NACo County News
Averting the Ghost of Shutdowns Past, Congress passed and President Obama signed a $1.15 trillion FY16 spending bill that boosts overall federal spending by approximately 5 percent. To lend even more holiday cheer, counties fared very well in the FY16 appropriations process. Major highlights include:
- Delays for two years the 40 percent excise tax on employer-sponsored health care
- Fully funds the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program at $452 million
- Preserves Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funding at $3 billion
- Increases HOME Investments Partnership (HOME) program by $50 million to $950 million
- Increases the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) funding by $30 million to $210 million
- Increases funding for many county-administered programs, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Mental Health Block Grant and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG); and
- Preserves $500 million for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, which counties can access for surface transportation projects, despite proposals to eliminate all funding for TIGER.
Overall, nondefense spending increases from $493.5 billion to $518.5 billion. These spending levels adhere to the caps set by the two-year budget agreement enacted in early November.
- See more at: http://www.naco.org/articles/good-news-counties-final-spending-bill#sthash.6Ne9lChO.dpuf