CSG Regional Round-up: The East

CT • DE • MA • MD • ME • NH • NJ • NY • PA • RI • VT • NB • NS • ON • PE • PR • QC • VI

DAIRY INDUSTRY SEEKS FEDERAL ASSISTANCE

Agriculture as a whole industry has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Agricultural officials from New Hampshire and six other Northeastern states sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in May urging the agency to set a price floor of $19.50 per hundredweight through June. In a separate letter, officials in New York and Pennsylvania have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a reimbursement of $3 per hundredweight of milk produced through the end of August. In July, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announced a COVID-19 Agriculture Assistance Program for dairy producers and processors.

SECURE SUPPLY CHAIN

The governors of seven states — New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island — have agreed to develop a regional supply chain for medical equipment as they strive to reduce costs and ensure adequate supplies for health care workers and public safety personnel. The aim is to enable states to improve their market power and lower costs for personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators and other critical supplies. The states will also coordinate policies regarding the PPE inventory that each state’s health care system should have on hand to be prepared for a possible second wave of COVID-19 later this year.

PLASTIC BAGS FIND SUPPORT

States including Maine and Massachusetts have paused their bans on plastic bags through the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the perceived cleanliness of disposable plastic bags compared to reusable cloth bags brought into stores from people’s homes amid the current coronavirus crisis, plastic bags have found a new life. In Massachusetts, like many states, Gov. Charlie Baker announced a new public health order including the temporary ban on reusable bags. This regulation also prohibits stores from charging for paper and plastic bags while the order is in place.

ELECTRIC TRUCKS AND BUSES

In July, Vermont joined 15 states and the District of Columbia in signing a memorandum of understanding to accelerate electrification of the medium- and heavy-duty bus and truck market. The agreement calls for 100% of all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales to be zero emission vehicles by 2050. Today, there are 70 electric truck and bus models on the market, with more models expected over the next decade. Other Eastern states to sign the MOU include Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.

ADDRESSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has announced a plan to close the “digital divide” and address unmet pre-K-12 student technological needs in New Jersey schools ahead of the 2020-21 school year. Efforts to ensure reliable internet connectivity and access to one-to-one digital devices are considered critical, according to the governor’s plan. This approach is three-pronged and includes a collaborative process for potential support and a one-time $10 million formula grant using a portion of the state’s federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

VIRTUAL MICRO-SUMMITS SPARK CONVERSATIONS

Recent nationwide protests have presented a unique opportunity to create substantive policy changes, particularly at the state and local level, according to panelists at one of the virtual micro-summits hosted by CSG East’s Council on Communities of Color. In wide-ranging discussions, participants including state officials, academics and legal experts emphasized that the conversations occurring in cities and towns across America should be part of a broader effort to tackle racism and discrimination in education, housing and all other aspects of daily life.

New York state Sen. Kevin Parkers, chair of the Council on Communities of Color, said protestors have created an environment that allows for officials to have these conversations. In Pennsylvania, there is a renewed commitment among some state lawmakers and members of the Philadelphia City Council to advocate aggressively for criminal justice reform, according to Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb.

Khalilah Brown-Dean, associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University warned of possible cascading socio-economic impacts from the current health crisis during the first of the micro-summits. Brown-Dean urged policymakers to be aware of how their actions affect communities of color. “For every bill that comes through your legislature, think about what that impact will be and then what are you willing to do to offset that impact,” she said.

For more on CSG East, visit csg.org and csg-erc.org.