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Govs On Deck – March 26, 2020

Govs on Deck

Good Thursday afternoon and welcome to today’s edition of “Govs on Deck.” Yup, you read that right – we’re still daily.
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.
A different sort of week:
Because of the quickly evolving situation, we are changing this newsletter to become a daily roundup of how our states are responding to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Every day this week, we will send an overview of the actions our governors have taken the day before. 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. Want more examples? Send me an email and I can help you track down answers.
Stay home orders:

  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS issued a stay at home order that will last until at least April 11th.  
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ issued a stay at home order beginning tomorrow that will last through April 10th. 
  • PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF extended his stay at home order to include Lehigh and Northampton counties. The order now includes 10 counties: Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties.

Federal requests:

  • OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN called on federal Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to open a special enrollment period for Oregonians to buy health insurance and apply for federal subsidies through HealthCare.gov.
  • PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking that USDA waive eligibility requirements for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, reconsider Pennsylvania’s request for temporary waivers to allow more food to be distributed at school feeding sites and food banks, and to be flexible and change its interpretation of recent changes to SNAP.

Presidential Major Disaster Declaration:

  • NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY announced his request for a statewide Major Disaster Declaration was approved by President Trump. 

Business operations:

  • CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT launched an emergency no-interest loan program for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the crisis.
  • ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER announced a new package of emergency assistance programs for small businesses in need of additional capital, totaling more than $90 million. The programs target small businesses in urban, suburban, and rural communities as well as support for small hospitality businesses.
  • KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR signed an executive order directing all non-life-sustaining businesses to close. 
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ signed an executive order establishing a Small Business Emergency Loan program for small businesses affected by the pandemic.
  • PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF announced that new funding is available to help small businesses through a new program under the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority’s Small Business First Fund, the COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program.
  • RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO has issued new directives to limit the number of people who can be in stores at any given time amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Elections:

  • MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER signed an executive order extending the deadline to complete the canvass of the March 10 primary to April 24.  
  • MONTANA Gov. Steve BULLOCK issued a directive allowing all Montana counties to conduct all-mail elections and to increase early voting for the June 2 primary.

Schools:

  • VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM criticized Liberty University’s decision to reopen its Lynchburg campus as one that could put at risk public health in a state where the coronavirus is spreading through communities.
  • VIRGINIA’s Department of Education issued guidance to ensure students who were on track to advance to the next grade will be able to and staff will be paid as schools remain closed for the rest of the academic year. 

Health care:

  • NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM signed a public health order prohibiting non-essential health services, defined as services that can be delayed for three months without undue risk to the patient’s health. 
  • NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM signed a public health order prohibiting health care providers and wholesale medical suppliers from selling or otherwise distributing personal protective equipment without prior approval from the New Mexico Department of Health.
  • NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that over 6,000 mental health professionals have volunteered to help people cope with the emotional stress from the coronavirus pandemic through free online services.
  • VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM directed all hospitals to stop performing elective surgeries or procedures to help conserve supplies of personal protective equipment.
  • WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE signed a proclamation that would increase the payment parity between those health care providers who deliver in-person care and those who do it through telemedicine. Telemedicine claims must now be reimbursed at the same level as care delivered face-to-face. Telemedicine claims cannot be denied by insurance carriers.

Child care:

  • NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed an executive order directing all child care centers to either certify as solely serving as emergency child care centers for the children of essential workers, or to close. 

Worker support:

  • ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER extended the income tax filing and payment deadline to July 15th. 
  • NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed legislation expanding the State’s Temporary Disability Insurance and Family Leave Insurance programs to provide more workers with access to paid leave benefits during public health emergencies.
  • OREGON’s Department of Consumer and Business Services ordered insurance companies to extend grace periods for premium payments, postpone policy cancellations and nonrenewals, and extend deadlines for reporting claims.
  • OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN ordered the tax filing and payment deadline to be extended to July 15th. 
  • VIRGINIA’s Department of Social Services announced benefits will be made available to Virginia SNAP participants during the months of March and April, as part of a provision set forth by the Families First Coronavirus Responses Act of 2020.
  • WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE signed a proclamation that waives work search requirements in order to receive unemployment insurance.

Other efforts:

  • CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM signed a major financial relief package that includes a 90-day grace period for mortgage payments, no negative credit impact from taking advantage of relief, a moratorium on foreclosure-sales and evictions, and relief from certain fees and charges. 
  • DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY issued a request to all vendors to supply and services and products available to support efforts to combat COVID-19. 
  • HAWAII’s Department of Health is waiving routine TB clearance requirements for selected groups, including annual clearance for healthcare workers, annual clearance for patients in long-term care facilities, and food handlers. 
  • KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY signed the state’s budget bill for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021. The budget includes $65M for the state’s coronavirus response.
  • KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR issued a halt to all residential evictions.
  • MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS announced that the state Department of Health and Human Services is providing additional payments through MaineCare to support nursing facilities’ efforts related to infection control and visitor screening to protect workers and the residents in their care. 
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ signed an executive order directing non-hospital entities to conduct an inventory of personal protective equipment.
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ signed an executive order suspending evictions during the peacetime emergency. 

Stay safe everyone and wash your hands!