ADVOCACY
The year ahead looks full of opportunity for strong, meaningful and equitable growth.
Looking Ahead to the Federal Opportunities in 2021 By Elvis Cordova
H
appy New Year from NRPA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Team! In looking back at 2020, we see a year that was filled with adversity, but one that also provided significant triumphs for our field. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, park and recreation departments all over the nation rose to the challenge (tinyurl.com/y4rb79hd) and served as critical community hubs. Additionally, July brought a major policy win with the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (tinyurl.com/ y4f2n92y), which provided increased, permanent funding for essential park infrastructure. As we look toward 2021, here is what to expect on the policy front. The unprecedented 2020 election has come and passed. Despite coronavirus (COVID-19) case numbers surging nationwide, it is projected (tinyurl.com/y5rb37v4) that 66.3 percent of eligible voters — more than 150 million people — cast a ballot during this historic election. To avoid long lines and to keep from getting sick, more than 100 million people voted early or by mail (tinyurl.com/y4jgjyyc).
20 Parks & Recreation
A New Year Brings a New Administration On January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden Jr. will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. He will begin his term working alongside the 117th Congress. The incoming administration will preside over a nation reeling from the pandemic and experiencing its most intense political divide in decades. President-elect
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Biden hopes to heal the country on both fronts, regardless of political affiliation. The first agenda item following the inauguration will be passing a comprehensive response package to keep our frontline workers safe and the economy afloat until a vaccine is widely available. Millions of U.S. residents have been unable to pay their rent, mortgage and utility bills for months due to the pandemic. A major injection of cash is needed to maintain solvency ahead of the expirations of these protections. The Biden-Harris transition plan calls for massively scaling up COVID-19 testing and replenishing personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as enacting a $25 billion plan to ensure the effective
