Govs On Deck – June 12, 2020

Happy Friday, everyone and 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.
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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.
Reopening efforts:

• NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle Lujan GRISHAM announced the state’s emergency public health order will be amended to permit a limited reopening for breweries this weekend followed by a broader reopening on Monday, June 15.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that five regions—Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country and Southern Tier – will enter phase three of reopening today, June 12th.
• OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN has implemented a one-week pause on pending county applications for reopening due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the state. 
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF signed amended green phase orders for the 12 counties moving to green today. The counties include Adams, Beaver, Carbon, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Northumberland, Union, Wayne, Wyoming, and York.

Public gatherings:

• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that the state is allowing localities to open public pools and playgrounds at their discretion while following state guidance.

Business guidance:

• WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE issued guidance for card rooms and other related businesses in Phase 2. 

Business support:

• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY’s administration released results of an online survey that drew responses from nearly 4,000 businesses and non-profits across the state. Results of the survey demonstrate overwhelmingly that while the business and non-profit community is eager to get back to work, owners understand and take seriously the public health risks posed by COVID-19 and the responsibility to provide a safe experience for employees and customers.  Many worry about the effect of a possible second wave of the virus.

Schools/students:

• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM issued guidance for Virginia public and private higher education institutions as they develop plans to safely reopen their campuses and resume in-person instruction. 
• WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE issued a proclamation outlining the state’s plan to possibly re-open schools in the fall for the 2020-2021 school year. The plan follows the state’s Safe Start phased approach to reopening on a county-by-county basis. 

Health care:

• WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS announced hospitals across Wisconsin will receive direct payments from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to assist with lost revenue and expenses they’ve incurred related to the COVID-19 pandemic. DHS will distribute these payments from $40 million of funding provided to Wisconsin under the CARES Act.

Homeowner/renter assistance:

• MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER signed an executive order further extending the duration of protections for tenants and mobile home owners from being evicted from their home until June 30th.

Worker support:

• CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT announced he is launching a new resource – the CT Back to Work Initiative – that will provide workers and businesses in Connecticut with high-quality, user-friendly career tools to assist those who have been impacted by the economic fallout from the public health emergency.

Task forces:

• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO has accepted the COVID-19 Domestic Violence Task Force’s initial recommendations to reimagine New York’s approach to services for domestic violence survivors in full and is directing his administration to use these recommendations to update and improve domestic violence services in New York State.

Relief funds:

• NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK announced the distribution of federal CARES Act funding to local governments throughout the State to assist with unanticipated expenditures created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other efforts:

• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced the Can Do Colorado Community Challenge calls on local governments and businesses to continue finding safe and sustainable opportunities to jumpstart the local economy and implement these practices until a cure or vaccine is created.
• MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER signed an executive order extending protections for vulnerable populations in Michigan’s county jails, local lockups, and juvenile detention centers until July 9th.  

Beyond COVID-19
Friday roundup: major actions from the week(ish):

• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM, last Friday, announced his support for new policing and criminal justice reforms. Governor Newsom will work toward a statewide standard for policing peaceful protests and ending the carotid hold.
• ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced on Monday that 32 minority-owned businesses and business incubators will receive a total of $11 million as part of the state’s Minority-Owned Business Capital and Infrastructure Program. These grants will equip minority-owned firms with resources to create jobs, build capacity, increase revenues, and revitalize properties in underserved communities.
• KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR has asked the state Historic Properties Advisory Commission to meet today to vote to remove the statue of Jefferson Davis from the capitol rotunda.
• KENTUCKY’s secretary for the Governor’s Executive Cabinet announced on Monday that a council with the Department of Criminal Justice Training is reviewing and assessing its curriculum in light of demands for change across the nation. Secretary Brown said the review will look at how current and future police officers are trained, with a plan to develop a proposed eight-hour online training course. The new course will cover several issues, including implicit bias, the use of force, deadly force, and firearm deployment.
• LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS yesterday issued a statement supporting the student-led effort to rename Middleton Library on the campus of Louisiana State University. The library is currently named for a former LSU president who supported racial segregation and LSU announced last night that it will begin the process of renaming the building. 
• MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER, last week, announced her support for a series of policy plans for police reform in Michigan. Governor Whitmer also voiced her support for measures that require law enforcement officers to complete training on implicit bias and de-escalation techniques and applauded the Senate for taking up a bill that addresses many of these issues. The governor also urged police agencies to require their officers to intervene when they observe an excessive use of force by another officer, which will save lives and help to keep people safe.
• MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER declared June 2020 as ‘Pride Month.”
• MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ yesterday announced a comprehensive set of police accountability and reform measures. The proposals support use of force reform, funding for alternatives to policing, greater police oversight, voting restoration, community healing efforts, independent prosecution and investigation reform, training expansion, and the banning of warrior training and choke holds. 
• NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK yesterday announced that he placed a resolution for consideration on the Board of Pardons Commissioners’ agenda next week to provide relief to tens of thousands of people who were previously convicted for possession of small amounts of marijuana. In 2016, Nevadans voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana through a ballot initiative. A provision of the initiative legalized possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. The governor’s proposed resolution would unconditionally pardon individuals previously convicted of possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, not for purpose of sale.
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO on Tuesday called for the implementation of a new, comprehensive Justice Agenda to reform policing, reduce inequality, and reimagine the criminal justice system in America. 
• NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO on Monday announced his intent to sign a set of bills on criminal justice reform introduced by the New York State Legislature.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER on Tuesday signed an executive order forming the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. The task force will recommend solutions to stop discriminatory law enforcement and criminal justice practices and to hold public safety officers accountable.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER on Monday signed a bill into law that supports mental health services in schools.
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF last week signed a bill into law allowing previous convictions of strangulation to be considered in sentencings for subsequent cases and in child custody proceedings. 
• PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF last week announced several actions to improve law enforcement relations with the community and strengthen training and accountability. The multiple actions are directed at meaningful reforms and many are based on the 21st Century Policing Task Force, created in 2015 under President Obama.
• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM yesterday announced that he is expanding the mission and extending the term of the Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law. The commission was established to examine and identify racially discriminatory language in the Acts of Assembly and the Code of Virginia that should be removed. The governor is now reauthorizing the commission and directing it to identify current state laws and regulations that create or perpetuate inequities, propose changes to increase protections for minority and marginalized Virginians, and provide policy recommendations for state agencies and institutions. The commission will focus the next stage of its work on public safety, criminal justice, education, health, housing, and voting.
• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM last week announced plans to remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee located on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.
• VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM announced updates to ConserveVirginia. The new features help prioritize land conservation projects for water quality, protection of battlefields that saw the engagement of African American troops.
• WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS last week announced that the Rainbow Pride flag will be raised over the Wisconsin State Capitol during the month of June in recognition of Pride Month. 

Stay safe everyone and wash your hands!