DATE: January 27, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Fresno County Federal Legislative Platform Updates
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Adopt recommended changes to the Fresno County Federal Legislative Platform;
2. Authorize the Chairman to execute letters of support, or opposition, in accordance
with the Platform; and
3. Authorize the County Administrative Office to work with the County’s Federal
Congressional Delegation, federal advocates, and/or other necessary parties to
support or oppose legislation in accordance with the Platform.
REPORT
The Legislative Platform is a statement of the goals and priorities of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors and establishes the basis for its advocacy efforts with Congress and Federal agencies. The Platform is also used as a guide for support letters related to grant applications. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
1. Make changes to the recommendations or language in the Federal Legislative Platform.
2. Postpone updates to the Federal Legislative Platform.
3. Choose not to make changes and continue to work off the existing Federal Legislative Platform, last updated and approved by your Board on February 11, 2025.
If your Board chooses to postpone or not make updates to the Platform, staff will need to bring items that are not currently included in the Platform to your Board to be addressed on an individual basis.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions.
DISCUSSION:
The Federal Legislative Platform is used by County officials and staff as policy guidelines for legislative action and to facilitate timely responses to requests from the County’s Federal Congressional Delegation, the County’s Federal advocates, and interested citizens. Your Board last updated the Federal Legislative Platform on February 11, 2025 and this is the annual update to the Federal Legislative Platform. All County departments have had the opportunity to review and recommend changes to the Platform.
For letters of support or opposition, the Platform serves as a guide for departments to easily identify if Federal issues they are working on fall within the County’s Federal Platform. Consistent with Administrative Policy 21, any specific Federal issues falling outside of the Platform and any letter requesting the signature of all five Board members would require an agenda item for presentation to your Board. It should be noted, if an individual Board member wishes to submit a letter of support or opposition that is consistent with the Platform, may do so under their Office; however, they may utilize the Board’s letterhead.
The proposed Platform contains three sections:
I. Introduction - an explanation of the purpose of the legislative Platform.
II. Major Legislative Issues - identifies significant issues for the County.
III. General Principles - provides positions that will guide County actions and advocacy efforts in specified categories of Agriculture; Community and Workforce Investment; Criminal Justice and Public Protection; Economic Development; Elections; Energy/Air Quality; Environmental Quality/Natural Resources; Federal Lands and Installations; General Government and Finance; Housing and Homelessness; Human Resources; Library; Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Health Care Services; Social Services; Transportation and Infrastructure; and Water.
The primary recommended changes to the Federal Legislative Platform are highlighted in the second attachment and include the following:
Major Legislative Issues
• Oppose Federal actions that reduce Federal funding or impose new administrative requirements thereby limiting benefits of Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
• Oppose efforts to cap, block grant, or otherwise restructure Medicaid financing including limits on Federal matching funds or state flexibility to administer benefits.
Criminal Justice and Public Protection
• Bullet revised to include the reinstatement of additional Federal funding for the Violence Against Women Act.
General Government and Finance
• Bullet revised to support continued restoration of the deduction for State and Local Income Taxes (SALT).
Housing and Homelessness
• Bullet revised to remove language of utilization of CDBG activity funding based on Federal policy.
Human Resources
• Bullet added to urge Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to strengthen oversight and enforcement of the No Surprise Act Independent Dispute Resolution process due to widespread misuse, excessive ineligible filings, and arbitration outcomes that routinely exceed market-based rates.
Public Health, Behavioral Health and Health Care Services
• Bullet revised to support increased Federal funding for data integration.
Social Services
• Bullet revised to support by regulation or legislation the elimination of the Institution for Mental Diseases exclusion which prohibits Medicaid reimbursement in facilities of more than 16 beds.
• Bullet revised to support Federal efforts to measure the TANF program outcomes based on family stability and well-being instead of work participation rate and advocate for providing states and localities administering the TANF with partial work participation credit for participants.
• Added a bullet to support restoring federal financial participation for administration of SNAP to 50%.
Approval of the recommended actions will adopt the updated Federal Legislative Platform, authorize the Chairman to execute letters of support or opposition in accordance with the Platform, and allow the County Administrative Office to express your Board’s position on legislation in accordance with the Platform.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Legislative Platform was developed with input from the County’s Washington lobbyist.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #7 February 11, 2025
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Fresno County Federal Legislative Platform
Fresno County Federal Legislative Platform - Redline
CAO ANALYST:
Sevag Tateosian