Govs On Deck – October 7, 2019

Good Monday morning! 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. You can find us all on Twitter too – @A_Tall_Turner, @CEAmestoy, and @MichBeyer.
Coming up this week:

• NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY today will announce new policies to combat lead in the state’s public schools as well as unveil a comprehensive vision for lead abatement across the state, including in housing and water infrastructure.
• Today, CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM will sign AB 48 at a ceremony at a public school in Sacramento. The bill will place the largest school construction bond in state history on the March 2020 ballot.
• On Thursday, OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN will take part in the kick-off event for the next World Athletics Championships which is slated to be held in Eugene, Oregon. It will be the first time the track and field competition is held in the U.S. and will be the world’s largest sporting event in 2021. 
• COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS will announce the final 2020 health insurance rates on Thursday. The state successfully implemented a reinsurance program that is expected to deliver lower rates.
• Also on Thursday, KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY will spend the day on a Kansas Farm Bureau tour talking with new and veteran farmers about issues related to recent flooding and erosion, seed business, and new technologies in agriculture.
• KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY will be at the grand opening of the Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park on Saturday. The park features dramatic chalk rock formations with fossilized evidence of sea creatures from when an inland sea covered what’s now Kansas.
• The LOUISIANA gubernatorial primary is Saturday, October 12th. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a runoff will be held on November 16th.

How ‘bout Dem govs: Medicaid expansion 
Dem govs get it done.
The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion are saving lives across the country. Yet in Kansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, Republican state lawmakers have blocked Dem govs’ efforts to deliver health care coverage to more at-risk constituents. But Dem govs are not backing down.

• After GOP lawmakers blocked expansion efforts in the state Senate, KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY created the Governor’s Council on Medicaid Expansion which will bring together both new and veteran voices on expansion and will be charged with supporting legislative efforts to find the best way forward for the state.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER vetoed the GOP state budget after it failed to include Medicaid expansion, among other priorities. While GOP legislators refuse to negotiate with Gov. Cooper, rural GOP leaders are crossing party lines to join Cooper in calling for an expansion.
• WISCONSIN Gov. Tony EVERS’ administration is taking a two-pronged approach to boost private and government health coverage after GOP lawmakers pulled Medicaid expansion from the state budget. The state is spending $500k to help cover some of the 400,000 Wisconsinites who remain uninsured.

Some news from this past week:

• Health care
  • MONTANA Gov. Steve BULLOCK released a new report that shows Montana has decreased the overall opioid prescription rate by four percent and the average daily dose of prescription opiates by nearly 23 percent in the past six years.
  • MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS announced that the state is launching a marketing campaign to coincide with open enrollment. The campaign will encourage more people to sign up for health care.
• Environment
  • KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY announced a new statewide energy plan to lower energy costs and increase options for consumers. The plan will create jobs while boosting the state’s renewable energy economy.
  • PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF announced that the state will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – a carbon emission cap-and-trade program run across northeastern states.
• Immigration
  • KANSAS joined MICHIGAN, MONTANA, NEVADA, and WISCONSIN in legal action supporting the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The states filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in support of DACA.
• Education
  • DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY’s initiative to strengthen schools in the City of Wilmington is moving forward with the opening of a Dual Generation Center. The center will provide early learning for children, as well as social services, education, and workforce training for adults. It is expected to open later this month.  

Name that governor:
This governor coached a college freshman football team before catching the political bug…
Think you know? Shoot me your answer at amestoy@dga.net.
Alex Slawson (Anne Lewis Strategies) correctly named LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS as the answer to last week’s question: This governor installed a chicken coop at the governor’s mansion…
Have a great week!