Federal & State Advocacy
Some of the challenges facing our region require federal and state support to help unlock funding opportunities, forge new partnerships and advance policy priorities. Federal and state policymakers are regional allies, champions and resources and therefore play a crucial role in our region’s success.
Advocacy and Relationship Building
At both the federal and state levels, Centralina presents a unified voice to advocate for key issues and opportunities within our region. Having a unified voice means all our member governments, big and small, are represented equally. We serve as a bridge, connecting our local government members to the latest policy or activity updates through reports at Executive Board meetings and Capital Corner posts on our blog, which are featured in our monthly newsletter.
Our Work at the State Level
Centralina also works to develop relationships with state and federal leaders to secure greater support of our regional priorities and funding needs. At the state level, we’re active through the North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Governments, which presents a platform to advocate for regional interests. The Association also raises the profile of regional councils so that they can be a resource and implementation partner for state programming and activities. Centralina has worked with the Association to coordinate a regional response on numerous initiatives, including disaster recovery, transportation, economic development, and health and human services.
We are also members of the North Carolina League of Municipalities and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. Centralina works to ensure that the interests of our member governments are reflected in the state agendas. Additionally, we regularly invite representatives from both organizations to present information to our Board of Delegates and Regional Mangers.
The Raleigh Relations Advocacy Agenda is a formal plan that guides Centralina’s state level engagement activities. Adopted by the Centralina Executive Board, the annual agenda outlines strategies for addressing specific regional priorities. These priorities include issue areas where we are seeking resources to advance our workplan initiatives, tracking legislation impacting local communities and supporting the advocacy activities of our partner organizations.
Our Work at the Federal Level
At the federal level, we work with lobbyist Leslie Mozingo of Strategics Consulting to plan meetings with our congressional representatives and allow member governments time to discuss regional priorities. Leslie Mozingo proactively engages with our congressional representatives regarding our regional priorities and Federal Action Plan. In 2019 we successfully advocated to House and Senate offices to vote in favor of H.R.4334 (Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020), which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act that provides critical funding to support programs and services offered by Area Agencies on Aging and local providers.
We also provide member governments with on-demand troubleshooting on issues or challenges related to federal agencies, regulations or funding sources.
Our federal advocacy efforts are strengthened by our Federal Action Plan, a formalized and cohesive annual plan that addresses specific needs and desired policy outcomes. In particular, our Aging and Workforce Development departments rely on federal funding and federal policy to support their work with individuals, companies and communities throughout our region. The advocacy goals and performance metrics within the plan are defined by the Centralina Board of Delegates, which is made up of elected officials representing our nine counties. The Federal Action Plan aligns with our regional priorities and champions the ability of councils of government to become eligible entities for competitively awarded federal grants.
State and Federal Grant Support
As a state and federal liaison, Centralina supplies our members with ongoing communication and support related to federal grant opportunities, including monthly compilation alerts on new and currently available grants and an annual grant forecast. We also provide training opportunities and assistance to communities pursuing grant funding. Log into our Member Portal to gain access to this information.