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Government Relations
Weekend Update
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The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently created the NACo Federal Fellowship Initiative. The initiative is a cohort-based program comprised of Congressional staff, White House officials and other federal agency representatives. It is focused on the importance and structure of America’s intergovernmental system. In particular, the Initiative focuses on the roles, responsibilities, operations, and policy priorities of county governments across the country.
Participants of the flagship cohort took their first trip last fall to Miami-Dade County to learn about the many functions of county government. Next month they will take their second trip to visit three Arizona Counties, Maricopa, Yavapai, and Coconino.
Participants will start their time in Arizona with a tour of the Maricopa County Tabulations and Elections Center, where they will learn about Arizona elections from county leaders. They will then go to lunch at Lake Pleasant where they will hear about how Maricopa County works with third parties to provide low-cost recreational activities on park lands. Lastly, they will attend a demonstration of the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) SMARTDrive program in Anthem. The Anthem Test Bed is a partnership between MCDOT and the University of Arizona aimed at researching how new technology applications can enhance traffic signal operations, incident management and traveler information.
Government Relations has been working closely with NACo staff to coordinate this trip and this week they flew out to perform a “dry-run” of the schedule. Be sure to keep an eye out for updates on the Initiative and outcomes of the trip later next month.
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If you haven’t heard about tamales lately, then you must be taking a siesta from local news. And if you have heard about them, there may be some things you didn’t know.
First, a safety minute. Don’t pull a Gerald Ford. The tamale is meant to be enjoyed after removing the corn husk.
HB 2509 would have expanded on statute that already exists regarding the “cottage food industry”. The cottage food industry is the area of state law dealing with home cooked meals sold to the public. The Arizona Department of Health Services already has a list of which foods are permitted to be sold in this manner. Cookies, yes. Cheesecake, no (requires refrigeration). Tortillas, yes. Tamales, no. A full list and additional information can be found by clicking the link below.
The program started in 2011 and was updated in 2018 to add items like jams, jellies, and dry pasta. HB 2509 would have expanded this list further by allowing home cooks register with the state to enable them to sell perishable foods and some items containing meat or dairy.
HB 2509 was vetoed by the Governor over her concerns that it could lead to an increased risk of food-borne illness as it would allow the sale of high-risk foods without proper inspection mechanisms. To view the Governor’s veto letter, click below.
House Republicans put the bill back to a vote in an attempt to override the veto (the first attempt since 1981). However, the effort needed a supermajority and fell five votes short of achieving the override.
Discussions around this legislation returning have focused on compromises regarding inspections and the amount of food that can be sold through home kitchens.
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 Last Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, a debt ceiling plan which decreases government spending by $4.5 trillion and raises the debt limit until March 2024.
The debt ceiling is a legislative limit on the amount of national debt that can be incurred by the U.S. Treasury. If the limit is not raised, it restricts the Treasury Department’s ability to continue to finance the operations of the federal government. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter this Monday to congressional leaders warning them that the federal government could run short on funds to pay its bills as early as June 1 unless the debt ceiling is raised soon.
The debt ceiling debate has resulted in a showdown over the last few months between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Both have disagreed on how to raise the debt ceiling and federal spending levels. President Biden has indicated he would veto the Limit, Save, Grow Act if it came to his desk because he believes talks about government spending levels should be separate from the bill needed to raise the debt limit, which is the opposite of what is being proposed by House Republicans.
The National Association of Counties alongside five other leading organizations representing state and local governments at the federal level released a statement in March 2023 calling for a bipartisan solution to resolve the national debt limit.
President Biden is set to meet with the four top congressional leaders next week to negotiate on the debt ceiling. We will continue to keep you abreast of any new developments as discussions carry on.
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Maricopa County Government Relations
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