Declarations

Finding Flood Solutions

“How do we make water our friend? How do we accommodate it? How do we use it? We can’t fight it. It is with us forever.”

— South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster asked the questions that the recently formed South Carolina Floodwater Commission wants answered. The governor formed the commission of government officials, business leaders and academic experts to find solutions to the state’s flooding issues in the wake of three once-in-a-lifetime floods over the last four years.

Opioid Epidemic

“As the country continues to feel the effects of the opioid crisis, neither distributors nor the DEA can shirk their oversight responsibilities.”

— A report on prescription pill dumping in West Virginia released in December by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee stated. The report cited examples of massive pill shipments to West Virginia, which has by far the nation’s highest death rate from prescription drugs, calling the shipments “troubling” and that it raises serious questions about compliance with the DEA-administered Controlled Substances Act.

Increased Access

“We want to be able to provide consumers with more access to insurance products that have all appropriate safeguards.”

— Former Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade, who departed from her role Dec. 19, announced that the Connecticut Insurance Department is one of nine state insurance regulators participating in a pilot program to test a web-based platform that uses machine learning. The pilot states are partnering with RiskGenius, a Kansas-based tech company that has developed software to streamline form filing.

Moving Forward

“There’s still a lot of work left to do on PTC, but this is a major step forward as we continue to rebuild our mass transit system.”

— New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said at a news conference at New Jersey Transit’s maintenance yard that NJ Transit has made enough progress on installing a federally mandated emergency braking system and outfitting locomotives, cab cars and tracks with positive train control to qualify for a two-year extension on a year-end deadline.

Allegations Denied

“We deny the allegations made in this suit and will defend against them vigorously in court.”

— Detroit Deputy Corporation Counsel Chuck Raimi comments after two Detroit residents and a car leasing company filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the city and a towing company, Bobby’s Towing, worked with police to impound vehicles without informing owners. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the city’s police towing operation.