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Make it the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Tappan Zee bridge.

That’s the mouthful of a compromise being sought by Orange County Sen. James Skoufis after years of Hudson Valley strife when the Tappan Zee name was stripped in 2017 from the old bridge at the request of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo to memorialize his father, the late three-term governor.

Skoufis’ bill to add back the Tappan Zee name — which has Native American and Dutch meaning — is expected to pass the state Senate next week, he said, although it is unlikely to pass the Assembly before the session concludes at week’s end.

Still, Skoufis, a Democrat, said he thinks he found a palatable solution, whether this year or in future legislative debates, that would allow area residents to once again accurately call it the Tappan Zee bridge — which they colloquially do anyway.

“If we’re successful here, whether it’s this session or some session in the future to get this enacted, the vast majority of people — myself included — would view this as a win to restore the Tappan Zee name alongside keeping the Mario Cuomo name on the bridge,” Skoufis said in an interview with Playbook.

In a late-night deal at the end of the 2017 session, Cuomo got reluctant lawmakers to agree to change the name of the bridge between Rockland and Westchester counties in anticipation of the new $4 billion bridge that Cuomo opened in 2018.

The bridge had been named The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge in honor of the former governor who grew up in nearby Yonkers.

The old name was stripped in the final bill as part of a package that included naming a Manhattan park after then-Assemblymember Denny Farrell; a road in Orange County for area Sen. William Larkin; and $10 million to expand the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in the Hudson Valley. Larkin and Farrell have since passed away.

The deal in Albany, though, did little to assuage the anger back home from constituents, who weren’t eager to stray from the Tappan Zee name — nor all the new signage that denotes the bridge as the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

A petition drive was started, but attempts to change the name faltered in Albany. While Skoufis still doesn’t have an Assembly Democrat to sponsor the bill in the chamber, he’s hopeful that getting it through the Senate will be one less hurdle.

He said it’s not about trying to damage the Cuomo legacy, but about returning the historic name to the bridge.

“A lot of my Democratic colleagues haven’t been keen on revisiting the Cuomo fights and picking at all the scabs,” Skoufis said.

“And geographically, for most of them, it’s not their backyard and, for them, they aren’t hearing about the Tappan Zee. They take off the Cuomo name and then it becomes a Cuomo thing for them rather than a Tappan Zee thing. So this was a way for us to try to thread the needle and get through the politics of our conference.”

ENERGY: NYSERDA has $15 million available for projects to reduce emissions from commercial and industrial businesses. The money comes from the ratepayer-funded Clean Energy Fund and is part of regional economic development awards. This is the fifth year for the “Commercial and Industrial Carbon Challenge.”

Manufacturers, colleges, universities, health care facilities, and office building owners are eligible.

Energy and process efficiency strategies, carbon capture, renewable energy and energy storage can be considered. Awards range from $500,000 to $5 million to partially offset project costs for energy users with a 12-month average demand of at least 3 megawatts. Applications are due July 28 — Marie J. French

CLEAN SLATE: The City Council is hoping any and all support for the Clean Slate Act maybe nudge the legislation over the finish line. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature have zeroed in on the bill, which would seal the certain criminal records after a yearslong waiting period, as their last act before adjourning for the rest of the year.

“New York can no longer afford to continue contributing to the approximately $80 billion in lost economic activity that our country experiences each year by excluding people with past convictions from the workforce,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement. “I fully support the state Legislature and Governor advancing this important reform.” — Joe Anuta

FARMING: Hochul announced nearly $50 million in funding via the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program.

The program, which recently marked reaching 100,000 acres of farmland protected, offers financial help to counties, soil and water conservation districts, municipalities and land trusts so they can carry out farmland protection activities.

As part of the funding, $4.5 million will be distributed to each of the state’s 10 economic development regions.

“New York’s Farmland Protection Program is a critical tool in our efforts to protect the state’s agricultural heritage and ensure a sustainable food supply for future generations,” Hochul said in a statement. “With over 100,000 acres of farmland already protected through this program and with this new nearly $50 million in funding, we will continue to work with farmers to conserve land and keep farms in production —supporting our economy, our environment and the long-term stability of New York’s agricultural industry.” — Madina Touré

HEALTH CARE: State lawmakers announced the introduction this week of a bill that would require insurers to pay home care agencies a set amount as determined by the Department of Health.

The legislation, which is sponsored by Sens. Rachel May and Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Amy Paulin, is meant to address allegations by home care operators that a substantial portion of Medicaid funds given to managed care plans to raise home care workers’ hourly wages are not being passed through to the agencies themselves.

“Last year, New Yorkers made the single largest investment in home care wages by any state, ever. That investment of public money is meant to pay home care workers a dignified wage, in order to help consumers and working families recruit and retain the aides they so desperately need,” May said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, we have spent much of the last eight months fighting to ensure the money flows as it was meant to.” — Maya Kaufman

NYSUT’S RENEWED PUSH FOR LESS TESTING: On Friday, the New York State United Teachers announced support for a federal bill sponsored by Westchester County Rep. Jamaal Bowman that would limit the number of tests required of students, give state’s more flexibility on assessments administered and open up a new stream of funding.

Union President Melinda Person spoke at the Representative Assembly making a renewed push on behalf of the union for relaxed testing requirements. Person called on the group to consider policies that limit the use of high stakes testing, program placement, high school graduation decisions, teacher evaluations and school rating systems. — Katelyn Cordero

EDUCATION: Mayor Eric Adams and schools Chancellor David Banks announced an $8.4 million state grant to buy school food from local farmers.

The Department of Education’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS) has received the money through the Local Food for Schools grant.

The DOE plans to use the funds, allocated through the state Education Department, to buy locally grown foods from local producers, small businesses and historically disadvantaged farmers and producers.

“From introducing Plant-Powered Fridays to launching our inaugural Chefs Council, the changes we’ve made to our school menus have been nothing short of transformative,” Adams said in a statement.

“Now with this new grant, we will deepen our efforts to ensure all our children have access to healthy, nourishing, culturally appropriate meals, in partnership with our local producers.”

The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, between SED and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), seeks to support the purchase of local and regional foods so that they can be used in schools and help local producers. — Madina Touré