Toward the end of the last century, and in this century especially, a number of organizations formed to represent the interests of local government at the state as well as at the national level. Two of the most important are the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.The National League of Cities seeks to influence state government on behalf of local governments primarily through its state municipal leagues. The state municipal league movement began in the late 19th century. It now provides services to cities and acts as a forum to promote cooperation among cities in addition to its key role of serving municipal interests at the state level.
Among the services provided by the U.S. Conference of Mayors is information and technical assistance to city governments. It also produces reports about major problems confronting cities and conducts national education campaigns to persuade the public and officials serving in other levels of government of the importance of local issues. Both the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors also represent the interests of cities at the federal level.