The Honorable Gerry Connolly
U.S. House of Representatives
2238 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Rob Bishop
U.S. House of Representatives
123 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE: The Restore the Partnership Act
On behalf of the seven leading organizations representing state and local governments at the federal level – the National Governors Association, The Council of State Governments, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors and the International City/County Management Association – we write to express our support for the Restore the Partnership Act. Our organizations strongly support the formation of a federal commission dedicated to ensuring cooperative action between all levels of government. We greatly appreciate your bipartisan efforts and look forward to working with you to advance this legislation within Congress.
It is our hope that the “Commission on Intergovernmental Relations of the United States” contemplated in this bill will be a valuable successor to the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR). The ACIR was an important platform to improve intergovernmental communication, cooperation and coordination between federal, state and local governments. The commission was independent, nonpartisan and comprised of a combination of federal, state and local government officials. With the current political environment in Washington, reestablishing a similar institution like the ACIR would help provide a process to review and assess the potential impact of federal policy on state, local and tribal entities.
Our organizations and our members stand ready to support your efforts to establish this commission and increase the focus on federalism within Congress, federal agencies and the public. Establishing this commission will ensure the federal government prioritizes the voices and input of state and local officials in its decision-making process. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues to advance this legislation in the 116th Congress.
Sincerely,
David Adkins
CEO and Executive Director
The Council of State Governments
Nikki Guilford
Interim Executive Director
National Governors Association
Clarence Anthony
CEO and Executive Director
National League of Cities
Matthew D. Chase
Executive Director
National Association of Counties
Tim Storey
Executive Director
National Conference of State Legislatures
Tom Cochran
CEO and Executive Director
The U.S. Conference of Mayors
Marc Ott
Executive Director
International City/County Management Association
CC: U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair and Ranking Member
