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Govs On Deck – March 17, 2020

Govs on Deck

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Good Tuesday afternoon and welcome to today’s edition of “Govs on Deck.” Yup, you read that right – we’re going daily (for at least this week). 
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. 
A different sort of week:
Because of the quickly evolving situation, we are changing this newsletter to become a daily roundup of how our states are responding to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Every midday this week, we will send an overview of the actions our governors have taken the day before. 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. Want more examples? Send me an email and I can help you track down answers. 
Regional efforts: 

  • New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut came together to announce stricter regulations, including banning gatherings with more than 50 people and closing restaurants, casinos, gyms, and movie theaters across the three states. 

Business operations:

  • CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM on Sunday evening, ordered all bars, breweries, and wineries to close, regardless of their size. 
  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS issued an executive order suspending all downhill ski operations in the state for one week.
  • ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER ordered all bars and restaurants to close to dine-in customers through March 30th. Drive-thru, delivery, and take out operations can still operate.
  • KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR ordered all restaurants and bars to close to dine-in service. Take out, drive-thrus, and delivery remain in service.
  • LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS ordered all bars, theaters, and casinos to close and limited restaurants to drive-thru service until at least April 13th.
  • MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER ordered all gyms, movie theaters, and spas to close. Bars and restaurants no longer can offer dine-in service.
  • NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER is asking the U.S. Small Business Administration to grant a disaster declaration for North Carolina business owners facing economic losses related to the pandemic. 
  • NEVADA Gov. Steve SISOLAK issued guidance for casinos that remain open, including a maximum of three people at gaming tables and cleaning of gaming machines at least every two hours.
  • PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF ordered all restaurants and bars in five heavily populated counties, including Allegheny County, and the four counties ringing Philadelphia, to close their dine-in facilities.
  • RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO ordered restaurants and bars to end dine-in service.
  • WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE announced the shut down of all bars, restaurants, clubs, and gyms statewide.
  • WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS ordered restaurants and bars to operate at less than 50 percent capacity or have fewer than 50 people, whichever is less. 

Schools:

  • CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM on Friday ordered schools to retain state funding even if they are forced to close due to the coronavirus. The order directs school districts to use those state dollars to fund distance learning and educational opportunities, provide school meals and, as practicable, arrange for the supervision for students during school hours. 
  • CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT ordered all schools to be closed through March 31st. 
  • HAWAII Gov. David IGE announced schools will extend spring break for one week, with students returning to class on March 30th.
  • KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY is strongly recommending that Kansas schools close for the upcoming week. The state Board of Education has formed an expert task force to build a comprehensive plan to help schools move the classroom online, assist students who don’t have access to online tools finish the semester, continue assisting in providing meals for students, and assist with childcare for local and state health care workers, first responders and other essential workers.
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ is closing all schools for at least eight days. The closures start on Wednesday. 
  • NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that all schools in the state will close for the next two weeks.  
  • NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER issued an executive order to close all schools for at least the next two weeks. 

Public gatherings:

  • DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY authorized all meetings of public bodies to be conducted electronically until further notice.
  • KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY banned all gatherings of more than 50 people as of Monday. 
  • LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS banned gatherings of 50 people or more. 
  • MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER banned gatherings of more than 50 people
  • NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM ordered most state employees to work remotely.
  • NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER’s administration is limiting gatherings to no more than 50 people. 
  • RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO banned gatherings of 25 people or more. 
  • VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM banned all gatherings of over 100 people. 
  • WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE banned all gatherings of more than 50 people. 
  • WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS banned gatherings of 50 people or more. 

Worker support:

  • MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS is submitting an emergency bill to extend unemployment benefits to people affected by the pandemic. 

Price gouging:

  • MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER signed an executive order to curb price gouging. The order restricts a person or business from reselling goods or products that are “grossly in excess of the purchase price” of products.

Other efforts:

  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS ordered new restrictions on nursing home visits, requiring facilities to offer alternative ways to visit with their loved ones, including virtual visitation. 
  • MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER signed an executive order temporarily lifting weight and other delivery-related restrictions for vehicles carrying essential supplies to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ signed an executive order directing the state Department of Human Services to submit a proposal by Friday addressing strategies for supporting child care providers.
  • NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY announced that he is mobilizing New Jersey’s National Guard to assist in the state’s effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
  • NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM issued five executive orders to free up $3.25M of additional funding for emergency response and disaster relief funding. The funding will be used to assist in humanitarian relief, public health measures and to benefit families and children impacted by school closures. 
  • RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO has asked that all childcare centers close for the next week. 
  • WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS directed the state Department of Transportation to issue permits that will allow for additional supplies to be transported on Wisconsin interstates, highways and roads.
  • WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS called on utility companies across Wisconsin to keep the power turned on for people even if they are not paying their bills.

Stay safe everyone and wash your hands!