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Govs On Deck – April 5, 2021

Govs on Deck

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Happy Monday, people. Welcome to today’s edition of “Govs on Deck”! As a reminder, your favorite newsletter comes out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 


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


#BuildBackBetter


  • MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER wrote an op-ed directed at Congress explaining why Michigan needs Biden’s jobs plan


COVID-19 response:


Vaccine distribution:


  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ and FEMA announced that Minnesota will receive a federal Community Vaccination Clinic, following the governor’s request for a fully-supplied mass vaccination site to augment the state’s vaccination efforts. The site will be located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and receive 168,000 doses over eight weeks. The site will administer a combination of Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson doses, which will result in over 100,000 total people being vaccinated during the eight-week period. The doses administered at the Fairgrounds will be in addition to Minnesota’s regular statewide vaccine allocations.
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ announced that the state’s COVID-19 Community Vaccination Program is expanding with a new permanent vaccination site at Inwood Oaks in Oakdale.
  • OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN announced Oregon is expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to include all family members of frontline workers. She also announced that Oregon is expanding its criteria of underlying health conditions to match the CDC’s extended list. 


Mitigation efforts:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced that he will be extending the statewide mask order with modifications that account for where Colorado is in the pandemic. 


Family support:


  • CONNECTICUT’s Department of Social Services announced that $88.6 million in special food assistance benefits will be going in April to families of nearly 220,000 schoolchildren in the state who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals programs.


Beyond COVID-19 


Joint state action:


  • CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM, CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT, HAWAII Gov. David IGE, ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER, NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY, NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO, and OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN issued a letter asking President Biden to support repealing the cap on state and local tax deductions implemented by the Trump administration as part of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act in 2017.  


Voting rights:


  • ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER signed HB 1871 into law to establish permanent ballot drop boxes and allow curbside voting across Illinois for early voting or on Election Day. The new law codifies safety measures that were implemented ahead of the 2020 general election, allowing residents to safely exercise their constitutional right to vote.


Stay safe, wear a mask, and wash your hands. See you all on Wednesday!