“I am your lobbyist. I’m focused on your ability to govern and make things better for your community.”

That’s how Irma Esparza Diggs sums up her role in our nation’s capital. As the National League of Cities’ director of federal advocacy, she monitors a multitude of issues that impact local governments and tries to sway legislators in a positive direction.

Federal tax reform has been of major importance this year. Irma and her team addressed it by forming a coalition with other state and local groups to present their case to legislators. They even brought new people into the fold, such as realtors and school groups. With their laser focus and collective power, they were able to get some favorable results, such as capping state and local deductions rather than having them eliminated.

That issue brought home the value of educating members of Congress and their staff. When legislators saw actual figures on how proposed tax reforms would affect local communities, it really made a difference in their outlook.

Telecommunications is another important issue. Diggs says the issue isn’t just about bring broadband access to communities that don’t have it, but fighting for local control and the ability to protect our local rights of way. She and her team are working closely with state leagues to make sure we have a voice on this issue.

Perhaps the most important issue is infrastructure. The bi-partisan budget act of 2018 provides for $20 billion in infrastructure investment over two years. But the bill was passed so fast, Congress is struggling with how to implement the infrastructure funding. Dan Gilmartin, League CEO and Executive Director, recently joined the NLC team to testify before a Senate transportation committee on the infrastructure challenges that cities in Michigan and all across the country are facing. The White House infrastructure proposal leverages new money from state and local governments, but that’s not what we wanted to see. State and local governments really don’t have any more skin to put in the game.

“We want to position ourselves to keep the infrastructure ball moving forward,” said Diggs. “We need to tell our story of how dire the need is and the sense of urgency we need Congress to take,”

Infrastructure is the National League of Cities’ number one focus right now. #RebuildWithUs