diff --git a/.github/workflows/backend_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/backend_tests.yml
index 150f13eb5..ab512e102 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/backend_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/backend_tests.yml
@@ -130,9 +130,9 @@ jobs:
         run: poetry install
       - name: Setup sqlite
         if: matrix.database == 'sqlite'
-        run: |
-          export SPIFFWORKFLOW_BACKEND_BPMN_SPEC_ABSOLUTE_DIR="${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/sample-process-models"
-          ./bin/recreate_db clean rmall
+        env:
+          SPIFFWORKFLOW_BACKEND_BPMN_SPEC_ABSOLUTE_DIR: "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/sample-process-models"
+        run: ./bin/recreate_db clean rmall
 
       - name: Setup Mysql
         uses: mirromutth/mysql-action@v1.1
diff --git a/spiffworkflow-backend/migrations/env.py b/spiffworkflow-backend/migrations/env.py
index 68feded2a..630e381ad 100644
--- a/spiffworkflow-backend/migrations/env.py
+++ b/spiffworkflow-backend/migrations/env.py
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-from __future__ import with_statement
-
 import logging
 from logging.config import fileConfig
 
diff --git a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/message_service.py b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/message_service.py
index fb9ef6c46..9129919ac 100644
--- a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/message_service.py
+++ b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/message_service.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 """Message_service."""
+from typing import Optional
+
 from spiffworkflow_backend.models.db import db
 from spiffworkflow_backend.models.message_instance import MessageInstanceModel
 from spiffworkflow_backend.models.message_instance import MessageStatuses
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@ class MessageService:
             status=MessageStatuses.ready.value,
             message_type=MessageTypes.receive.value,
         ).all()
-        message_instance_receive: MessageInstanceModel | None = None
+        message_instance_receive: Optional[MessageInstanceModel] = None
         try:
             for message_instance in available_receive_messages:
                 if message_instance.correlates(