PACE has considerable experience representing state and local governments in Washington, DC. The gridlock in the federal government means that now, more than ever, state and local governments play an increasingly vital role in developing policy initiatives that will influence and lead the nation. Conversely, the budget uncertainty creates added pressure for state and local governments to protect their interests, as lawmakers seek different means to reduce spending and increase revenues. Many programs that are formula driven (i.e., transportation, health reimbursements, water resources, etc.) are subject to competing interests for more favorable revenue sharing arrangements. To protect the fiscal integrity of their programs, local governments must become more active than ever to address the idiosyncratic nature of their constituents.
As a result of its advocacy on behalf of state and local governments, PACE has protected military installations from Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), secured reimbursements for local hospitals, and procured grants for federal initiatives. Specifically, we leveraged our understanding of the scoring methodologies of the BRAC process in the development of an aggressive campaign to successfully protect a west coast naval installation from the last two BRAC rounds. PACE also cultivated a coalition of public hospitals to advocate for a more balanced reimbursement formula under the Disproportionate Share Hospital Program for facilities with high medically indigent populations. These two initiatives preserved much of the financial underpinnings of the local governments whose interests we represented.
PACE continues to advocate for provisions in the Farm Bill, the reauthorization of the MAP-21 surface transportation law, funding for advanced manufacturing, and the elimination of the veterans’ disability claims processing backlog.