Govs On Deck – July 29, 2019

Good Monday morning! Welcome to this week’s edition of “Govs on Deck” – the weekly tip sheet dedicated to keeping you informed about what is happening in Democratic governors’ offices around the country.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a note at amestoy@dga.net. You can find us all on Twitter too – @A_Tall_Turner, @CEAmestoy, and @MichBeyer.
Coming up this week:

• Today, MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER will sign a “Michigan Jobs First” executive directive to ensure more Michigan taxpayer dollars go to purchasing products and services from Michigan businesses that employ Michigan workers.
• DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY today will sign new legislation to ban the use of single-use plastic bags. The ban will go into effect in January 2021.
• MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER will offer welcome remarks to the Democratic candidates during Tuesday’s pre-debate program on CNN. The governor will speak during the 7PM ET hour. 
• On Friday, COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS will testify at the first field hearing for the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. The hearing will be held in Boulder and will focus on the transition to clean energy.
• On Friday, OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN will sign SB861, HB2716, HB2983, and SJR18. These bills aim to strengthen our democracy, including ensuring paid postage for mail-in ballots to remove barriers to voting and campaign finance reforms to increase transparency in political campaign spending.

How ‘bout Dem govs: Road to the White House
Dem govs get it done.
As we gear up for the second round of Democratic presidential primary debates this week in Detroit, more attention is being paid to what led to the DGA’s historic gains in 2018 and how that could translate to the presidential race. The bottom line? Democratic governors’ laser-like focus on kitchen table issues, both on the campaign trail and in office, should be a roadmap for Democrats seeking the White House.
Check out some of the recent coverage below and read the DGA’s pre-debate memo on what our governors did here.
Politico: Democratic governors sound alarm on Trump reelection
Washington Democrats keep talking about the “Squad” and impeachment.
Democrats outside the Beltway wish they’d remember how the party retook the House and gained ground in state capitals last year with a rigorous focus on health care and the economy.
Washington Post: Opinion – Democrats will have a better chance if they take a page from Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer
The 2018 midterm elections have given Democrats ample reason to hope they can put the state and its 16 electoral votes back in their column. But their chances to do so will be better if they take a page from the playbook of Michigan’s new governor, Gretchen Whitmer.
Some news from this past week:

• DGA health care press conference coverage:
  • AP: Governors weigh health care plans as they await court ruling
  • Courthouse News: Democratic Governors Unite on Health Care at Salt Lake Forum
• Health care:
  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced that the state will receive $64 million in federal funds for the planning and implementation of the state’s Health IT Roadmap and to invest in Health IT infrastructure and tools over Federal Fiscal Years 2019 – 2021
  • WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE announced that a group of state agencies and partners, in response to a directive from Gov. Jay Inslee, officially launched the Hep C Free Washington Plan to Eliminate Hepatitis C in Washington State by 2030.
• Student debt:
  • RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO signed a bill creating a student loan bill of rights to protect borrowers from deceptive loan practices.
• LGBTQ:
  • MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER vowed to veto a bill that would only allow government flags on state buildings. The bill comes after Gov. Whitmer flew the Pride flag to celebrate Pride month.
  • NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK ordered a Pride flag to be flown over the state capitol on Sunday to celebrate the Northern Nevada Pride Festival.
• Criminal justice:
  • LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS’ bipartisan criminal justice reforms are delivering better-than-predicted results in their second year of implementation.

Name that governor:
This governor spent a year abroad in Paris during college…
Think you know? Shoot me your answer at amestoy@dga.net.
Either people have stopped reading to the bottom of this email or last week’s trivia (This governor spent his or her honeymoon in China with 60 students in tow…) stumped our entire list (save for the DGA’s finance team).
The answer? MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ!
Have a great week!