8:45 – 9:30 am 

Budget Committee Meeting
For members of the budget committee only

 

9:30 – 10 am

Break (30 minutes)

 

10 – 11 am
Annual Meeting Committee Meeting

 

11 – 11:30 am

Break (30 minutes)

 

11:30 am – 12: 30 pm

Strategic Planning Committee Meeting

 

12:30 – 1:30 pm

Break (60 minutes)

 

1:30 – 3:30 pm

Executive Committee Meeting

8:00 – 9:45 am  (concurrent policy committee meetings, note the different start times at 8 and 8:30 am)

Agriculture and Rural Development Committee – Roundtable Discussion and Washington Update

State and province-level review of important legislation or initiatives affecting rural and agricultural communities in the region, to be followed by an update on the latest initiatives in Washington, D.C. that could have an impact on the Northeast.

Presiding:

Senator Judy Schwank, Pennsylvania

Representative Carolyn Partridge, Vermont

Co-Chairs, CSG East Agriculture and Rural Development Committee

and

8:30 – 9:45 am (this session starts 30 minutes after Agriculture and Rural development)

Health Committee – Roundtable Discussion 

Discussion of state-level efforts – both individual and collaborative – addressing issues such as public health, health equity, healthcare infrastructure, access, quality, and costs of healthcare.

Presiding:

Senator Gustavo Rivera, New York – Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health; Chair, CSG East Health Committee

 

9:45 – 10:15 am 

Break (30 minutes)

 

(concurrent committee meetings, different start times)

10:05 – 11:30 am  – This session will be broadcast live on WURD Radio’s Reality Check – please note the start time and join early!

Race in the State House: Opposing Critical Race Theory. Unpacking the debate around teaching African American history, the legacy of slavery, and racial equity in publicly funded schools

Critical Race Theory has become the new flash point for discussions around African American history, the legacy of slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, racial justice, and equity in publicly funded schools and in state legislatures across the nation. According to Chalkbeat, there are “efforts in 27 states to restrict education on racism, bias, the contributions of specific racial or ethnic groups to U.S. history, or related topics.”

In this session, state policymakers, scholars, and education thought leaders will unpack, examine, and discuss the underlying issues in the debate over critical race theory and the burgeoning campaign to keep it out of publicly funded classrooms. Panelists will also consider the impacts of ongoing racial justice movements and offer a framework for understanding and teaching the role of racism in current public policy.

Moderator:

Charles D. Ellison – Executive Producer and host of Reality Check on WURD, and CSG East Senior Fellow

Panelists:

Representative Donna Bullock, Pennsylvania

Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Michael Coard – Attorney, Community Activist and Founding Member of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC)

and

10:15 – 11:30 am

Energy and Environment Committee Meeting – The North American Renewable Integration Study: Opportunities for Achieving a Coordinated, Low-Carbon Grid

The North American electric power system is undergoing significant changes as it integrates increasing quantities of renewable resources, and these changes are expected to accelerate amid ambitious federal, state, local, and corporate decarbonization goals. This session will feature a discussion of recent federal research that analyzed the potential impacts of this transition on costs, reliability, and other factors, and seeks to inform policymakers about opportunities for a coordinated, continental low-carbon grid. Among the findings are that: a) an 80 percent reduction in power-sector emissions can be achieved through multiple pathways; and b) enhanced regional and international electricity trade and transmission expansion could have significant net system benefits.

Moderators:

Senator Paul Formica, Connecticut – Co-Chair CSG East Energy and Environment Committee

Senator Marc Pacheco, Massachusetts – Co-Chair CSG East Energy and Environment Committee

Speaker: Gregory Brinkman – Model Engineering Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy

 

11:30 am – 12 noon

Break (30 minutes)

 

12 – 1:30 pm

Plenary Session – The Great Disruption: Rethinking Energy, Transportation, Food and Agriculture with Tony Seba – Author, Educator, and Co-Founder, RethinkX

According to Tony Seba, an author, educator, and Silicon Valley entrepreneur, the 2020s will be the fastest, most disruptive decade in history for energy, transportation, food, agriculture, materials, and information. In this provocative presentation, Seba will discuss how technology disruption and business model innovation is leading to cascading effects across all sectors of the economy, propelling a collapse of the internal combustion engine and the oil industry, and disruption of livestock production and industrial farming, with dramatic implications for geopolitics, the environment, and humanity. Seba will also address choices that can help lead to a more equitable, healthy, resilient, and stable society. Feel free to view and read RethinkX’s recently published transportation, energy, and food and agriculture reports prior to the meeting.

Speaker: Tony Seba – Author, Educator, and Co-Founder, RethinkX

Moderator: Senator Marc R. Pacheco, Massachusetts

1:30 – 2 pm

Break (30 minutes)

 

2 – 3 pm

Concurrent Sessions

1 – Apprenticeships: A Pathway to Licensure

Apprenticeships facilitate on-the-job training for future practitioners of a trade or profession and can lower barriers to occupational licensure for disproportionately affected populations by providing opportunities to attain experience and education required for licensure. These “earn while you learn” programs have historically been utilized in skilled trades but are becoming more available for in-demand fields like tech, healthcare, and education.

Several states, including Maine and Vermont, have begun promoting apprenticeship programs for professions with workforce shortages and offering tax incentives to employers who hire apprentices. In this webinar, we will discuss how apprenticeships can aid in workforce development and occupational licensure, as well as how states in the East are developing apprenticeship programs using lessons learned in the US and abroad.

Speakers:

Senator Alison Clarkson – Senate Majority Leader, Vermont

Joan Dolan – Director of Apprenticeship & Strategic Partnerships at Maine Department of Labor

Nirav Shah – Vice President, Social Finance

and

2 – Public Access in Peril

Many Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) centers across the Northeast are experiencing significant budget shortfalls with no relief in sight. Their services are critical for airing local government proceedings, town hall meetings, etc., yet cable companies are eschewing any efforts to pay for continuing free-to-air access for this kind of programming. A panel of industry experts and state officials will discuss how states in the Eastern Region are working to ensure the continuity of public access to state and local news.

Moderator:

Lonnie Reed – Chair, Connecticut Green Bank

Speakers:

Lauren-Glenn Davitian – Executive Director, CCTV Center for Media & Democracy, Vermont

Walter Mann – Co-Chair of CT Community Media Association, Connecticut

Mike Rispoli – News Voices Director, Free Press and board member, the Civic Information Consortium, New Jersey

David Gauthier – Executive Director, Winchester Community Access & Media, Massachusetts

8:30 – 9:45 am  (concurrent committee meetings)

Military and Veterans Affairs Committee – Roundtable Discussion 

This session will focus on the work of our members in assisting military veterans and their families throughout the region and will develop priorities for the region as states slowly recover from the pandemic. Speakers will provide a recap of the legislative efforts spearheaded by the Defense-State Liaison Office and discuss possible takeaways for the region from a housing resolution developed by Maine’s Veterans Services Office.

Speakers:

Christopher R. Arnold – Northeast Regional Liaison, Defense-State Liaison Office, DoD, Military Community and Family Policy

Representative Allison Hepler, Maine

Marge Kilkelly – Policy Program Manager, Maine Primary Care Association

and

Transportation Committee – Funding and Financing for Transportation

Roundtable updates from member states and provinces. Discussions on the status of Federal Surface Transportation Authorization, and the National Infrastructure Bank Proposal.

Presiding:

Representative Patrick Brennan, Vermont – Chair, CSG East Transportation

Committee

Speakers:

Tanya Snyder – Politico

Senator Lou DiPalma, Rhode Island – Vice Chair, CSG East Transportation Committee

 

9:45 – 10:15 am 

Break (30 minutes)

 

(concurrent committee meetings, different start times)

10:05 – 11:30 am  – This session will be broadcast live on WURD Radio’s Reality Check – please note the start time and join early!

Council on Communities of Color – Reparations: What Would That Look Like? Exploring a Justice Strategy and Policy Framework Part II

Fueled by persisting inequities in racial health, wealth, and education gaps, discussions on reparations are once again at the forefront of public debates in federal, state, and local government. Additionally, there are growing calls for meaningful dialogue and recompense for descendants of slavery with renewed interest in urging Congress to pass H.R. 40 (to establish a Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans). Several states within CSG’s eastern region have considered reparations legislation during the past legislative session, but most efforts were stalled by the fundamental question of implementation.

This session is part II of the Reparations Movement Summit held in June by CSG East CCC.

Panelists:

Representative Chris Rabb, Pennsylvania

Honorable Michael B. Hancock – Mayor, Denver Colorado

Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor – Founder, National Black Cultural Information Trust

Mike Green – Co-Founder and Chief Strategist, National Institute for Inclusive Competitiveness

and

10:15 – 11:30 am

Canada-U.S. Relations Committee Meeting – 

Changing times? The Canada-U.S. relationship in the Biden administration

What is the status of the bilateral Canada-U.S. relationship today? The Biden administration is slowly doing an about-face on many domestic and foreign policies from the previous administration. The closure of the border for more than 17 months has not helped things, and citizens of each country are eager to visit the other. What should we expect to see? How will the recent opening of the border on the Canadian side proceed? When will the United States open its border? Can we expect to return to the status quo ante? The committee will hear from two keen observers of Canada-U.S. relations, and then from stakeholder committee members.

Presiding:

Assemblymember Billy Jones, New York

Member of the National Assembly Guy Ouellette, Québec

Co-chairs, Canada-U.S. Relations Committee

Speakers:

Andy Blatchford – POLITICO

Edward Alden – Council on Foreign Relations

Government of Canada announces easing of border measures for fully vaccinated travellers

 

11:30 am – 12 noon

Break (30 minutes)

 

12 – 1:30 pm

Plenary Session – State Recovery: How States Are Spending Federal Rescue Dollars

State governments have received an unprecedented amount of federal funding to support recovery and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion economic relief package, was signed by President Joe Biden on March 11. States may also be receiving additional funding from the proposed infrastructure bill and the opioid settlement recently endorsed by state attorneys general. This program will highlight the federal funding available to states and opportunities to leverage these funds for immediate state economic and fiscal recovery needs and long-term investments in state infrastructure and services. The session will provide an opportunity for state leaders to discuss and learn from each other about the processes they are using to make allocation decisions and how they are utilizing these funds for state recovery.

Speaker: Christina Gordley, Senior Policy Analyst, The Council of State Governments

Panelists:

Senator Cathy Breen, Maine

David R. Brinkley, Secretary of Budget and Management, Maryland

Representative Kimberly Jessup, Vermont

Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Massachusetts

 

1:30 – 2 pm

Break (30 minutes)

 

2 – 3 pm

Concurrent Sessions

1 – Developing a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Project in the New York City Watershed Region to Promote Carbon Farming, Soil Health, and Water Quality

In this interactive session, presenters will discuss the development of an innovative agriculture carbon pilot in the New York State counties that comprise the New York City Watershed. The pilot, which is still in the concept stage, seeks to overcome existing hurdles in current carbon farming efforts by making them more economically sustainable, providing greater scientific accuracy about sequestration potential, and tailoring these practices to the needs of the small-to-midsized farms that dominate Northeastern agriculture. The project will partner with a worldwide community of experts, led by Columbia University, which is advancing methodologies for improving measurements of carbon sequestration in agriculture. Presenters will invite feedback from CSG East members on how this proposed project can enhance their policy efforts to promote carbon sequestration in their states and provinces.

Moderator: Representative Carolyn Partridge, Vermont

Speakers:

Jeffrey Potent – Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig – Senior Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Columbia University Earth Institute Center for Climate Systems Research

and

2 – Age-Friendly States: Improving Health and Well-Being for Older Adults

Our state populations are getting older. According to some rankings, the CSG Eastern region has 10 of the 12 oldest jurisdictions in the United States.  Most people aged 50 and older wish to remain where they now live, and communities will need to become more “age friendly” to serve this growing population. This session will provide an opportunity to explore what several states, provinces, and territories have done to make housing, transportation, technology, and health care more age friendly.

Moderator:

Senator Gustavo Rivera, New York, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health; Chair, CSG East Health Committee

Speakers:

Terry Fulmer – President and CEO of the Hartford Foundation

Mathew Varsava – Director of Policy, Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility

Kimberly Causey-Gomez, MSW – Commissioner, Department of Human Services, U.S. Virgin Islands

then use the meeting ID number and passcode listed for each session, and you will be connected by phone.

8:00 – 9:45 am  (concurrent policy committee meetings, note the different start times at 8 and 8:30 am)

Agriculture and Rural Development Committee Meeting – Broadband Mapping: Charting the Digital Divide

Lack of rural broadband access has been a problem for years, and one that has been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities, states, and the federal government are scrambling to find ways to bridge the connectivity gap to underserved populations quickly and efficiently. This session will feature experts in the field who will discuss new initiatives and protocols to ensure that connection can finally become a reality for all.

Presiding:

Senator Judy Schwank, Pennsylvania

Representative Carolyn Partridge, Vermont

Co-Chairs, CSG East Agriculture and Rural Development Committee

Speakers:

Brent Legg – Executive Vice President, Government Affairs, Connected Nation

Peggy Schaffer – Executive Director, ConnectMaine Authority

Kirk Burgee – Wireline Competition Bureau Chief of Staff, Federal Communications Commission

and

8:30 – 9:45 am (this session starts 30 minutes after Agriculture and Rural development)

Territorial Relations Committee Meeting – Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future

Prior to Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017, both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands relied on the mainland for much of their agricultural and energy imports, both of which increased drastically following the hurricanes and exposed an opportunity to reduce this dependence.

This session will explore renewable energy and agricultural production targets, policies, and programs that are in place to help both island jurisdictions create a stronger, more sustainable, more resilient future.

Speaker:

Stafford Crossman M.A – Associate Director of Cooperative Extension Services and Assistant Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Extension Assistant Professor, University of the Virgin Islands

Carlos Flores, Former Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Puerto Rico

Luis Martinez, Director, Southeast Energy, Climate & Clean Energy Program, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

 

9:45 – 10:15 am 

Break (30 minutes)

 

(concurrent committee meetings)

10:15 – 11:30 am

Health Committee Meeting – Coping with the Stresses and Traumas of Public Service

Although never an easy job, the pandemic has exacerbated the stresses and traumas associated with the roles of elected and appointed officials and staff. This session will explore secondary trauma and stressors, effects of trauma and stress, strategies to minimize stress and build resilience, and identify additional strategies and resources.

Speaker:

Rosemary Lavinski, LCSW, CEAP – Employee Assistance Consultant/ Executive Coach/ Private Practice

and

Education Committee Meeting

The Education Committee will discuss their priorities for the coming year. Additionally, the committee will hear from subject matter experts from City Health, and the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification to learn about ongoing trends in Universal Pre-K, and about the interstate compacts project through the U.S. Department of Defense.

Presiding:

Sen. Ernie Lopez, Delaware – Chair, CSG East Education Committee

Speakers:

Philip Rogers – Executive Director, National Association of Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)

Matt Shafer – The Council of State Governments

Akeem Anderson – Government Relations Director, CityHealth

 

11:30 am – 12 noon

Break (30 minutes)

 

12 – 1:30 pm

Plenary Session – What Racism Costs Everyone

Heather McGhee’s specialty is the American economy—and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. From the financial crisis to rising student debt to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a common root problem: racism. But not just in the most obvious indignities for people of color. Racism has costs for white people, too. It is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all. But how did this happen? And is there a way out?

Speaker:

Heather McGhee, economist and author, will discuss her book The Sum of Us: What racism costs everyone and how we can prosper together.

Moderator: Sheilah Kast – Journalist and host of WYPG’s On the Record

 

1:30 – 2 pm

Break (30 minutes)

 

2 – 3 pm

Concurrent Sessions

1 – Untapped Talent: creating economic opportunity for refugee and immigrant professionals

While states face labor shortages across key sectors, an estimated 2 million immigrants and refugees have advanced degrees (263,000 in healthcare alone) that are un- or under-utilized. This panel will discuss barriers to workforce entry faced by refugee and immigrant professionals and recommend policies to remove discriminatory requirements. This panel will identify model state legislation that has successfully included new Americans in workforce development initiatives, facilitated access to professional licensure, and more.

Moderator:

Genevieve Kessler – director of state advocacy, International Rescue Committee, and lab state strategy lead, Refugee Advocacy Lab

Panelists:

Mike Zimmer – senior policy consultant, World Education Services

Victoria Francis – state advocacy officer, International Rescue Committee

Representative Kristen Cloutier – Maine House of Representatives

Lubab al-Quraishi – Refugee Congress delegate for New Jersey; former assistant professor of medicine, Baghdad Medical College, Iraq

and

2 – Planning the Future of the Public’s Health: It’s more than pandemics

CSG East member jurisdictions — individually and in partnerships — are well-positioned to assure that state and local health departments have the resources they need to steer their communities towards a healthier future. This session will provide overviews of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s work in public health, including highlights from the June 2021 report Positioning America’s Public Health System for the Next Pandemic (June 2021) and the proposed work of the recently announced coalition Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System. Attendees will explore and discuss public health goals, intergovernmental roles and responsibilities, infrastructures, and public health financing.

Moderator:

Senator Gustavo Rivera, New York – Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health; Chair, CSG East Health Committee

Speaker:

Anand Parekh, M.D., Ph.D. – Chief Medical Advisor at the Bipartisan Policy Center

10:15 – 11:15 am

Executive Committee Closing Business Meeting