Democratic Governors Association

Contribute

Chip in to protect our blue firewall!

If we want to stop the Republicans' dangerous agenda, defend reproductive rights, and protect our democracy, we have to keep pace with the GOP's millions in fundraising. Please don’t wait: rush your gift to elect Dem govs >>

Govs On Deck – November 2, 2020

Govs on Deck

Share

We all know what day it is. There are a lot of things I could overthink today, so for sanity’s sake I am choosing just two: whether or not Selena Gomez has a line of ice creams like the delivery truck outside my window claims and this edition of “Govs on Deck!” As a reminder, your favorite newsletter comes out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 


As always, questions or suggestions? Send me a note at amestoy@dga.net. You can find us all on Twitter too – @A_Tall_Turner, @CEAmestoy, and @andersonkayjay.


We want this to be helpful, so let us know what other info/what other formats you’d like to see for these updates.


Programming note: This is gonna be a week. Expect to see us back in your inbox on Monday. If you need to find us before then, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’ll see you on the other side. 


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.


COVID-19 response:


Emergency declarations:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS signed an executive order extending the state’s disaster declaration.
  • DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY formally extended the state’s state of emergency.


New mitigation efforts:


  • ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER announced that COVID-19 resurgence mitigations will be implemented in Region 6—East-Central Illinois—beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 2, 2020. 
  • MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS announced actions to prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus, taking into consideration the need to keep businesses open and the need to keep schools accessible to students. The Administration will extend the “Keep Maine Healthy” program through December to promote local prevention efforts. The Administration will also return to lower indoor gathering limits, postpone bar and tasting room reopenings for now, and remove New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from exempt status under the State’s travel advisory.


Reopening efforts:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS signed an executive order updating Protect Our Neighbors and Safer at Home in the Vast, Great Outdoors, and establishing directives for the COVID-19 Dial Framework. An updated public health order will be issued in the coming days.


. 


Public gatherings:


  • RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO tightened the limits on social gatherings, banned spectators at youth sports, limited visits at hospitals and nursing homes, and closed hockey rinks and indoor sports facilities. 


Schools and students:


  • NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO released guidelines for schools to reopen in red and orange micro-cluster zones in order to help keep schools in focus areas open to in-person instruction. The guidelines require mass testing in schools before they reopen followed by vigilant symptom and exposure screening conducted daily. Impacted schools can reopen as early as Monday however students and faculty must be able to provide a negative COVID-19 test result prior to going back to the classroom. New York State will provide rapid test kits for schools wishing to participate.
  • OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN announced updates to Oregon’s school metrics that will allow more students to return to classroom instruction with health and safety measures in place. The updated metrics reflect CDC guidance and lessons learned from school districts across the country for best practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
  • WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE announced the allocation of $24 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds to purchase approximately 64,000 computing devices for students across the state. These devices will enable students to receive their education in the new COVID-19 remote learning environment. The first shipment of 20,000 devices is expected in the coming weeks.


Business support:


  • COLORADOGov. Jared POLIS announced that applications are open for the  Winter Outdoor Grant Program, which will provide funds to restaurants to winterize patio space for outdoor dining. 
  • NEW MEXICO’s MainStreet program announced that six districts are using ‘Cash Mob’ virtual events to support local businesses during the pandemic and upcoming holiday season. Events are hosted on Facebook Live where participants bid on items, arrange payment and socialize during the fun two-hour session. 


Testing, tracing, and vaccination:


  • CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM announced the opening of an innovative new laboratory in California that will increase the state’s COVID-19 testing capacity, reduce test turnaround time, and create hundreds of new California jobs. 
  • DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY announced the list of community testing sites throughout Delaware this week. Testing locations listed below include pop-up and Curative trailer sites, as well as community sites hosted by St. Francis Hospital and Henrietta Johnson Medical Center.   
  • NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson called attention to shortcomings in the federal government’s current COVID-19 vaccination plan for failing to adequately serve communities of color.


Long term care facilities:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced that the AARP has recognized Colorado as a model for addressing the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. 
  • CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT announced that his administration is collaborating with the leadership of the Connecticut General Assembly to form a bipartisan working group that will evaluate and address challenges for nursing homes and assisted living facilities that have been revealed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 


Worker support:


  • PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF announced that the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program released an analysis on the importance of hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted Pennsylvania’s efforts to protect essential workers. 


Family support:


  • NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced an additional $10 million is being dedicated to the Nourish New York program, bringing the total funding dedicated to the program to $35 million. The funding will allow New York’s emergency food providers to continue to purchase surplus products from New York farmers and dairy manufacturers and deliver it to New York families in need through the end of the year, including during the holiday season, which can be a challenging time for families.


Public communication:


  • KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY announced the launch of the online investment dashboard to show how the $1.034 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds are being spent across Kansas.


Travel restrictions:


  • NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced new guidelines allowing out-of-state travelers to New York to “test out” of the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Travelers from states that are contiguous with New York will continue to be exempt from the travel advisory; however, covered travelers must continue to fill out the Traveler Health Form. Essential workers will continue to be exempt as well. The new protocol is effective Wednesday, November 4. 


Other efforts:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS signed an executive order extending the temporary suspension of certain regulatory statutes concerning juvenile justice, regional centers, and behavioral health due to the presence of COVID-19.
  • NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY announced an administrative order clarifying restrictions on professional and college athletic competitions, indoor mall services, self-service food and drink, and private tutoring facilities. 


Beyond COVID-19 


Natural disasters:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS signed an executive order memorializing a verbal disaster declaration from October 1, 2020, for the  Mullen Fire in Jackson County, enabling State agencies to coordinate, and making resources available for fire suppression, response, consequence management, and recovery efforts.


Health care:


  • WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS announced the Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program will receive $1,945,652 from a competitive U.S. Department of Justice grant program. The ePDMP is an award-winning tool that promotes responsible opioid prescribing and generates state-wide prescribing data.


Infrastructure:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS released the Broadband Initiatives Report which outlines the state’s vision to create economic opportunity for Coloradans and accomplish the administration’s Bold Four issues through changing how Colorado governs, maps, funds, and deploys broadband. To support this vision, the governor signed an executive order creating a Broadband Advisory Board within the Office of Information Technology to focus on collaboration and coordination of broadband efforts for Colorado, and to partner with the Office of Future of Work to provide regular updates to the board on digital inclusion and literacy. 


Economic development:


  • KENTUCKY Gov. Andy BESHEAR announced that HANDLE Global, doing business as Healthcare Asset Network, is expanding in Jefferson County with a $7.8 million investment toward additional warehousing and 80 high-paying jobs across its distribution and headquarters operations.


Workforce development:


  • VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM announced that more than 67,000 Virginia military veterans have been hired through the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program since its inception in 2012, surpassing the goal he set of 65,000 V3 hires by the end of his administration.


Other efforts:


  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS opened the first trailhead at Colorado’s 42nd State Park, providing initial public access to 250 acres of the property via three trails and a public picnic area.
  • NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed legislation establishing a program to adopt paratransit best practices, requiring greater coordination among paratransit service providers, and establishing regional paratransit coordinating councils.
  • NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO announced that, in the wake of repeated failures by utility and telecom companies to meet their obligations to New Yorkers, he has appointed Rory Lancman, a seasoned lawyer and legislator, as statewide Special Counsel for Ratepayer Protection.


Stay safe, everyone. Get off Twitter for a few minutes and take a deep breath, drink some water, wear a mask, wash your hands, and please, go vote! We’ll see you on the other side.