Govs On Deck – June 10, 2020

Happy Wednesday afternoon and welcome to today’s edition of “Govs on Deck.” We’re still here and we’re still daily. We hope you are all still safe and healthy.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a note at amestoy@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 me 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 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Want more examples? Send me an email and I can help you track down answers.
Reopening efforts:

• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed an executive order reopening outdoor swimming pools on June 22nd. Additionally, outdoor recreational and entertainment businesses are permitted to reopen immediately, with the exception of amusement parks, water parks, and arcades.  These recreational and entertainment businesses are required to abide by a number of social distancing protocols that are specified in the order. Public and private social clubs are permitted to reopen their outdoor spaces, provided they comply with all applicable terms of the order.  
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that the Mid-Hudson Valley is entering phase two of reopening today. Long Island will enter phase two of reopening today, June 10th.
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF issued preliminary guidance for high school and recreational sports teams to resume voluntary workouts and other in-person activities in the state’s yellow and green phases. The guidance includes college and professional sports.
• WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE issued new guidance for domestic services in Phase 2. Inslee also issued expanded and updated guidance for certain recreational activities. 

Public gatherings:

• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed an executive order raising limits on outdoor and indoor gatherings. Indoor gatherings are limited to 25 percent of the capacity of the room, but regardless of the room’s capacity, such limit shall never be less than 10 or more than 50 people. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 100 people, and attendees are required to be six feet apart.  

Elections:

• CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT sent a letter to the bipartisan leadership of the Connecticut General Assembly notifying them of his intention to call the legislature into a special session to resolve the issue of absentee ballots in the November general election and to take immediate action on police accountability and transparency in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.

Business guidance:

• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR announced that industries that currently are operating under capacity limits soon will see those restrictions eased. The current capacity limit of 33 percent will increase to 50 percent. 
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF released updated guidance regarding the types of outdoor recreation that businesses may offer during the yellow and green phases of reopening, and how they may do so safely, as the commonwealth continues to open its own public recreation facilities across the state.

Business support:

• KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY extended her order allowing “to-go” liquor sales through January 26th.  

Schools/students:

• NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK signed a directive allowing local school districts, charter schools, and private schools to immediately reopen for summer learning and activities while implementing the Phase 2 protocols designed to keep students, staff, families, and communities safe.
• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM announced a phased approach that allows Virginia schools to slowly resume in-person classes for summer school and the coming academic year. The K-12 phased reopening plan was developed by the Office of the Secretary of Education, Virginia Department of Health, and the Virginia Department of Education and is informed by guidelines from the CDC. 

Testing and tracing:

• GUAM’s Department of Public Health and Social Services, in collaboration with the Government of Guam, the Mayors Council of Guam, private, and federal agencies, continues expanded COVID-19 testing. Testing is free and open to the public. No symptoms are needed to qualify for testing. 
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced the state, in partnership with Sean Penn and CORE, has established 11 testing sites in communities particularly impacted by COVID-19. The state is continuing to focus efforts on reducing the infection rate of COVID-19 in these New York City hotspot neighborhoods that have been impacted the most by the virus. There are now more than 800 COVID-19 testing sites across the state. 
• OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN announced that Oregon will be implementing a comprehensive coronavirus testing plan to protect the residents and staff of long-term care facilities, prioritizing those facilities at greatest risk for outbreaks.
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF announced that beginning today, five more COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites will open in Walmart parking lots across the state.

Worker support:

• WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE announced the extension of a proclamation today giving high-risk workers the right to protect themselves from COVID-19 without jeopardizing their employment status or loss of income.

Family support:

• ILLINOIS’ Department of Human Services and the Immigrant Funders Collaborative launched the COVID-19 Immigrant Family Support Project, which will provide pandemic-related emergency assistance funding to Illinois immigrants – regardless of immigration status – who are facing unemployment, loss of income, medical costs, and food and housing insecurity as a direct result of COVID-19 and are ineligible for any federal funding relief. IDHS will dedicate $2 million to the effort and the IFC, a private foundation funders’ collaboration, is raising an initial $750,000 to support the project.

Child care/summer programs:

• ILLINOIS’ Department of Human Services, with support from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, announced a COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program. The COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program seeks to help employ 2,200 low-income, minority, and at-risk youth living in high poverty communities and counties hardest hit by the pandemic. The primary objective for youth served in the program will be to develop essential employability skills and to earn entry-level work experience. 
• MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER signed an executive order which continues expanded access and capacity for child care services, giving priority to essential workforces. The order takes effect immediately and continues through July 7th.

Public communications:

• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO unveiled a daily testing results dashboard to complement the early warning dashboard for New Yorkers and local governments to easily track the COVID-19 daily test results by region and county as all regions in the state are now reopening.

State budgets:

• KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY signed the bipartisan COVID-19 response bill into law. The bill addresses the ongoing COVID-19 emergency and its effects, both economic and health-related. 
• NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK released details of the state’s plans to address the fiscal year 2020 budget shortfall. The governor’s finance office, working with state agencies to identify options to address the shortfall, is proposing $67 million in reductions in state agency operating expenses, as well as $49 million through the reversal of one-time appropriations from the 2019 session that had not yet been expended.

Other efforts:

• CONNECTICUT has reached an early case resolution with the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding visitation policies for persons with disabilities in short-term hospitals, outpatient clinics, and outpatient surgical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Stay safe everyone and wash your hands!