Monroe County Commission Chairman Greg Tapley was appointed to one-year terms as a Vice Chairman of the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Rural Action Caucus and as a Vice Chairman of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Steering Committee for 2024-25.
Tapley will serve on these NACo committees through December 2024 when his current county commission term expires.
Tapley’s appointments were made at NACo’s annual conference in Hillsborough County, Fla. from July 12-15.
Tapley said of his NACo committee appointments: “I’m very appreciative of the honor my peers have given me. I’ve enjoyed serving on these committees and helping shape policy that affects counties like ours.”
According to the NACo website, the Rural Action Caucus (RAC) represents “the nearly 70 percent of America’s counties that are rural, addressing critical federal, state and local issues impacting these unique communities. In Washington, D.C., RAC is the voice of rural counties before Congress and the White House.”
Meanwhile, this is Tapley’s second consecutive year serving as a Vice Chairman of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Steering Committee. Among the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee’s top achievements in 2023-24 were the passage of resolutions 1.) supporting key county priorities in the 2023 U.S. Farm Bill, 2.) urging the U.S. Department of Labor to reform existing H-2A administrative rules to make it easier for American farmers to bring in seasonal laborers, 3.) urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to restructure the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs to meet the modern infrastructural needs of rural communities, 4.) urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to amend its classification criteria for meat processing plants to greater reflect different types and sizes of businesses, and 5.) urging the U.S. Congress to pass legislation in support of livestock, ranching, and other farming industries.
According to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), Tapley was one of 16 Georgia county officials appointed by NACo President James Gore to leadership positions on NACo policy steering committees this year.
ACCG Executive Director Dave Wills said in a news release: “On behalf of ACCG, I would like to congratulate the Georgia county officials appointed to NACo leadership positions. Appointments to these positions will ultimately allow our county leaders to impact national policy decisions while making significant contributions to local community far beyond their own.”
Tapley has served as Monroe County Commission Chairman since January 2017.
