2015 has come to a close and 2016 is upon us. The end of a calendar year is always a great time to rest and rejuvenate, as well as to reflect on the past and anticipate what is to come. I pray this message finds you rested and eager to tackle the challenges of a new year.
January 30, 2016
Chair’s Message
Our Fall Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, in collaboration with the Forum on Affordable Housing, was a great success! This year, I have tasked our Section’s committees with presenting at least one in-person CLE program, and they have risen to the challenge admirably. I would like to thank our committee chairs and members for their efforts in Louisville. We were able to not only discuss the intersection of public finance and affordable housing but also to discuss issues such as urban heat islands, state and local laws criminalizing homelessness, and the effect of local politics during emergency management crises. In addition to our great CLE offerings, our young lawyers spearheaded our first Section service project, a successful tree giveaway to Louisville citizens.
The Section continued to cover a wide range of local and state topics and to collaborate with other sections, divisions, and forums in San Diego at the ABA Midyear Meeting. As usual, our programming featured “Hot Topics in Diversity Law” and our Diversity Networking Reception. Our diversity hot topics featured a discussion of the impact of local governments extending benefits to same sex couples, and our reception was co-sponsored by the following ABA entities: Section of Antitrust Law, Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, Section of Public Contract Law, and the Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities. We also presented a panel on state and local management of drought conditions in California, and our State Attorneys General and Department of Justice Issues Committee presented issues in local and state regulation of our cars.
Spring 2016 will bring our Section meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and we are so excited! We will continue our long-running collaboration with the Section of Public Contract Law and will feature a contracting practicum and session on contracting with Native American nations. We also will continue to feature our “Hot Topics in Land Use Law” luncheon. Because we will be in Puerto Rico, we also will have a panel that takes a look at the local issue of the Puerto Rico Bankruptcy and an environmental panel on the ENLACE Caño Martin Peña Project, and our International Committee will have a panel looking into state and local issues related to the opening of Cuba. We have invited the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity and the Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities to participate with us, and we anticipate being honored by the presence of our ABA President Paulette A. Brown.
Fortunately, our great programming is not limited to our in-person meetings. If you cannot join us at an upcoming meeting, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of our Section’s webinars and publications. Our newest book, the Municipal Law Deskbook, is a great resource for those who work in-house for local governments or who practice in front of local government agencies. We also have webinar materials on “Hot Topics in Specialized Courts,” the ABLE Act, and the challenges of implementing policy changes toward Cuba.
As you can see, 2016 portends great things for the Section of State and Local Government Law. Happy New Year, all!