Govs On Deck – June 1, 2020

Happy Monday and welcome to June. 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.
Federal responses:

• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey issued statements criticizing the U.S. Department of Justice’s move to join a federal lawsuit against the state’s 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors. 
• NORTH CAROLINA’s Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter in response to Republican National Convention organizers. 

Stay at home orders:

• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS signed an executive order continuing but relaxing Maine’s “Stay Safer at Home” Order, which has Maine people stay-at-home with exceptions, allowing people to visit more businesses and participate in more activities as they reopen under the Restarting Maine’s Economy Plan.

Reopening efforts:

• HAWAII Gov. David IGE signed Hawai‘i County’s Emergency Rule No. 7, submitted by Hawai‘i County Mayor Harry Kim, allowing certain county parks and recreational facilities to re-open, with modifications.
• ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER announced that all four regions of Illinois can move to Phase 3 of the “Restore Illinois” plan to reopen the economy. The city of Chicago will delay its reopening until June 3rd.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that New York City will enter Phase 1 of reopening on June 8th and that five other regions—Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country and Southern Tier—can enter Phase 2 of reopening. 
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF announced that 16 additional counties will take another step forward and move to green effective June 5th.
• RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO announced that Rhode Island will officially move into Phase 2 as of today.
• RHODE ISLAND’s Department of Environmental Management announces that all Rhode Island state beaches will be open to visitors with new restrictions in place beginning this week.
• WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE announced the expansion of Safe Start — Washington’s Phased Reopening plan. The expansion comes as the current Stay Home, Stay Healthy order ended midnight Sunday. The expansion moves Washington through the phased reopening on a county-by-county basis. With this new approach, counties will have more flexibility to demonstrate they can safely allow additional economic activity based on targeted metrics.

Public gatherings: 

• CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT signed an executive order raising the limits on all social and recreational gatherings to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, subject to safety restrictions and existing orders and business sector rules. The order also raises limits on all religious, spiritual, and worship gatherings to 25 percent of capacity of the indoor space or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is smaller, and to 150 people for outdoor gatherings, provided in each case that appropriate safety and social distancing measures are employed.
• ILLINOIS announced new guidance for houses of worship to resume services.
• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS signed an executive order easing the restrictions on certain gatherings from 10 to 50 beginning today.
• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed an executive order suspending the prohibition on individuals engaging in organized sporting activities as of June 22nd, provided that activities remain outdoors and are non-contact. The Department of Health will issue health and safety standards for these activities.

Elections:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS extended executive orders concerning petition collection for unaffiliated and independent candidates.
• RHODE ISLAND’s Board of Elections has authorized mail ballot return drop boxes to be installed at the 47 polling places set to open for the Presidential Preference Primary on June 2nd. Voters may drop their mail ballot in any polling place drop box, regardless of their city/town of residence.

Business guidance:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS signed an executive order allowing food trucks to operate at rest areas to support the movement of commercial vehicle activities. 
• CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT signed an executive order permitting barbershops and hair salons to resume operations today, provided that they follow sector rules that have been issued by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS signed an executive order easing restrictions on eating establishments permitted to reopen and maintaining restrictions on those not yet authorized to reopen consistent with the Restarting Plan. The order also phases out the distinction between essential and non-essential businesses consistent with the implementation of the Restarting Plan.
• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS signed an executive order that continues to require businesses to the extent practicable as determined by businesses to have their employees work remotely.
• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY and the Superintendent of the State Police announced an administrative order authorizing horse racetracks to reopen today with no spectators, and with health and safety protocols in place.

Business support:

• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS directed the Maine Department of Corrections to offer to purchase perishable and non-perishable food from restaurants in York, Cumberland and Androscoggin counties that are unable to open to indoor dining as a result of measures to protect public health and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Restaurants in these counties that had purchased food prior to the May 27 announcement delaying the full reopening of restaurants for dine-in services are encouraged to contact the MDOC about this opportunity.
• OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN announced a $30 million investment to secure Oregon’s food supply chain and protect essential agricultural workers. The governor’s office worked with state agencies, farmers, and farmworker advocates to develop a funding proposal to deploy rapid support and resources to Oregon’s agricultural producers to meet harvest demands and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Schools/students:

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM issued an executive order allowing individuals enrolled in teacher preparation programs during the 2019-20 school year to obtain their preliminary credential without a teaching performance assessment, if the individual was unable to complete that requirement due to a COVID-19 school closure. Under the order, individuals otherwise eligible to obtain certain teaching or education specialist credentials or enroll in teacher preparation programs are permitted to do so without passing certain assessments, for which testing was suspended due to the statewide stay-at-home order.

Health care:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS extended executive orders expanding telehealth services.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that New York dentists can reopen statewide. Dentists’ offices will be subject to state guidance on best practices for safety and social distancing. 

Testing and tracing:

• MONTANA Gov. Steve BULLOCK announced additional resources for community testing and contact tracing in high-visitation communities, an informational campaign to educate visitors on responsible travel, and a grant program for small businesses across the state to implement safety measures.
• NEVADA’s Health Response website now features a search tool with locations, dates and other information that residents can use to arrange getting tested in their area. 
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that New York State will open 10 additional testing sites—one for each zip code—in New York City COVID hotspots. 

PPE and medical supplies:

• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS signed an executive order requiring places of business accessible to the public to post readily visible signs notifying customers of the requirement to wear cloth face coverings where physical distancing is not possible, as many already have, and allows them to deny entry or service to a person not wearing a covering or who is exempt from doing so.
• WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS delivered the Democratic Radio Address encouraging Wisconsinites to wear masks to protect friends, family, and neighbors. 

Worker support:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS extended an executive order expediting unemployment insurance claim processing for 15 days.  
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO signed into law a new measure providing death benefits to the families of frontline workers who lost their lives fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. The bill establishes a COVID-19 death benefit for the families of state and local government employees who have been on the front lines of response to this public health emergency.
• OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN announced that she asked for and has received the resignation of Oregon Employment Department Director Kay Erickson. Effective immediately, David Gerstenfeld, Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Division Director, will serve as interim Director of the Department. The governor has directed the Oregon Employment Department to address the current backlog in unpaid claims, and to clearly communicate the status of any unpaid claims to Oregonians.

Child care / summer camps:

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM issued an executive order waiving certain programmatic and administrative requirements that restrict child care and afterschool programs from serving children of essential infrastructure workers.
• DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY issued guidance for summer camps and summer school as Delaware continues a rolling reopening of the economy. Recreational camps must develop a written plan for enforcing social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and other basic public health precautions.
• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed an executive order allowing the resumption of child care services, youth day camps, and organized sports. This order rescinds the emergency child care program under a previous executive order and permits child care centers to resume normal operations on or after June 15th, subject to their compliance with COVID-19-specific health and safety standards. Additionally, youth day camps can open on or after July 6th, and must comply with COVID-19-specific health and safety standards. 
• NEW JERSEY’s Human Services Commissioner announced the immediate availability of up to $20 million in grants to assist child care centers and youth camps in meeting health and safety guidelines in response to COVID-19.

Homeowner/renter support: 

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM issued an executive order extending authorization for local governments to halt evictions for renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through July 28th.
• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS signed an executive order extending the temporary suspension of certain statutes concerning taxpayer filing requirements for certain taxable property.
• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS extended an executive order limiting evictions, foreclosures, and public utility disconnections for 15 days. 
• CONNECTICUT’s Public Utility Regulatory Authority announced that the utility shut-off moratorium for non-residential customers in the state will continue through July 1st.  
• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY announced the COVID-19 Short-Term Rental Assistance Program. The program will provide rental assistance to low- and moderate-income households that have had a substantial reduction in income as a result of the pandemic, including those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER signed an executive order extending the prohibition of utility shut-offs and implementing a moratorium on evictions. The order is effective immediately and lasts three weeks.  

Domestic violence protections:

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM and First Partner Jennifer Siebel NEWSOM announced a series of new initiatives to support victims of domestic violence amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the expanded capacity for Californians to text 911 for emergency services – a critical tool for domestic violence victims, $5 million in state funding, a new partnership to secure private funding with $3 million in seed funding, an executive order to help ease the financial strain on domestic violence service providers, and new private sector partnerships to support survivors fleeing violence.

State funding:

• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF signed a state budget that will provide 12 months of sustained public education funding at 2019-20 levels and make important investments in communities and programs to help begin to restore the economy.

Public communications:

• NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM, along with mayors from across the state, have recorded video messages urging residents to wear simple cloth face masks in public to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced the implementation of a new early warning dashboard that aggregates the state’s expansive data collection efforts for New Yorkers, government officials and experts to monitor and review how the virus is being contained on an ongoing basis. It tracks new infections and their severity, hospital capacity by region, and other metrics. The early warning system dashboard was developed in consultation with internationally-known experts who have been advising New York State.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER is encouraging all North Carolinians to honor today as a Day of Mourning to grieve the 100,000 people in America, including almost 1,000 in North Carolina, who have lost their lives to COVID-19.

Inter-state travel:

• HAWAII Gov. David IGE announced that the two-week restriction for incoming travelers to Hawaii will be extended beyond June 30.

Other efforts:

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM issued an executive order extending the waiver permitting the Department of Motor Vehicles to allow for mail-in renewals of driver’s licenses and identification cards.
• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS signed an extension directing the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to provide additional funds to nursing homes and other congregate care facilities that care for vulnerable older and disabled populations. 
• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS extended and amended an executive order temporarily suspending certain regulatory statutes, temporarily suspending the personal appearance requirement before notarial officers to perform notarizations, and suspending certain statutes preventing the issuance of marriage licenses when county clerk and recorder offices are closed.
• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR announced an official order temporarily authorizing circuit court clerk offices to process expired driving credential renewals and replacement requests remotely.
• MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS signed an executive order maintaining previously established restrictions on use of public transportation, unless necessary for essential purposes, and continues to limit passengers in certain private vehicles.
• MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ signed an executive order renewing exemptions on transportation of animal feed.
• WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE announced the extension of 23 proclamations today in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, including relating to unemployment benefits, telemedicine, and utility shutoffs. The extensions were approved by the state legislature.

Stay safe everyone and wash your hands!