With over 25,000 noted Special District supporters across the United States, NSDA's strategies, including an influential visit to key Congressional Offices this spring are showing success! Thank you to the founding co-sponsors!

Yesterday, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act, legislation that would establish a first-ever, formal definition of “special district” in federal law. The bipartisan bill (S. 2014) – which is cosponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) – also would direct the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance to federal agencies requiring special districts to be recognized as local governments for purposes of ensuring that districts have access to all appropriate forms of federal financial assistance.

It is noted that S. 2014 is identical to legislation (H.R. 2766) that was introduced earlier this year by Representatives Pat Fallon (R-TX) and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO). Under the bill, federal agencies would have one year to implement OMB’s guidance and to conform any agency policy, principle, practice, procedure, or guideline relating to the administration of federal financial assistance programs. Implementation of the legislation’s requirements would result in special districts being formally recognized as units of local government across the federal bureaucracy, thus ensuring that special districts are adequately included in federal-state-local planning processes and have access to all relevant funding streams and grant programs.

“The National Special Districts Association (NSDA) is grateful to Senators Cornyn, Merkley, Moreno, and Gallego for their leadership on behalf of the nation’s special districts,” said Ann Terry, Chair of NSDA and Chief Executive Officer of the Special District Association of Colorado. “Special districts provide essential public services to millions of Americans, including fire protection and emergency services, clean water, public transit, hospital, parks and recreation, airport, natural resource conservation, and many more. The bipartisan Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act would establish a formal definition of 'special district' in federal law and ensure that the nearly 40,000 special districts nationwide are eligible to receive all appropriate forms of federal financial assistance. NSDA looks forward to continuing working with Senator Cornyn and his colleagues, as well as our special district partners across the nation, to ensure that this critically important piece of legislation is enacted into law.”

Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward!