Cannabis Waste Disposal Policies in the South

On January 5, 2023, CSG South Policy Analyst Nick Bowman testified to the Georgia House of Representatives Study Committee on Cannabis Waste and Recycling, chaired by Representative Mesha Mainor. The Committee was created to explore innovative ways to use the waste created in the production of medical cannabis, such as roots, stalks, and stems. The virtual presentation covered state cannabis waste disposal policies and products that can be made from the waste, such as compost, textiles, paper, and rope.

Click here for full presentation

The post Cannabis Waste Disposal Policies in the South appeared first on CSG South.

Cannabis Waste Disposal Policies in the South

On January 5, 2023, CSG South Policy Analyst Nick Bowman testified to the Georgia House of Representatives Study Committee on Cannabis Waste and Recycling, chaired by Representative Mesha Mainor. The Committee was created to explore innovative ways to use the waste created in the production of medical cannabis, such as roots, stalks, and stems. The virtual presentation covered state cannabis waste disposal policies and products that can be made from the waste, such as compost, textiles, paper, and rope.

Click here for full presentation

Click here for follow up article in “The Center Square”

The post Cannabis Waste Disposal Policies in the South appeared first on CSG South.

New York State of the State Analysis

 

Governor Kathy Hochul – now elected to serve her first full term as chief executive of New York – delivered her 2023 State of the State Address on Tuesday, a little over a week after her inaugural address. In her speech to the audience of legislators, state leaders, and press gathered in the Assembly Chamber, Hochul outlined her plans for the next four years, putting special emphasis on public safety.

My number one priority has always been, and will always be, to keep New Yorkers safe.

Hochul highlighted New York’s efforts on gun violence prevention, including its red flag law, raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase semi-automatic weapons, and launching a “first-in-the-nation, nine-state task force on illegal guns,” which she said took more than 10,000 illegal guns off New York streets in 2022.

She also addressed bail reform, which she called the most controversial aspect of the public safety discussion.

While standing by the goal that “the size of someone’s bank account should not determine [bail decisions]” and claiming that bail reform is not the primary driver of a national crime wave, she also said that “the bail reform law as written now leaves room for improvement” – a line that received much less applause from fellow Democrats in the chamber.

Hochul also touched on the State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, cooperation with New York City to boost office presence on subways, and an expansion of the State Police Community Stabilization Units to 25 communities around the Empire State.

But, there are other important ways to address crime too, she said, pointing to record investments in education, housing and mental health.

…since the onset of the pandemic, more than one in three New Yorkers have sought mental health care, or know someone who has. I’m declaring that the era of ignoring the needs of these individuals is over.

Hochul also made mental health a major focus of her annual address, outlining a multi-year, $ 1 billion plan to fill gaps in mental healthcare.

The multi-year plan includes:

increasing operational capacity by 1,000 beds for inpatient psychiatric treatment
creating 3,500 units of housing to serve New Yorkers with mental illness
increasing insurance coverage/reimbursement rates for mental health services
dramatically expanding outpatient services
creating systemic accountability for hospital admissions and discharges to better address the needs of individuals suffering with mental illness.

According to Hochul, “nearly 3,200 New Yorkers struggling with severe mental illness or addiction are living on the street and subways.”

She also pledged to address the ongoing opioid epidemic by working with federal and local partners to stop the flow of illicit drugs and address new deadly additives like xylazine, expanding the availability of test strips and Naloxone, and creating a new interagency task force to examine “every possible solution.”

…you can’t really talk about quality of life without talking about cost of living.

Highlighting affordability issues in New York – one of the most expensive metro areas in the nation – Governor Hochul explained the importance of Housing availability and affordability to the state’s future.

Hochul’s administration outlined New York’s housing crisis with stark data, in a recent press release:

More than half of New York renters are rent-burdened, meaning that they pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent – the second-highest rate in the nation.
In the New York City metro area, rents have risen 30 percent since 2015 and home prices have risen 50 percent over the same period.

In her speech, Hochul said that New York had, in the previous 10 years, “created 1.2 million jobs – but only 400,000 new homes.”

“When it comes to New York City, other metro areas are creating new housing at two to four times the rate that we are,” she said. “Boston’s rate is almost double. Washington D.C., triple. Seattle, four times.”

To address the crisis, she outlined a plan to “build 800,000 new homes over the next decade to meet the historic shortage, and support New York renters and homeowners.”

Hochul’s plan leans heavily on a new New York Housing Compact, a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy that includes local participation requirements and incentives to achieve housing growth in every community.

Hochul’s plan specifically targets transit corridors for increased density by requiring municipalities with MTA rail stations to locally rezone for higher density residential development.

…any municipality with a train station will rezone the area within a half-mile of the station, to allow for the creation of new housing… within the next three years.

Hochul’s agenda also includes plans to reduce emissions, tying sustainability back into the theme of affordability.

In addition to what she called a “nation-leading Cap-and-Invest program,” Hochul charted an ambitious plan to decarbonize and better insulate buildings in New York, echoing previous plans rolled out in New York City and Ithaca.

Building decarbonization – which CSG East has covered before – involves switching from natural gas or fuel oil to electric heat pumps for space and water heating, and installing induction stoves. It also entails weatherizing and retrofitting the aging housing stock, of which three-quarters was constructed before 1940.

The EmPower Plus program announced in the address will help low-income families retrofit their homes, Hochul said, by adding insulation, upgrading appliances, and switching from fossil fuels to clean electric heating systems. Homes that electrify will be eligible for a first-in-the-nation Energy Affordability Guarantee, a promise that they will never spend more than 6 percent of their income on electricity.

Hochul also proposed a plan to end the sale of any new fossil-fuel-powered heating equipment by 2030.

buildings are the largest source of emissions in our state, accounting for a third of our greenhouse gas output, as well as pollution that aggravates asthma and endangers our children.

You can read the full text from the New York State of the State address here.

More info on the Hochul administration’s plans for 2023, as outlined in the speech, have been published in a 276-page digital book, with key sections broken down in related press releases.

 

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Colorado Shifts to Skills-Based Hiring to Fill State Government Workforce Needs and Hire More Individuals with Disabilities

By Elise Gurney, Project Manager

State governments are facing unprecedented workforce shortages. Since 2010 there has been a steady increase in the rate of people leaving state and local government, which accelerated to a high of 11.7% amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 2022 there were 695,000 fewer people employed in state and local government jobs than before the pandemic. One strategy states have used to meet their workforce needs is skills-based hiring, where states screen candidates based on their skills, capabilities, and talents, rather than their educational background. This practice allows states to access a larger, more diverse pool of candidates, including individuals with disabilities.

Colorado has adopted particularly wide-reaching skills-based hiring initiatives through Executive Order 2022-15, signed by Gov. Jared Polis on April 14, 2022. The Executive Order instructs the Colorado state government to transition to skills-based hiring to meet the state’s workforce needs and “build a more diverse workforce by promoting the hiring of individuals from varied backgrounds and work experiences.” While the Executive Order does not explicitly mention individuals with disabilities, Lynne Steketee, Colorado’s Statewide Chief Human Resources Officer and Director of the Division of Human Resources explains that “skills-based hiring opens the door for so many qualified candidates who may not have [had] the opportunity before, including those with disabilities.”

Role of Skills-Based Hiring in Increasing Employment of Individuals with Disabilities

Under skills-based hiring, hiring managers focus on “what candidates know how to do, not where they learned it.” This involves writing job descriptions that indicate the specific skills required for a job, with the recognition that these skills may have been developed through education, training, or past experiences (e.g., community college, military service, running a household). Skills-based hiring can also entail using professionally-developed competency-based assessments to evaluate a candidate’s skills.

Skills-based hiring can help state agencies increase employment of people with disabilities because it:

Eliminates educational requirements. Individuals with disabilities are less likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree than people with no disability. By replacing educational requirements with skills requirements, state agencies remove a key barrier to entry into the state government workforce for individuals with disabilities.

Provides clarity to job seekers. By providing detailed information on required job skills, skills-based hiring removes ambiguity for a job seeker who may wonder whether they are qualified. This clarity can especially benefit literal thinkers, including individuals who are neurodivergent.

Reduces bias in the hiring process. By clearly outlining essential job qualifications and relying on competency-based assessments, skills-based hiring helps hiring managers choose candidates based on their relevant skills alone. This can reduce potential discrimination and bias in the hiring process.

Colorado’s Skills-Based Hiring Initiatives

Colorado’s Executive Order 2022-15 directs Colorado’s Division of Human Resources to develop statewide guidance and strategies for skills-based hiring through four activities:

Providing training and resources on skills-based hiring practices for human resources professionals to incorporate into selection processes.

Providing a skills-based selection plan template for agencies and using the plan in 25% of posted state vacancies by December 2022.

Partnering with the Department of Labor and Employment to integrate work-based learning models, such as apprenticeship, into skills-based hiring templates and training.

Establishing a data-driven approach to monitor, measure, and evaluate program efficacy.

The Executive Order further directs all state agencies and departments to:

Champion skill-based hiring and identify all positions in eligible for a skills-based approach.

Ensure all job postings include skills requirements as a substitute for educational requirements – except for highly specialized and professional positions – and develop processes to actively monitor compliance.

Initiate skills-based hiring discussions with agency leadership, hiring managers, and human resource teams.

Initiate training for hiring managers to implement skills-based hiring.

In addition, the Governor’s budget allocates $700,000 for staffing and related costs to support the transition to skills-based hiring. Through these funds, term-limited staff will train hiring managers, identify and update rules and regulations to facilitate skills-based hiring, and develop a skills-based hiring toolkit for state departments to use.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reports that many state agencies had already been utilizing skills-based hiring approaches before the Executive Order. According to the Department’s Executive Director Joe Barela, “We’ve seen firsthand…how skills-based hiring practices can improve our talent pool…For example, in 2020 we hired an Audit Manager who doesn’t have a college degree but rose to the top of the candidate pool based on their progressively related experience in county government…[skills-based hiring] is a step in the right direction for all state employees.”

Considerations for States

Skills-based hiring is a key strategy state governments have used to fill their workforce needs. In addition to broadening the diversity of the candidate pool and accessing more job seekers with disabilities, skills-based hiring can allow states to better select candidates who have the specific, relevant skills to excel in a role. The practice further provides states the flexibility to adapt to changes in technology and the future of work, and allows them to more easily adopt work-based learning models like apprenticeship.

Several other states have engaged in efforts to expand skills-based hiring. While not all of these efforts focus on the public sector specifically, state agencies can take advantage of these resources.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey launched the Alabama Skills-Based Job Description Generator and Employer Portal in 2022, which enables employers to create customized, skills-based job descriptions and advances the state’s efforts to develop a “skills-based, learner-centered, and employer-driven talent development system.”

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has a webpage devoted to skills-based practices resources, which includes links to a skills-based hiring toolkit and a skills-based job posting generator.

Oklahoma Works assists employers with implementing skills-based hiring practices in order to “focus on the skills needed to perform job duties” and “expand the number of qualified applicants.”

Utah HB 139 (2021) requires the Department of Human Resource Management to “create supporting materials that may be used by a political subdivision that chooses to implement competency-based hiring principles.”

State And Local Government Associations Commend Congress for Infrastructure and Disaster Flexibility

WASHINGTON – With the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, the seven leading organizations representing state and local governments at the federal level thank Congress for providing flexibility to use American Rescue Plan Act funds for purposes of infrastructure, neighborhood revitalization, and disaster relief.

The National Governors Association, The Council of State Governments, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors and the International City/County Management Association are grateful for the inclusion of the bipartisan State, Local Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act (S. 5323), which was introduced by Senator John Cornyn and Senator Alex Padilla.

This measure provides additional flexibility under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds that were included in the American Rescue Plan Act and will support state and local governments to continue leading America’s recovery.

Eastern states set to enact higher minimum wages in 2023

Nine of the eleven states in the CSG Eastern Region are set to increase their state-mandated minimum wages in 2023.

The increases in all nine states follow schedules set by previously passed legislation, most of which set multi-year schedules containing pre-determined increases in the hourly wage floor.

In Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Jersey, and New York, workers will earn a full dollar more than they did in 2022.

Both Connecticut and Massachusetts will require most employers in their state to pay $15.00/hour. The Massachusetts wage went into effect January 1; Connecticut will implement its $15/hour wage starting on June 1, 2023.

In all, 23 states and Washington, D.C. raised their minimum wages on January 1, raising pay for an estimated 8.4 million workers across the country, according to the Economic Policy Institute. They estimate that “workers’ wages will increase by more than $5 billion, with average annual raises for affected full-time workers ranging from $150 in Michigan to $937 in Delaware.”

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Associates in Action: Hurricane Ian Relief Efforts

By Sarahi Castillo

Hurricane Ian thrashed parts of Florida’s western coast, bringing intense winds, heavy rainfall and catastrophic storm surges causing devasted damages. In the wake of Hurricane Ian, many CSG Associates have pledged to help donate and assist those in need of help. CSG is proud to highlight the excellent work that our Associates have contributed toward the relief in the wake of the catastrophic hurricane.

AARP and AARP Foundation announced a relief fund to support victims of Hurricane Ian, the relief fund will allow AARP and AARP Foundation to match contributions, dollar for dollar up to $1,000,000. All funds will be directed to organizations providing relief and assistance to those in need. To learn more, read the full story here.

Amazon and its disaster relief team have delivered supplies and basic necessities to relief organizations like Americares. Amazon has donated $1 million to Florida Disaster Fund and is providing immediate relief assistance to employees as well as deploying volunteers within the region. To read more about Amazon’s contributions click here.

American Bankers Association and its foundation have planned to collect tax-exempt contributions through its Disaster Relief Program to aid relief efforts. American Bankers Association have also pledged to donate $100,000 to the fund. The Foundation’s fundraising drive raised another $73,000 from across the banking industry. All funds raised will be directed to the Volunteer Florida Foundation to help aid and recovery efforts. Read the full story here.

The American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Puerto Rico section is partnering with a local design firm to help deliver supplies to citizens in municipalities heavily affected by the hurricane. ASCE also continues to advise local infrastructure owner and operators on how to rebuild more resiliently to better ensure infrastructure will withstand and protect against future storms.

AT&T and the AT&T foundation are donating $400,000 to organizations supporting restoration work in the wake of Hurricane Ian. AT&T is also focusing on permanent connectivity solutions for a few cell sites that were impacted by the storm. View the full article here.

Credit Union National Association has committed $225,500 from its CUAid program, which is managing individual donations to credit union employees and volunteers in Puerto Rico, while providing financial support to those affected by it. To learn more, click here for the full story.

CVS Health has contributed $1 million in monetary donations and up to $100,000 in product donations in Florida and Puerto Rico. Contributions made by CVS Health will be made to Florida Disaster Fund, Feeding America and the World Central Kitchen.

HCA Healthcare will contribute up to $1.5 million through community organizations and colleague matching to aid in Hurricane Ian relief efforts in Florida. The contributions total $1 million to the Governor’s Florida Disaster Fund, $250,000 to the American Red Cross and up to $250,000 in colleague matching gifts to the American Red Cross. To learn more, please click here for the full story.

Hondo Motor Co Inc. is donating $500,000 in disaster relief funds to the American Red Cross to support food security and shelter issues in the areas impacted by the recent hurricanes. Honda is offering its associates an opportunity to join the hurricane relief effort through a matching fund program. View the full article on Honda Motor Co Inc. contributions here.

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) has provided relief effort to victims impacted by Hurricane Ian. PCMA staff and attendees have sent boxes filled with food for victims in Florida.

Procter & Gamble brings relief to residents affected by Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida with P&G products and Tide Loads of Hope Laundry Services. P&G will also distribute free personal care kits with everyday essentials including basic hygiene needs. To learn more, read the full story here.

Target has committed $5 million to local and national disaster response partners and has also supported local first responders and nonprofit organizations in purchasing supplies. In addition, Target provided financial assistance to team members through its Team Member Giving Fund. View the full article here.

Teladoc is providing free, 24/7 general medical telehealth visits to individuals impacted by Hurricane Ian. Individuals in Florida who have been displaced or who cannot access medical care as a result of the hurricane can seek treatment from a licensed health care professional for any non-emergency illness by calling Teladoc directly at (855) 225-5032. To access the full story, click here.

T-Mobile has continued to support regional recovery through ongoing network deployments. The organization is helping residents who are working to assess damage and supporting federal, state and local organizations with addition capacity, hotspots, devices and more. Click here for the full story.

Verizon Communications has deployed its response team across the Southeast to provide mission critical communications support to public safety agencies. Verizon will also be providing unlimited calling, texting and data to their consumer and small business customers who were impacted by the storm. View the full article on Verizon Communications here.

Walgreens is supporting storm relief efforts in communities across Florida, Puerto Rico and other areas impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Fiona by contributing $1 million in aid, including $500,000 to both the Florida Disaster Fund and the American Red Cross Hurricane Fund. To learn more, visit here to read the full story.

Wells Fargo and Wells Fargo Foundation will be donating $1 million to aid four statewide organizations: American Red Cross, Feeding Florida, Florida Housing Coalition and Volunteer Florida providing urgent relief In Florida. In addition, Wells Fargo will also provide customer accommodations and employee support for those directly impacted by the storm.

Long-Term Care Policy Guide for State Policymakers

By Sean Slone

States have begun exploring a variety of strategies and policies that seem likely to transform long-term care in the years ahead. The Council of State Governments has learned from states’ success and compiled a “Long-Term Care Policy Guide” as a resource for state policymakers.

The “Long-Term Care Policy Guide” is the result of a nine-month partnership between CSG and the Commonwealth Fund, a national, private foundation based in New York City that supports independent research on health care issues and makes grants to improve health care practice and policy.

The partnership involved the formation of an interbranch task force made up of state policymakers from eight states (Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia). At least one state legislator and executive branch official representing an agency affiliated with long-term care from each state participated on the task force. Throughout the task force’s eight virtual meetings in 2022, as well as one state-curated conversation for each participating state, its members, subject matter experts and stakeholders examined three focus areas in long-term care that are highlighted in this guide. These focus areas include:

  • Addressing State Regulation of Long-Term Services and Supports Facilities

Long-term services and supports facilities including nursing homes and other places that care for older Americans and people with disabilities in congregate care settings experienced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to high concentrations of fatalities during the pandemic’s early days, many saw an epidemic of neglect, social isolation and loneliness among residents due to staffing challenges and restricted visitation policies.

  • Optimizing American Rescue Plan Act Spending on Home- and Community-Based Services Under Medicaid

A two-decade shift toward serving more people in home- and community-based settings was given a significant boost by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which provided states an increase in the federal government’s share of total Medicaid costs. As a result, states are now deploying $12.7 billion to expand eligibility and increase access to these services.

  • Revitalizing the Direct Care Workforce and Supporting Family Caregivers

The shift toward serving more people in the aforementioned settings comes just as states are also facing an unprecedented employment crisis in the direct care workforce — the group that cares for residents across a variety of long-term care settings. There are also concerns about the burden shouldered by often-unpaid caregivers in the home who are caring for a family member or loved one.

Numerous enacted state strategies are explored throughout each focus area in the guide. In addition, the three following state initiatives are highlighted as extended case studies:

  • Illinois’ 2022 legislation to overhaul how the state assesses and reimburses nursing facilities and link future funding to staffing levels and quality of care.
  • Minnesota’s American Rescue Plan Act spending plan for home- and community-based services, which spreads $680 million across more than 50 initiatives.
  • New York’s increase to the hourly minimum wage for home health care workers.

The long-term care policy guide can serve as a roadmap of potential opportunities for state policymakers. Some opportunities may require additional discussion and further assessment on a state-by-state basis in the years ahead, especially as the lessons of the pandemic and policy goals for the future of long-term care come more sharply into focus.