Govs On Deck – August 19, 2020

Happy Wednesday and happy Convention week! Welcome to another edition of “Govs on Deck!” We’re back to being daily this week so get excited. 

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, @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.

DNC Convention – #DemGovs schedule: 

• TODAY
  • 6:45 – 7:15 PM ET
    • DGA Virtual Grassroots Fundraiser featuring MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER and OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN. Reserve your spot HERE. Press should RSVP to amestoy@dga.net.  
  • 7:30 – 8:30 PM ET
    • Bold Leadership: Women Governors Leading the States featuring KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY, MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS, MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER, OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN, NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM and RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO. Watch HERE. 
  • Convention programming: 9:00 – 11:00 PM ET
    • WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS to address the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Watch HERE.
    • NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM to address the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Watch HERE.   
• Thursday, August 20th
  • 7:00 – 8:00 PM ET
    • #DemGovsGetItDone: Progress in Red & Purple States featuring KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR, MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER, MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ,and WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS, moderated by Stacey ABRAMS. Watch HERE. 
  • Convention programming: 9:00 – 11:00 PM ET
    • CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM to address the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Watch HERE.

What we’re talking about:

• MEMO: The Path to 270 Runs through Democratic Governors – As former Vice President Joe Biden prepares to officially accept the Democratic nomination for president, eyes are turning to the path the Biden-Harris ticket will need to cut through the fall to victory in November. The roadmap needed by the Biden-Harris ticket to reach 270 electoral college votes runs directly through the states Trump won in 2016 that now have Democratic governors. Democratic governors currently represent 288 electoral college votes. 

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:

Elections:

• LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS signed an executive order declaring that an emergency exists for Louisiana’s November election because of COVID-19, while also acknowledging that the current emergency election plan from the Secretary of State does not go far enough to protect public health.

Business support:

• KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY encouraged Kansas businesses to participate in the application process for more than $130 million in grants to support businesses affected by the pandemic and enable companies to expand broadband access in the state. The portal to apply opens today at noon.

Health care:

• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that the Special Enrollment Period for uninsured New Yorkers will be extended for another 30 days, through September 15, 2020, as the State continues to provide supportive services during the COVID-19 public health crisis. New Yorkers can apply for coverage through NY State of Health, New York State’s health insurance marketplace, or directly through insurers.
• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM issued an executive order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at Virginia’s state-operated psychiatric hospitals and ensure the safety of patients and staff during the ongoing health crisis.

Travel restrictions: 

• CONNECTICUT, NEW JERSEY, and NEW YORK’s regional travel advisory was updated and now includes the states of Alaska and Delaware on the list of impacted locations. Meanwhile, the state of Washington has been removed.

Relief funds:

• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR announced 11 Northern Kentucky governments were approved for $9,249,838 in reimbursements from the CARES Act for local governments with expenses related to COVID-19.
• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR announced that Kentucky’s local public safety agencies and eligible local governments have been awarded more than $5.7 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s (USDOJ) Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program (CESF).

Beyond COVID-19 

State partnerships:

• OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN announced she is leading a coalition with CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM, MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER, MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ, NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK, NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY, NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER, and WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS in pledging to uphold the integrity of the general election and to work to ensure that voting is safe, accessible, and secure. The pledge sets forth commitments to ensure confidence in the integrity of the election, in light of unprecedented attacks on voting rights and voting access.
• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS, ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER, MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER, NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO, NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER, OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, and WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE. called on U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Willbur Ross Jr. and U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham, Ph.D. to restore the deadline of the United States 2020 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau recently moved up the deadline for the response and data collection period by an entire month—from October 31 to September 30, 2020.

Wildfires:

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM declared a statewide emergency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to combat fires burning across the state, which have been exacerbated by the effects of the historic West Coast heat wave and sustained high winds.
• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced he will take executive action to reduce the fire risk across the State. The order will be released today and go into effect Thursday morning. 

Economic development:

• ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced $39.5 million in new grants awarded for 27 capital development projects to support continued economic development across the state. The grants are being released through an allocation of $24.8 million from the Fast-Track Public Infrastructure Capital program, and with a $14.7 million allocation for projects located in Opportunity Zones.

Criminal justice reform:

• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER signed an executive order to implement fair chance policies at state agencies to increase employment opportunities for people with criminal records. The order is effective immediately and will be implemented by November 1, 2020.

Health care:

• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF signed his 11th renewal of his January 2018 opioid disaster declaration to help the state fight the then-burgeoning opioid and heroin epidemic. The declaration allows the state to loosen regulations and work outside of typical procedures to expedite aid and initiatives to help those suffering from opioid use disorder and those who work to prevent and treat this medical condition.
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF’s administration announced that Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an updated naloxone standing order which permits community-based organizations to provide naloxone by mail.

Infrastructure:

• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF announced the approval of more than $8 million in funding to support H2O PA Flood Control, High Hazard Dams, and Water, Sanitary Sewer, and Stormwater projects through the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

19th Amendment:

• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution with a proclamation honoring those who fought to ensure that women secured the right to vote.
• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS released a statement in recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment: 
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced an effort to stabilize and preserve the childhood home of prominent 19th-century women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony, in Washington County. 

Other efforts:

• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR announced that Kentucky has been awarded $3,070,671 in funding from the Federal Transit Administration to enable public transit agencies across the commonwealth to purchase vehicles.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced New York’s Environmental Justice Capacity Building Grant Program is awarding grants to support 18 community-based Environmental Justice organizations across the state. The grants will help groups in New York’s communities disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution to increase their administrative, technical, and programmatic capacities and expand their services protecting public health and the environment.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced the New York State Department of Financial Services has filed charges and initiated administrative proceedings against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., and its subsidiaries, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Watson Laboratories, Inc., Actavis Pharma, Inc., Actavis LLC, and Actavis Elizabeth LLC; and against Allergan PLC and its subsidiary Allergan Finance LLC. These charges are the third set to be filed in DFS’s ongoing investigation into the entities that created and perpetuated the opioid crisis. 

Stay safe everyone, wear a mask, and wash your hands! See you tomorrow!