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Your State and Local Government Specialists
The Groups Report Highlights
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July/August 2010 Highlights
For a Full Copy of The Groups Report, Please Contact Stateside Associates at stateside@stateside.com.
ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND TERRITORIAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS (ASTSWMO)
ASTSWMO will hold its State Superfund Managers Symposium August 10-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. ASTSWMO President Gary Baughman of Colorado will give the opening remarks and Wesley Turner of Kentucky and Jim Woolford of the US Environmental Protection Agency/Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation will give a closing presentation. The agenda includes sessions on:
- What’s New in Superfund?
- Managing Cleanup Costs
- Community Involvement
- Bankruptcy (two parts)
- Post Construction Complete Issues
- O&M Post Removal Site Disposition
- Increasing Community and Local Government Involvement in Institutional
- Control Processes
- Small States Forum
- River Cleanups
- State‐EPA Superfund Policy Roundtable Forum
- Community Engagement Training (two parts)
- ASTSWMO Focus Group Update
- Emergency Response
- Emerging Issues/Emerging Contaminants
- Green Remediation
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATTORNEYS GENERAL
Elections were held June 16 during NAAG’s 2010 Summer Meeting in Seattle where nearly 200 participants, including Attorneys General and their key staff from across the country, met to discuss critical state legal issues. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper (D) was elected to become the Association’s 103rd president. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna (R) was elected President-Elect, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler (D) was elected Vice President, and Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) became Immediate Past President for the 2010-2011 term.
Attorney General Cooper announced his Presidential Initiative theme at the closing dinner. The theme is America’s Financial Recovery: Protecting Consumers as We Rebuild. He outlined the following three main areas of interest: fraud and scams; fairness and accessibility; and preventing the causes of the recent financial meltdown. Foreclosure and foreclosure relief, identity theft and debt relief will also be covered.
“Our goal will be to find ways to detect and prevent financial scams that sink people further into debt and hurt businesses, to make financial products fair to consumers, and to help prevent future financial calamities like we just experienced.” Attorney General Cooper said. The Presidential Initiative Conference will occur next April in Charlotte, North Carolina.
NAAG also announced its annual award winners at the meeting. The winners include:
- Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard (D) received the Kelley-Wyman Award, the Association’s highest honor given to the Attorney General who has done the most to achieve the objectives of NAAG.
- The Marvin Award, given annually to individuals who serve on the staff of state Attorneys General and who have furthered the goals of NAAG, was awarded to Brian Moran, Chief Deputy Attorney General with the Washington Attorney General office.
- The Laurie Loveland Award was presented to Leslie Bridges, Senior Counsel of the Tennessee Attorney General office. The award recognizes individuals within an Attorney General’s office who have helped to advance the work of Attorneys General on tobacco-related issues.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES (NLC)
NLC released a study titled, The State of American Cities Survey on Jobs and the Economy. The study shows that 7 in 10 city officials indicate they are responding to the economic crisis by making personnel cuts, including layoffs, hiring freezes and furloughs. Many cities are also cutting public safety spending and healthcare benefits. NLC points to the report to promote the Local Jobs for America Act.
The report identifies declining property markets as a growing challenge for cities. Over 80% of officials cite the commercial market as a foremost concern. As a major contributor of local revenue, the resulting loss of property taxes could act as a significant barrier to local economies’ ability to recover.
As a response to the declining economic conditions, cities continue to engage in the difficult task of balancing their budgets. In addition to those cutting personnel, 68% are cutting capital projects. Twenty-two percent of city officials indicate they are cutting public safety budgets, which is typically an option of last resort.
NLC committees outlined their priorities for the year during the Congressional City Conference and are now announcing their schedules for the coming months which include:
- The Energy Environment and Natural Resources Committee will examine specific energy efficiency solutions, climate change adaptation and the HUD-DIT-EPA Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The committee will also focus on the continuation of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.
- The Finance, Administration and Intergovernmental Relations Committee will host a series of webinars to study medical marijuana and mortgage lending.
- The Human Development Committee will meet July 21-24 in Hampton, Virginia to focus on education reform, transportation and other infrastructure investments to protect the environment, promote equitable development and help address the challenges of climate change.
- The Information Technology and Communications Committee, in conjunction with the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committeewill focus on the National Broadband Plan. The committee will review the impact of the plan on local governments, including impact on local rights-of-way and public safety interoperability, and the “D Block”.
- In addition to the National Broadband Plan, the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee will focus on disaster response and revert, looking at possible changes to how the federal government interacts with state and local governments. Finally, the committee will study strategies for creating a transition plan between incarceration and society that reduces chances of continued criminal activity.
- The Transportation, Infrastructure and Services Committee will discuss two key federal transportation policies that have expired – airport programs and surface transportation programs.
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|  | MARK ANDERSON MODERATES ABA PANELS ON LOBBYING
Mark Anderson will chair and moderate two CLE sessions at the upcoming American Bar Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco. On August 6, Mark will moderate The Regulation of Nonprofit Organization Political Activities and on August 8, Lobbying for a Successful Business Transaction. Click here for more information.
WINNING STATE CONTRACTS TELECONFERENCE
Stateside Associates President Connie Campanella offered advice about winning state government contracts during a Public Affairs Council seminar. Joining Connie was Karen A. Confoy of Sterns & Weinroth in New Jersey and Jim Daughton of Metz, Husband and Daughton in Florida. Topics included the different models used to support public sector sales, collaboration with government affairs, preparing for the possibility of litigation and legal compliance, including "pay to play" laws.
WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?
Click here for an up-to-date list of Democratic and Republican nominees for statewide elections and the remaining primary dates for 2010.
CHECK OUT THE FACTPAD INSERTS
Still crossing out and writing over an old, out-of-date poster? Stateside Associates' FactPads and FactPad Inserts provide current information about Governors, state legislatures, executive branch officials, legislative clerks, session dates and much more. Better still, the inserts are FREE and ONLINE! Just click here for the full array of FactPad inserts. For a complimentary FactPad mousepad, please email Matt Green at mg@stateside.com
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