Announcements
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Save the Date! 2023 Border Legislative Conference
CSG West is pleased to announce this year’s Border Legislative Conference (BLC), which will convene October 5-7 at the Torre Lucerna Hotel in Ensenada, B.C., Mexico. 

BLC serves as a binational forum in which legislators can exchange best practices and identify policy solutions addressing the complex issues along the 2,000-mile U.S. – Mexico border region. BLC Chair, Diputado Roman Cota Muñoz, will host this year’s conference with support from his staff and BLC staff. Registration information will be forthcoming.
Biography of Border Legislative Conference Chair
Diputado Román Cota Muñoz is a state legislator in the Baja California Legislature, serving as chair of the Committee on Border and Migration Affairs. He was born and raised in Tecate, Baja California. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration through the Autonomous University of Baja California (Universidad Autónoma de Baja California) combined with certificate studies in communications and political & youth public policy marketing.

Diputado Cota Muñoz has been a public servant for 11 years, serving in various roles at the municipal level, including the Institute of Tecate Youth, the Union of Tecate, and the Office of the Mayor. He also the state coordinator of a program called PROSPERA, a social development program which provides educational, financial, health and labor assistance for low-income families. 

Diputado Cota Muñoz is the current chair of the CSG West Border Legislative Conference, which convenes legislators from the 10 U.S. – Mexico border states to address issues of common interest. He, along with the Baja California Legislature, will be hosting this year’s BLC in Ensenada in October. 
U.S. Supreme Court
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Supreme Court Decision on Waters of the U.S.
On May 25th, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Sackett v. EPA. The Court decided in favor of an Idaho couple, Michael and Chantell Sackett, who had sought to build a home on their property since 2007 but were blocked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA claimed that the Sackett’s property was subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act.

The question before the Court was whether the EPA exceeded its authority in its interpretation of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. The Court’s decision narrowed the scope of EPA’s authority to regulate wetlands. The majority opining, written by Justice Samuel Alito, introduced a new test, holding that that Clean Water Act extends only to wetlands that have a continuous surface connection with “waters” of the United States. 

The Court’s decision has significant implications across the country, but especially in the West where there are vast bodies of water, including surface and subsurface linkages to wetlands. The new test established by the Supreme Court is aimed at providing guidance to lower courts and respective federal agencies as to the scope of interpretation under the Clean Water Act, as well as states, which also regulate bodies of water and discharges within their jurisdictions. 

For additional information and reaction to the case, see the links below.
CSG Resources
CSG & Colorado Partner to Implement Civic Sector Apprenticeships
State and local governments nationwide are using apprenticeships to address public sector workforce shortages. Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) offer high-quality career opportunities that address such trade industry shortages. In June 2022, Colorado expanded the use of RAPs via executive order. The CSG Center of Innovation and Apprenticeship Colorado subsequently developed a 70-plus page Civic Sector Apprenticeship Toolkit to assist state agency leadership and program developers.
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