for NEUs of Government

This week, Treasury released the Treasury Portal that Non-Entitlement Units of government (NEUs) that have requested American Rescue Plan funding from their state will use for reporting and compliance. Your municipality should have received an email to us...

Federal Debt Ceiling Resolution

This week, the House and Senate passed a one-time rule change to allow the Senate to pass an increase the debt ceiling with a 51 vote margin, instead of the customary 60-vote threshold.  Once this measure is signed into...

ARP Reporting Requirement Change

This week, Treasury alerted us that they have sent notification to Non Entitlement Units of government (NEUs), which generally are municipalities that have a population less than 50,000 residents, about updated timelines for reporting.  ...

Utilizing Federal Funds? Tell Us How!

Over the past year, there has been ample federal funding for local governments.  Whether it was the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) in the CARES Act or the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) in the American Rescue Pl...

Oct; 1: Federal Budget Update

The Federal fiscal year begins today, October 1. Yesterday, the Senate and House passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the government through December 3 with $27 billion in new funding for disaster relief and refugee resettlement. President Joe Biden sig...

Experts See Local, State, Federal Cooperation Key to Election Security

On Oct. 3, 2018, in Washington, federal election watchdogs conducted an election security briefing with state officials and members of Congress. William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, and Christopher Krebs, the ...