Govs On Deck – June 17, 2019

June 17th, 2019

Good Monday morning and 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.
Coming up this week:

• NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM will deliver a speech at the Third Way Conference in Charleston, S.C. today. The speech will focus on how her message of public education investments, clean energy transformation and economic diversification led to a landslide victory in 2018 and how those lessons might apply to 2020.
• Today, WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE will participate in the unveiling of the first electric school bus in the state. The bus will serve Franklin Pierce Schools and was purchased with grant dollars.
• CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM is expected to sign a nearly $215 billion state budget that will allow low-income immigrants without legal status between the ages of 19 and 25 to qualify for Medicaid. About 90,000 people will benefit.

2020 topic of the week: The U.S. Census
Dem govs get it done.
While we wait for SCOTUS to decide the fate of the U.S. Census’ proposed citizenship question, Democratic governors across the country are wasting no time in ensuring accurate, complete counts in their states.
In CALIFORNIA, NEVADA, and NEW MEXICO – three of the states at the greatest risk of undercounting – millions in funding has been allocated to census commissions:

• Gov. Gavin NEWSOM proposed an additional $54M in funding for the California Complete Count Committee. The committee is encouraging media, community-based organizers and other “trusted messengers” to help in its communication push.
• Gov. Steve SISOLAK dedicated $5M in funding for the Nevada Complete Count Committee that was created by executive order.
• Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM is dedicating $3.5M in funding for her state’s Complete Count Commission.  

Some news from this past week:

• Criminal justice reform:
  • LOUISIANA Gov. John Bell EDWARDS signed Solan’s Law that establishes a set of guidelines for judges to determine if a child should be sent to detention, go back home or somewhere else to get help. The law is named 13-year-old boy who committed suicide while at a juvenile detention center.
  • NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK signed AB236 – a major criminal justice reform measure aimed at reducing the prison population and recidivism rates through changes in penalties for some crimes and increased access to diversion programs.
  • NEW MEXICO’s Ban The Box law went into effect on Friday. The legislation was signed by Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM in April.
• Immigration:
  • NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK signed legislation creating an Office for New Americans that will serve as a hub for refugee and immigration services throughout the state and a resource for other agencies and nonprofits that serve immigrants.
  • NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM is filing suit against Trump administration in an effort to halt its indiscriminate practice of releasing migrants in communities in the state’s borderland area.
• Clean energy:
  • MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS signed into law a bill to install 100,000 heat pumps in homes across Maine. This energy efficient heating and cooling technology will help fight climate change, limit reliance on fossil fuels, and create jobs.

Birthdays:
Happy birthday to Gov. Kate BROWN! (June 21st)
Name that governor:
Selling textbooks was this governor’s first job after graduating college…
Think you know? Shoot me your answer at amestoy@dga.net.
Last week’s winner is Alex Clearfield (National Journal) who correctly identified Gov. Janet MILLS as the answer to this question:
This governor featured a photo with the “Duck of Justice” in an email update from the campaign trail…
And where was this duck, you ask? The Bangor Police Department, of course.
For those keeping score – that’s two in a row for National Journal!
Have a great week!