MMA joins 23 municipal leagues, NLC for congressional visit

MMA Legislative Director Dave Koffman (far left), MMA Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine (second from left), MMA President and Waltham Councillor John McLaughlin (second from right) and MMA Deputy Legislative Director Jackie Lavender Bird (far right) meet with Rep. Katherine Clark (center) in Washington, D.C. in January.

A delegation from the MMA joined 23 municipal organizations from other states and the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C., in late January to meet with members of Congress and push for federal help on issues such as infrastructure investment, cybersecurity, gun safety, PFAS regulations, and avoiding a federal government shutdown.

MMA Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine, MMA President and Waltham Councillor John McLaughlin, MMA Legislative Director Dave Koffman, and MMA Deputy Legislative Director Jackie Lavender Bird attended the two-day event, which was coordinated by the NLC. The MMA group met with Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Katherine Clark, as well as staff from Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office.

The municipal organizations from across the country focused on priorities including passage of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act, which would provide additional resources for PFAS mitigation and remediation at the local level, including liability protection for municipal drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utilities, landfills and solid waste facilities, airports, and fire departments, so the polluters’ financial burden isn’t shifted to communities and taxpayers.

They also urged Congress to avoid a federal government shutdown or a full-year Continuing Resolution, and to send the 12 annual appropriations bills, as passed by the U.S. Senate, to the president for enactment.

The municipal organizations also called for extending the Affordable Connectivity Program so that millions of households don’t lose broadband service and accumulate debt from unpaid bills.

As founding members of the NLC, the 49 state municipal leagues play an important role in guiding the organization’s priorities and are key partners in shaping and advancing federal policy that supports municipalities of all sizes across the country.

Also participating in the event were state municipal leagues from Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, California, Michigan, and many others.