IMLA

ADA Website Compliance Webinar – Free Live For IMLA Members
2026-01-15 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
New Federal Rule for Digital Accessibility
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
Learn more about the fast-approaching, digital compliance requirement for all government entities and special districts. How will this impact your cities websites, online documents, and mobile applications? Unwrap the minimum accessibility standard, what it means to cities, common pitfalls, and helpful resources for accomplishing compliance.
Speaker: Zack Looney, Megan Griffith & Kara Coustry

Jail Administration Webinar
2026-01-22 13:00 - 14:30
Inmate Litigation – Techniques for Using the Prison Litigation Reform Act
In this presentation, we will cover the background of the PLRA, and explore multiple ways that the PLRA can be used to successfully defend inmate litigation. We will look at procedural hurdles, limitations on recovery, and the critical importance of having a well-crafted inmate grievance process.
Speaker: Elmer Dickens

Environmental Law/Compliance Webinar
2026-01-27 13:00 - 14:00
Navigating NEPA and ESA Compliance in a Changing Landscape
This panel of environmental law experts will unpack recent and proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With a new focus on streamlining and flexibility, Federal reforms are reshaping timelines, processes, and standards. Municipal agencies face new challenges and opportunities in land use planning, infrastructure development, water supply planning, and conservation.
Speaker: Gary M. Gold & Joseph Manalili

Election Law Webinar
2026-01-29 13:00 - 14:00
Election Law 2026: Legal Challenges and Readiness for the Midterms
The 2026 mid-term elections are fast approaching amidst a continually changing environment of Presidential Executive Orders, litigation affecting voting rights and procedures, and concerns regarding the security of the nation’s elections infrastructure. While elections are generally the purview of states and localities, we will discuss the status of legal issues that may affect how elections are conducted around the country, as well as strategies for being prepared for challenges to election administration and the integrity of election results.
Speaker: Mike Haas

Environmental Law/PFAS Webinar – Free Live For IMLA Members
2026-02-03 13:00 - 14:00
Products Liability Law, PFAS, & Other Contaminants: Legal Strategies to Help Close Funding Gaps
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This webinar will provide an overview of how legal action against polluting chemical manufacturers is providing significant funding for municipalities nationwide. Ken Sansone will first provide a brief update on state and federal standards for contaminants in drinking water, wastewater, and biosolids, including the impact of recent changes to federal PFAS policy, with a focus on the anticipated challenges and costs for local governments. Additional contaminants addressed may include 1,4-dioxane, 1,2,3-TCP, perchlorate, and others pending legislation at the time of the webinar. Then, Ken will discuss how municipalities affected by contamination have used products liability law to pursue legal action against the manufacturers responsible for pollution, referencing case studies from cities that recovered funds in 2025 through the PFAS drinking water settlements. Ken will explain the full legal process used in these cases, from initial detection of contaminants to the receipt of compensation. Attendees will gain a greater understanding of how legal strategies may help local governments close funding gaps.
Speaker: Ken Sansone

ESA Law Webinar
2026-02-05 13:00 - 14:30
Emotional Support Animal and Compliance Webinar
Municipalities are facing more emotional support animal requests than ever, whether in a Public Housing Agency, Section 8 and other voucher housing, animal welfare reports, or removal/ euthanasia of dangerous animals.
An estimated 60-90% of Emotional Support Animal and Psychiatric Service Dog letters for housing accommodation under Section 504 and the Fair Housing Act are invalid or fraudulent. HUD’s 2013 Assistance Animal guidelines provided a map for international website owners and unethical medical practitioners to create “internet letter mills” that immediately send Emotional Support Animal Letters after a credit card entry, sometimes after a perfunctory phone or video call. There is no medical examination with personal knowledge nor ongoing medical therapy requiring an assistance animal. To combat pervasive fraud, HUD issued 2020 guidelines and asked the FTC to investigate this internet disability fraud, but the FTC declined to do so. The result was more proliferation of fraudulent ESA disability letters.
After the Supreme Court case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024), courts began to interpret FHA statutes and codes instead of precedents based on HUD guidelines or other disability laws. In September 2025, HUD withdrew its guidelines. (Note: HUD still has not updated its website to reflect the current state of the law.)
The risks of accommodating a fraudulent request may be just as high as denying a valid request. Requests must be considered on a case-by-case basis, and use of a third-party internet verification service may violate the Fair Housing Act. Thus, municipalities should remain the primary arbiters of ESA letter validity and attorneys should update their animal policies and training.
Federal assistance animal accommodation is a creation of law that stems from ethical medical clinicians who examine humans and treat with therapy using an animal. A request also requires an examination of the animal by a person competent to document that a specific animal alleviates a substantially limited major life activity (caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, etc.).
Speakers: Teresa Martinez, Zenithson Ng & Joel Touchet

Federal Funding Webinar
2026-02-18 13:00 - 14:00
Federal Funding: Navigating a Changing Landscape, Winter Update
Local governments across the United States are working to understand the implications of recent Executive Orders and other federal agency actions related to federal funding. This panel will summarize ongoing litigation, federal agency directives, and best practices for localities navigating this changing landscape.
Speaker: Michael Gaffney & Ana Schwab

Public Comment Webinar
2026-03-04 13:00 - 14:00
Public Comment: The Good, The Bad, And The Legal
As Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) from the show Parks and Rec humorously stated: “What I hear when I’m being yelled at [during a public meeting] is people caring loudly at me.” This presentation will explore the benefits of public comment, some of the issues commonly associated with public comment, and what you can do to address those issues.
Speaker: Todd Sheeran & Neal Falgoust
