As the 118th Congress concludes, several reauthorizations important to regional councils and local governments were passed in 2024 while others remain unresolved. Significant programs with lapsed authorizations, such as those under the Older Americans Act and other federal laws, will likely shape priorities in the 119th Congress that started on January 3, 2025. 

When Congress returns to Capitol Hill on November 12, 2024, much of the focus will be on the remaining business of the 118th Congress. However, preparations are already underway for the new 119th Congress, which will convene for the first time at noon on January 3, 2025. The first order of business will be to elect a Speaker of the House. Other changes will follow in the coming months.

Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) on Wednesday, September 25, extending funding of the federal government for an additional 12 weeks through December 20. When Congress returns for the lame duck session on November 12, 2024, the top priority will be to address funding for the federal government for the next fiscal year.

Federal lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill on September 9 for a three-week session before breaking again on September 27, 2024, until after Election Day. In those three weeks, the House and Senate are expected to draft and vote on a stopgap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, to avoid a full or partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins October 1, 2024. 

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises, Inc. v. Raimondo significantly changes the balance of interpretive authority between the federal judiciary and executive agencies. This ruling ended 40 years of precedent, set by a doctrine known as “Chevron deference,” and will impact federal agencies and the regulations they enforce, eventually extending to the work of local governments in North Carolina. 

Read on to see how this may affect local communities.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently requesting proposals from non-federal applicants for water resources projects to include in the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Read on to learn how the WRDA creates projects in our region.

After lots of planning (plus a three-year delay thanks to the pandemic), Centralina eagerly hosted its first Women in Government event on Thursday, March 28th. U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams, Ph.D delivered opening remarks to elected officials and city staff about her career in government, encouraging attendees to keep proving that women’s insight is needed and that women in government positively impact the bottom line.

In mid-February, Executive Director Geraldine Gardner traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the annual National Conference of Regions hosted by the National Association of Regional Councils. While in DC, she participated in numerous advocacy meetings, with the assistance of Centralina’s federal government relations expert Leslie Mozingo, to discuss Centralina’s federal priorities as listed on the approved Federal Action Plan.