Minutes 11/26/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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November 26, 2024 Background:  Every Portsmouth department was provided an opportunity to identify issues for inclusion in the 2025 State and Federal Legislative Initiatives Packages  All submissions were thoroughly discussed and vetted with the Portsmouth City Council Legislative Advisory Committee (PCCLAC).  The State legislative initiatives were also vetted with the City’s General Assembly Delegation at a joint meeting in July 2024 with PCCLAC.  The recommended submissions were included in a Power-Point presentation presented to City Council at its Public Work Session on Tuesday, September 24, 2024  A public hearing on the proposed City Charter Amendments was held on October 22, 2024, during the Portsmouth City Council’s regular meeting.  On November 12, 2024, City Council reviewed the revised legislative initiatives. th Being that prefiling for state legislative initiatives ends on the 25 of November, and the joint meeting with the Portsmouth General Assembly Delegation will not take place until th the 26 of November, City Council sought a consensus on which legislative items in the state package to move forward.  There were three tied votes (3-3) on the first three potential Charter Amendments, resulting in those items not moving forward at this time. With 6-0 votes, approval was given to move forward with the following 2 legislative initiatives: Charter Amendment addressing the ability of the City Manager to collect and o provide data to support City efforts to address disparity and discrimination; Legislation regarding development of a Modern Criminal History Screening Tool. o Both items have been submitted to the City’s General Assembly Delegation for prefiling. th Formal votes will be taken on November 26 on all four Charter Amendments that had been proposed.  The Portsmouth City Council will meet with the Portsmouth General Assembly Delegation at a joint meeting on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, to discuss the items in the City’s 2025 State Legislative Initiatives Package.  Portsmouth City Council is set to formally adopt the 2025 State and Federal Legislative Initiatives Packages at its regular City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Discussion:  The items included in the 2025 State and Federal Legislative Initiatives Packages were initially developed in conjunction with PCCLAC.  PCCLAC hosted a joint meeting in July of 2024 with the City’s General Assembly Delegation to discuss and vet the items that were submitted for consideration. All members of the City’s General Assembly delegation were present.  These items were then presented and vetted with the City Council members to determine which items would remain and which would be modified and or eliminated.  The items included in the State Legislative Initiatives Package that were agreed upon will be submitted for introduction by members of the Portsmouth General Assembly Delegation prior to the last legislation prefiling deadline of November 25, 2024.  The items for the 2025 Federal Legislative Package will be forwarded to the City’s Congressional Delegation.  These items will also be shared with our Federal Delegation during the annual visit to Congress as part of the National League of Cities Congressional Conference in Washington, D.C. in March of 2025.  Further interaction with our federal delegation throughout the year is conducted on an as needed basis. Financial Impact:  Federal and state funding is essential to the City’s operations. Recommended Action :  Approval and adoption of both legislative packages.