June 7, 2010

Des Moines Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie, Chair

Resolution # 64: Creating Jobs and Reducing High Unemployment in Metro Areas urges Congress and the President to pass the Local Jobs for America Act (H.R. 4812), which will provide $75 billion in direct aid to local governments over the next two years to help them retain critical workers who would otherwise be laid off due to budget shortfalls.

Resolution # 65: Creation of a National Economic Restoration and Countercyclical Program urges Congress to create a countercyclical program that would automatically make funds available to metro areas or select jurisdictions that are in recession or experiencing persistently high rates of unemployment.

Resolution # 68: Direct Federal Financial Assistance to Cities urges Congress to develop a program that provides direct financial assistance to cities based on defined criteria such as the extent to which cities’ revenues have contracted since 2008.

Resolution # 69: Opposing Efforts to Limit Local Collection of Hotel Occupancy Taxes urges Congress to oppose any legislation that would grant online travel companies a tax exemption that terminates their existing obligations to pay hotel taxes to state and local governments or that would restrict legal actions filed by them.

Resolution # 23: Support of Financial Planning Clinics for Retirement and Financial Literacy urges Congress to adopt a budget resolution to support the creation of financial planning clinics to be held once a year in October in various cities across America.

Resolution # 29: Supporting Financial Prescription for Energy Retrofits of Existing Buildings calls on state legislatures that have not already done so to adopt enabling legislation to allow Energy Financing Districts to be establish in their states as a means of financing the retrofitting of existing buildings.

Resolution # 70: Expand Existing Means of Leveraging Local Revenues for Constructing Transit Projects that Address Congestion and Air Quality Issues urges Congress to expand existing means of leveraging local revenues for constructing transit projects that address congestion and air quality.

Resolution # 57: Support the Creation of Special Purpose Corporations Owned by Municipal Governments urges Congress to amend the tax code to encourage state legislatures to adopt legislation that would allow municipalities to create special purpose corporations for purposes of owning and operating its water and wastewater and systems.

Resolution # 26: Regional Innovation Clusters to Strengthen Competitiveness and Productivity of Regional Economies urges support for full funding of the Regional Innovation Clusters as proposed in the Administration’s 2011 budget, and urges Congress to reauthorize the America COMPETES legislation.

Resolution # 50: Increase Funding for the EPA Climate Showcase Grants for Local Governments calls on Congress and the Administration to support increased funding for the Climate Showcase Communities program in Fiscal Year 2011 and future years.

Resolution # 54: Designating Waters of the United States urges support for legislation to expand fedeal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act provided that the costs incurred in its implementation are born solely by the federal government.

Resolution # 56: Aligning Federal Policy on Floodplain Management, Climate Change, and Sustainable Communities urges the President to align federal policy on floodplain management with the Administration’s policy initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainable Communities.