CSG EAST UPDATE

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CSG Mourns the Loss of Former CSG East Director Alan Sokolow

Former director of The Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference, Alan V. Sokolow, passed away on July 23. Sokolow joined the CSG eastern office in 1967 as a field representative. In 1972, he was promoted to director where he served until his retirement in 2009.

“Alan’s career at The Council of State Governments spanned four decades. His leadership guided state officials through many challenges and empowered them to govern better,” said CSG Executive Director/ CEO David Adkins. “While his expertise was substantial, it was his love of people and public service that helped him forge so many lasting and valued partnerships and friendships. “CSG, the states and our nation are all stronger because of Alan’s work. He lives on in his beloved family and in all the good he achieved. May his memory be a blessing.” In 2008, a resolution was passed in the Rhode Island General Assembly honoring Sokolow and celebrating his retirement from CSG. The resolution stated, “Rhode Island and the states of the eastern region have been the beneficiaries of the wisdom, integrity and abiding dedication to excellence that Alan Sokolow has always brought to his work at CSG, and along the way, he has earned the unqualified admiration and respect of his fellow workers as well as state officials.”

A dedicated Brooklyn Dodgers and Mets fan, Sokolow was involved in political campaigns and an active member of Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Margo, two daughters, Rachel and Elena, and two grandchildren, Max and Leo.

Maryland Nursing Home Residents Eligible for COVID Booster

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that Maryland residents who are 65 years and older and living in nursing homes or other congregate care facilities are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. Residents who are immunocompromised are also eligible to receive the shot. “For several weeks now, states have had to operate without clear guidance from the federal government regarding these booster shots,” Hogan said in a statement released by his office. “The limited guidance we have received has been confusing and contradictory, and it is still unclear when and how more people will become eligible. But all of the evidence makes it abundantly clear that we cannot afford to delay taking decisive action to protect our most vulnerable citizens.”

Maine to Implement Plans for Offshore Wind Energy

Maine state Sen. Mark Eliot writes in the Bangor Daily News that the state “made historic progress on offshore wind energy development during its 2021 session.” Two bills introduced by Eliot were signed into law. L.D. 336 directs the Public Utilities Commission “to negotiate a long-term power contract to support the state’s floating offshore wind research array,” and L.D. 1619, which “prohibits development of offshore wind in state territorial waters,” protects state waters while allowing research projects to continue in federal waters beyond the three-mile boundary. “I am proud that, even in these difficult times, the Maine Legislature has taken unprecedented actions to protect the Gulf of Maine and the marine uses of the Gulf on which Mainers have relied for centuries, while also pursuing the economic and environmental benefits of offshore wind,” Eliot wrote. “With the right policies in place now, Maine is ready to responsibly develop and construct this renewable energy industry, reduce pollution and create sustaining, good-paying jobs.”

New York Sets 2035 ZeroEmission Goal

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Sept. 8 that sets a zero-emission goal for all new passenger cars and light duty trucks by 2035, Reuters reports. New York joined California in seeking to phase out fossil fuels in new automobiles. (California’s bill, which required all new cars and trucks to be zero emission vehicles by 2035, was signed in September 2020). Reuters reports that in April, 12 states, including California and New York, asked President Joe Biden to “set standards to ensure that all new passenger cars and light duty trucks are zero-emission by 2035.”

New Jersey Legislators to Introduce Farmland Protection Bill

New Jersey state Sen. Dawn Addiego and Senate President Steve Sweeney announced a plan to introduce legislation that would exclude farmland as a redevelopment or rehabilitation area under the “Local Redevelopment and Housing Law,” according to a press release. Addiego said the current law allows farmland to be redeveloped into warehouses, “threatening the future of the farming sector.” “In the last few years, we have taken great lengths to protect our state’s farmlands,” said Sweeney. “By taking these steps to exclude farmland from being classified as a redevelopment area or rehabilitation area, we are further ensuring the protection of these vital spaces and preventing further warehouse sprawl, which will help keep New Jersey green for decades to come.”

Sports Betting to Begin in Connecticut in October

An agreement between the state of Connecticut and owners of two tribal casinos earned federal approval in September, clearing the way for expanded sports betting and online gambling to begin in October, according to the Hartford Courant. “This critical step in the process of modernizing our gaming landscape here in Connecticut ensures that our state will have a competitive, nation-leading marketplace for wagering both in-person and online,” Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said in a Tweet, announcing the decision by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “Today’s announcement puts CT on the cusp of providing a modern, technologically advanced gaming experience competitive with our neighboring states.”