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2020 Legislative
Priorities
Pennsylvania's
counties have selected five legislative priorities for 2020, each of
which highlights CCAP members' commitment to core county
responsibilities and ultimately to the people and communities in
Pennsylvania.
Counties' top
priority is to seek increased funding for mental health services,
noting that state funding has lagged far behind needs for too many
years, making it difficult to keep up with caseloads or to expand
services, beds or diversions. In addition, close collaboration
between the state and counties is critical to addressing the mental
health system as a whole, including preservation of the Behavioral
HealthChoices system.
Counties also will
continue to seek solutions to the emergency medical services (EMS)
crisis, building on and implementing the recommendations of its EMS
Task Force. Another priority is county property tax reform, seeking
additional local taxing options such as sales or income taxes, to
reduce counties' reliance on property taxes. The final two priorities
are to continue to develop strategies for rural broadband expansion
and increase funding for adult probation.
CCAP Board members
will officially announce the 2020 priorities at a Capitol press
conference on January 14. Additional information, including fact
sheets on each priority, will be available at www.pacounties.org.
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CCAP Leadership Team
As the new
calendar year begins, CCAP's executive committee includes Jeff
Snyder, Clinton County commissioner and CCAP president; Kevin
Boozel, Butler County commissioner, first vice president; Daryl
Miller, Bradford County commissioner, second vice president; and,
Leslie Osche, Butler County commissioner, treasurer. Craig
Lehman, Lancaster County commissioner and previous CCAP
president will serve as board chair.
Elected as district representatives to the CCAP Board were: District
1 Representative Basil Huffman, Forest County commissioner; District
2 Representative Dan Vogler, Lawrence County commissioner; District 3
Representative Randy Phiel, Adams County commissioner; District 4
Representative Preston Boop, Union County commissioner; District 5
Representative, Michelle Kichline, Chester County commissioner;
District 6 Representative John Cusick, Northampton County council
member; and District 7 Representative Brian Smith, Wayne County
commissioner.
CCAP staff is led by Executive Director Lisa Schaefer; Deputy
Executive Director Brinda Penyak; Managing Director of Insurance
Programs John Sallade; Director of Meetings and Education Karen
Sweigard, Chief Financial Officer Pamela Szajnuk; and Chief
Information Officer Michael Sage.
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Get the Word Out - Locally
The County
Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) and the National
Association of Counties (NACo) work year-round to provide information
and influence at all levels of government, as well as with the media,
the public and other constituents. We cover a wide range of audiences
by making thousands of connections but nothing beats your audiences
getting information from local sources in your county - in other
words - you.
In addition to
your media, legislative, publications, public meetings, website and
various other methods of reaching your audiences, there are numerous
NACo and CCAP materials that make it easier for you to get the word
out. Much of it is ready to publish or copy and paste along with your
local messaging.
CCAP ADVOCACY AND
COMMUNICATIONS RESOURCES
County officials and their staffs have important roles to play
in advocating for policy changes at the state level and informing the
public of important programs and services. CCAP's Government
Relations website tab at www.pacounties.org has resources that allow
counties to quickly contact their legislators and constituents
regarding key issues before the General Assembly.
Among these
resources are information about counties' priorities, talking points
and sample resolutions on important issues. And, Pennsylvania Counties Are and Pennsylvania County Human Resources Are fact
sheets offer a quick and easy way to teach audiences about how
counties touch the lives of their residents every day. The fact
sheets gives succinct and valuable summaries on services related to
elections, assessments, human services, courts and corrections,
planning and land use, emergency services and transportation.
Also on CCAP's
Legislative Action Center under the Government Relations tab, you'll
find articles on engaging legislators, working with media
representatives, developing influential messaging and speaking
skills, and other materials for your use.
NACo TOOLS
At www.naco.org, NACo's Counties Matter campaign includes data to help
you explain the county role in key areas of everyday life, including
infrastructure, justice and public safety, health, human services,
public lands and other functions like elections, parks and
record-keeping. NACo also has launched an enhanced version of
its online interactive County Explorer tool, which includes hundreds
of data points and printable profiles on every county, parish and
borough in America. It's also been upgraded to navigate and use on
tablets and mobile devices.
Also, check out NACo's iCivics and Counties Work materials, as well
as NACo's Media Relations: A Guide for Counties booklet.
And, the National County Government Month's toolkit will help you
plan for the annual recognition each April. It also
includes prepared materials for use as proclamations and media
releases.
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CCAP CEL Program Available
CCAP is pleased to
present the 2020 Center for Excellence in County Leadership (CEL)
program to help county officials develop a professional
culture for county government.
Strong leadership is essential to county success and future growth.
The CEL Program offers county commissioners or council members, chief
clerks, county administrators and solicitors in Pennsylvania's
67 counties the opportunity to be immersed in an intensive
leadership curriculum which will enhance personal and professional
growth. Key county leaders and department heads may apply by
providing a written letter of support from their county
commissioner/council member.
The program features curriculum including managerial versatility,
interpersonal dynamics, crisis communication, media management,
problem solving, decision making and more.
The two and a half-day intensive program will be held at the CCAP
office in Harrisburg on June 17-19, 2020. Participation is
available to one eligible person per county per year, with a maximum
of 12 participants per year. Application is required by January 31,
2020 to be considered for participation in the June 2020
session.
More detailed information and an application are available on
the CEL homepage or brochure (PDF) and application.
Thank you to our 2020 CEL program sponsors: PCoRP, gold ribbon sponsor; PComp | UC Trust, silver ribbon sponsors; and Cafardi Ferguson Wyrick Weis + Stotler llc (CFWW+S) | Campbell Durrant, P.C., partner sponsors..
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NACo Legislative Conference
The National
Association of Counties Legislative Conference, February 29 to March
4, 2020, will bring together nearly 2,000 elected and appointed
county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact
counties and our residents. Attendees have the opportunity to engage
in second-to-none policy sessions, interact with federal officials
and participate in congressional briefings and meetings. Learn more here.
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NACo Webinars
Registration is
now open for the following NACo webinars:
Recordings of webinars from the
past six months are available. To access these recordings, or for
additional details and course registration information, please visit naco.org.
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Job Postings
To submit a
county job posting, refer to the CCAP Job Postings webpage, where you'll find the
jobs below and possibly others posted since the preparation of this
e-newsletter.
For additional information on submitting a job posting
contact Mandi Glantz.
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