NACo News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This year the National Association of Counties (NACo) will once again welcome cabinet secretaries, senior administration officials, members of Congress and private sector partners to its Legislative Conference, taking place Feb. 21-24 at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
Nearly 2,000 county leaders will attend from across the country with the goal of shaping NACo’s policy priorities, engaging on pressing policy issues facing county governments and building relationships with federal partners.
Among the topics being discussed at this week’s conference are surface transportation, federal disaster, housing and permitting reform, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, energy and data centers, workforce development and more. Attendees will also once again participate in a federal agency expo, with nearly 50 federal program offices sending representatives to meet with conference participants and build intergovernmental partnerships.
The conference will feature two general sessions, with confirmed speakers including the U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Federal Transit Administration Administrator Marc Molinaro, U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (D-Ark.) and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), along with the launch of a new nationwide We Are Counties campaign.
To close out the conference, participants will head for Capitol Hill for NACo’s annual Advocacy Day of Action, where they will represent the county perspective on surface transportation reauthorization, disaster reform, Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and Secure Rural Schools (SRS), rural development, the Farm Bill and H.R. 1 implementation.
Media credentials are required for conference events. RSVP as a member of the media here. Media credentials will be distributed onsite at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Dupont Room (Terrace Level).
Washington Hilton Hotel
1919 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20009
Highlights and select speakers to include (all times Eastern Standard Time):
Technology Innovation Forum
Friday, Feb. 20
10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Washington Hilton Hotel, Columbia 7/9/10 (Terrace Level)
Monday General Session
Monday, February 23
9 – 10:30 a.m.
Washington Hilton Hotel, International Ballroom (Concourse Level)
- Hon. Marc Molinaro, Federal Transit Administration Administrator
- Hon. Tom Emmer, Majority Whip, U.S. House of Representatives (R-Minn.)
- Hon. Andrea Salinas, U.S. Representative (D-Ore.); Co-Chair, Bipartisan Mental Health Caucus
Tuesday General Session
Tuesday, March 4
9:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Washington Hilton Hotel, International Ballroom (Concourse Level)
- Hon. Lee Zeldin, U.S. EPA Administrator
- Hon. Bruce Westerman, U.S. Representative (R-Ark.); Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources
Additional federal government speakers confirmed to date include:
- Thomas Engels, Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Health Policy Steering Committee Meeting)
- Bill Groffy, Acting Director, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior (Public Lands Policy Steering Committee Meeting)
- Ben Page, Acting Administrator, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (CEWD Policy Steering Committee Meeting)
- Donald Palmer, Chairman, U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (FPIGA Policy Steering Committee Meeting)
The full NACo Legislative Conference schedule is available here.
To request media credentials for the conference, please complete this form.