Contact:  Elizabeth Kellar, Director, Public Policy, ekellar@icma.org; 202-962-3611.

WASHINGTON. D.C. – The leading national local government organizations, including ICMA, the International City/County Management Association; the U.S. Conference of Mayors; the National Association of Counties (NACo); and the National League of Cities (NLC) release the following statement urging members of the U.S. Congress Conference Committee on H.R. 1 to adopt a proposal from Representatives Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) into the final conference agreement:

“We are encouraged by the work of Representatives Lance and Gottheimer and encourage H.R. 1 conferees to accept their bipartisan proposal into the final tax reform package. This proposal would significantly strengthen the tax reform legislation by fully preserving key local government priorities, including the state and local tax (SALT) deduction and private activity bonds (PABs). Additionally, it does so in a fiscally responsible way by further reducing the deficit.”

ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government worldwide through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics. ICMA provides member support; publications; data and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to more than 11,000 city, town, and county experts and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's members affect millions of individuals living in thousands of communities, from small villages and towns to large metropolitan areas.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) unites America’s 3,069 county governments. Founded in 1935, NACo brings county officials together to advocate with a collective voice on national policy, exchange ideas and build new leadership skills, pursue transformational county solutions, enrich the public’s understanding of county government and exercise exemplary leadership in public service.

The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. 

The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,408 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.