City of Tempe 2025-2026 Federal Principles

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TRANSPORTATION, TRANSIT AND TECHNOLOGY

• Reauthorize and Expand Transportation Funding Programs - The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which reauthorized federal surface transportation programs, expires September 30, 2026. IIJA funded numerous infrastructure grant programs for which the City received significant funding. The City will continue to actively support and compete for road, bridge, transit, heat resilience, and water grant funding related to a future transportation infrastructure reauthorization bill.

• Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure - Support funding for electric vehicle programs, including expansion of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Low or No-Emission Bus Program, charging infrastructure, and electric vehicle purchasing programs.

• Transportation Connectivity and Access - Monitor federal proposals with the potential to affect transit coverage and accessibility, including first and last mile concepts and paratransit resources.

• Autonomous vehicles - Monitor federal efforts in Congress and at the USDOT to encourage the development of automated vehicles, while ensuring their safe operations in the City.

• Small Cell/SG Deployment - Advocate in Congress for the preservation of local decision-making on small cell deployment, while continuing to support the deployment of SG wireless technologies in the City.

• Net neutrality - Monitor federal proposals for opportunities to support net neutrality and modify the Restoring Internet Freedom Order to promote public safety, service for low-income households, and broadband infrastructure.

• Digital Equity - Monitor federal proposals that could affect broadband accessibility and affordability in the City. Support funding and reauthorization of federal programs, like the recently expired Affordable Connectivity Program, that provide eligible households with discounts on broadband service and connected devices.

• Aviation Noise and Safety - Support efforts in Congress to improve the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) community engagement practices so residents of the City are informed and have opportunities to express viewpoints on the effects of new flight patterns on their neighborhoods, noise provisions, and aviation safety.

• Drones - Support safety requirements for unmanned aerial systems, or drones, so they do not jeopardize public safety or the City's critical infrastructure.

PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• COPS Hiring - Support the continuation of funding to hire career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase Tempe's policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

• Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) Program - Support full funding for programs that help the City improve law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.

• Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Program - Advocate for funding of the UASI grant program, which is distributed by the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to local governments for organizational resources and planning, equipment, training, and exercise needs for urban areas.

• Public Safety Training - Evaluate federal proposals regarding training for public safety personnel in areas of human relations, intercultural communication, equal opportunity, and diversity that utilize national agencies and federal resources.

• Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program - Support funding to obtain protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

• Radio Communication Interoperability - Monitor opportunities that offer resources for the regional wireless cooperatives that Tempe utilizes.

HUMAN SERVICES

• Affordable Housing and Workforce Development - Support proposals and programs that ensure access to and increase the production of affordable housing, improve rental assistance, expand homeownership opportunities, and advance sustainable communities.

• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program - Support continued increases in funding for CDBG to create more affordable housing stocks, develop bridge shelters for those experiencing homelessness and other critical human services programs. Oppose efforts to eliminate or reduce CDBG Program appropriations.

• HOME Investment Partnerships Program - Support funding to increase the supply of affordable housing and expand homeownership for low-income households in Tempe. Oppose any efforts to eliminate or reduce the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.

• Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) - Support the creation of new Housing Choice Voucher allocations and full funding levels for Housing Choice Vouchers under the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) annual appropriations bill

• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - Support expanded LIHEAP funding and formula updates that better reflect Tempe's proportional needs and climate trends.

• Choice Neighborhoods Program – Support robust funding to transform distressed or HUD-assisted neighborhoods into sustainable neighborhoods, with well-functioning services, schools, public assets, transportation, and access to jobs. Oppose any efforts to eliminate or reduce the Choice Neighborhoods Program.

• Veterans Programs - Support funding and the development of programs to assist veterans, including housing, services, jobs training, and veterans' courts.

• Homeless Funding - Support the increase of funding available to address services for and housing of homeless individuals in the East Valley, including work programs and mental health and substance abuse resources.

• Trauma Informed Care (TIC) Programs and Resources - Support funding for programs, resources, and personnel that support efforts to implement TIC initiatives, such as grants from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

• Substance Abuse Prevention - Support increased funding for evidence-based programs to address underage drug and alcohol use established by the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, as well as the Office of National Drug Control Policy's Drug Free Communities Support Program.

• Senior Citizens - Support reauthorization of and increased funding for programs focused on home-based services for the elderly, including the Administration for Community Living's Falls Prevention Program, the Elderly Nutrition Program established under the Older Americans Act, and the Administration for Community Living’s Long-term Care Ombudsman Program.

• Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) - Support increased funding for the CCDBG program, which provides childcare financial assistance to low-income families, while allowing family members to work or attend job trainings or educational programs.

• Child Tax Credit - Support expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit as an effective means of addressing child poverty.

• Opioid Misuse Prevention and Treatment - Continue to support directing federal resources to local partners that are leading the response to opioid misuse.

• Support lnclusivity - Evaluate proposals, rules, and orders for the promotion of equitable treatment, focusing on the prevention of disparate impact and disparate treatment of local residents regardless of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, familial status, age, disability, or United States military veteran status.

• Mental Health Services - Support expanded federal assistance to municipalities for mental health and wellness initiatives, including facilities and programs, as well as focused support for families at 120% Area Median Income (AMI) and lower.

• Mentorship and Volunteering – Support mentorship and youth volunteer programs such as AmeriCorps, the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program, and efforts to allow youth mentoring activities within city departments, such as the U.S. Department of Justice’s programs for at-risk youth in local parks and recreation departments.

 ENVIRONMENT/WATER 

• Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and the Clean Water Act – Monitor implementation of the August 2023 WOTUS rule redefining which waters fall under federal jurisdiction to ensure the City’s priorities are protected under the new rule and any legislation to further clarify the Clean Water Act is developed.

• Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) - Support reauthorization of WRDA, such as funding for Arizona Environmental Infrastructure projects and the Tempe water and wastewater infrastructure projects including those related to the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility.

• WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) - Support robust funding levels established under the IIJA for the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program, which offers financial assistance for water planning and design, reclamation, and reuse projects to meet Tempe's growing water needs.

• Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Programs - Monitor grant opportunities and support increased funding for Community Development Block Grants, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Priorities and Water Research grant program, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, as well as any new water infrastructure programs that may be established by Congress.

• Resiliency and Climate Research - Support legislation that promotes climate change research and resiliency, as well as continued funding from entities such as the EPA, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation for climate change research and resiliency programs, such as the Determinants of Indoor and Outdoor Exposure to Ozone, Extreme Heat in Warming Climate, and the Health Risks for an Aging Population program funding.

• Energy Innovation - Evaluate renewable energy, alternative fuels and energy efficiency proposals, and opportunities through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), for their effect on City priorities, including pilot project programs with solar energy battery storage and innovative building materials.

• Water conservation rebate tax parity - Support legislation that provides water conservation rebates the same status as energy rebates, which are exempted from federal income tax.

• Residential energy – Support advocacy to increase access to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program in relation to increasing income requirements and housing-type requirements.

• Local parks and outdoor programs – Endorse increased funding for federal assistance for parks and outdoor spaces, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance Program, various infrastructure programs and grants under the IIJA and IRA, and other federal programs that help the City maintain and improve our parks and outdoor spaces.

 FEDERAL FUNDS

• Community Project Funding - Support community project funding in the annual appropriations process.

• Federal Grants - Identify and aggressively compete for federal grant funds, with an emphasis on direct funding, to support these and other City priorities.

• Career Readiness - Evaluate federal proposals that provide resources for workforce development efforts, including those addressing career and technical education, youth programs, and re-careering.

Reviewed by the Tempe City Council October 2024