Govs On Deck – July 29, 2020

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for “Govs on Deck” with David Turner. That’s right – you’re still stuck with me. Sorry, not sorry. Same Govs on Deck time, same Govs on Deck channel, coming at you Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Let’s get to it.

As always, questions or suggestions? Send me a note at turner@dga.net. You can find us all on Twitter too – @A_Tall_Turner, @CEAmestoy, @JerusalemDemsas, and @andersonkayjay.

We want this to be helpful, so let us know what other info/what other formats you’d like to see for these updates.

Dem Govs Get It Done:

NOTE: This is an overview of recent actions, not a comprehensive roundup of everything our incredible governors are doing. Want more examples? Send me an email and I can help you track down answers.

COVID-19 response:

Federal requests:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS urged members of Colorado’s Congressional Delegation to ensure funding is provided to state and local governments in the new federal stimulus package Congress is considering.
• LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS sent a letter to Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation asking them to consider funding the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund in the current proposal for COVID-19 relief legislation as the last unemployment payment becomes a reality for workers impacted by the pandemic.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO issued a letter to New York’s Congressional Delegation calling on them to ensure $500 billion in unrestricted state aid is included in any Senate passed relief package.

Reopening efforts:

• WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE extended the pause indefinitely on counties moving ahead in the Safe Start Washington plan and released additional guidance for gatherings, live entertainment, restaurants and taverns, entertainment and recreational centers, card rooms, movie theaters, and weddings and funerals.
• NEVADAGov. Steve SISOLAK announced the state will transition to a long-term mitigation strategy, which will be rolled out next Monday. The strategy will include updated criteria that more cleanly follows overall trends, targeted approaches to counties, businesses and industries that have shown the need for additional assistance slowing the spread of the virus, and increased enforcement.

Travel restrictions:

• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that three additional states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. meet the metrics to qualify for the travel advisory requiring individuals who have traveled to New York from those areas to quarantine for 14 days. The newly-added states are Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota. 
• HAWAII Gov. David IGE expressed his gratitude to Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi for Hawai‘i being included in an exclusive list of 12 countries and regions that are being considered to resume safe international travel with Japan.

Business guidance:

• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR announced that bars will be closed for two weeks, effective yesterday, and that restaurants will be limited to 25% of pre-pandemic capacity indoors; outdoor accommodations remain limited only by the ability to provide proper social distancing.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced the state has suspended liquor licenses for 12 New York City bars after finding egregious violations of pandemic-related Executive Orders.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER signed an Executive Order prohibiting the sale of alcoholic drinks in restaurants, breweries, wineries, and distilleries at 11 pm. North Carolina bars that are currently closed will remain closed.
• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM announced new restrictions in the Hampton Roads Region that will prohibit the on-site sale, consumption, and possession of alcohol after 10:00 p.m. in any restaurant, dining establishment, food court, brewery, microbrewery, distillery, winery, or tasting room. All of these establishments must close by midnight. Indoor dining in these establishments will be limited to 50 percent capacity. Public and private in-person gatherings over 50 people will be prohibited, down from a previous cap of 250 people.

Schools/students:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced that Coloradans with school-enrolled children will begin to receive food benefits through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, which began last week.
• CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT announced that his administration is launching the Everybody Learns initiative, a $43.5 million investment in remote learning solutions to close the digital divide in Connecticut and empower students across the state to learn from home.
• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR recommended that public and private schools  avoid offering in-person instruction until the third week of August.
• OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN released new metrics to guide school district decisions about when it is safe to resume in-person instruction, and when a transition to comprehensive distance learning is necessary.

Child care/early education:

• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF announced his administration is dedicating approximately $3 million for Preschool Early Intervention Programs serving children 3 to 5-years-old to purchase personal protective equipment and other pandemic-related supplies.

Relief funds:

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM announced $52 million in funding for Central Valley counties to help expand disease investigation, contact tracing and quarantine efforts. In addition, the state will deploy three Unified Support Teams to these counties, which are experiencing increased cases and hospitalizations.
• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY announced that an additional $15 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding has been made available to New Jersey small businesses struggling with the pandemic.
• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM announced that the Commonwealth will distribute $644.6 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding to local governments in its second and final round of allocations.

Other efforts:

• CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT and Department of Public Health (DPH) Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre S. Gifford expressed concern with recent COVID-19 outbreak clusters among teens and young adults in Connecticut.
• KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY temporarily suspended age restrictions that prohibit applicants 50 years of age or older from applying to renew their driver’s license online. Under the new order, all drivers under the age of 65 are permitted to use the online renewal system.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that New York State will establish a testing site in St. Petersburg, Florida. The site, at Pinellas Community Church, will provide up to 500 tests per day.
• NEW YORKGov. Andrew CUOMO announced that the 2020 U.S. Open Championship will be held at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck from September 14th to September 20th without fans.

Beyond COVID-19 

Federal actions:

• OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN announced that the federal government has agreed to a phased withdrawal of federal officers that have been deployed to the Mark Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland over recent weeks.
• The PENNSYLVANIA commissions on Asian Pacific American, African American, Latino, Women and LGBTQ Affairs, and Governor’s 2020 Census Complete Count Commission, overseen by Gov. Tom WOLF, released a joint statement denouncing President Trump’s latest Executive Memorandum about the 2020 Census, and honoring the immense contributions of our immigrant communities.

Economic development:

• PENNSYLVANIAGov. Tom WOLF announced that Nestlé Purina PetCare will expand its operations in Cumberland County, hiring 94 employees and adding new processing and packaging lines to its Hampden Township location.
• KANSASGov. Laura KELLY announced that the third KANSASWORKS Statewide Virtual Job Fair will be held from Tuesday, July 28, through Thursday, July 30. The virtual fair will allow job seekers to easily live chat with employers from across the state through computers and mobile devices.

Environment:

• KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY announced a proclamation reaffirming the Tallgrass Heartland wind moratorium region of the Flint Hills to continue the state’s conservation efforts in that area.
• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM released a final version of the Water Resilience Portfolio, the Administration’s blueprint for equipping California to cope with more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, declining fish populations, over-reliance on groundwater and other challenges.

Christmas in July:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced the kick-off of the 2020 Capitol Christmas Tree project. This year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, also known as “The People’s Tree,” will be a Colorado Engelmann Spruce. Gov. Polis encouraged Coloradans to get involved with making an ornament for the tree.

Stay safe everyone and wash your hands! See you on Friday!