Govs On Deck – September 23, 2019

Good Monday morning and happy fall! 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:

• Today, MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS will be speaking before the United Nations. She is the first sitting Maine governor to address the body.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER will mark Clean Energy Week by participating in a coastal resiliency and clean energy round table with North Carolina mayors.
• Tuesday, six Democratic governors will hold a U.S. Climate Alliance panel discussion in New York City as the United Nations meets. CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM, MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS, NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY, NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM, VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph NORTHAM, and WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE will highlight the unprecedented action states are taking to deliver on America’s commitment to the Paris Agreement.
• Thursday, MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS will address the Maine Climate Council, created by Gov. Mills, when they meet for the first time.
• NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy COOPER will receive the completed North Carolina Clean Energy Plan, a product of his 2018 Executive Order to combat climate change.

How ‘bout Dem govs: U.S. Climate Alliance 
Dem govs get it done.
On June 1, 2017, then CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry BROWN, NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO, and WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE announced the creation of the U.S. Climate Alliance in response to President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement. States in the alliance commit to advancing the goals of the Paris Agreement
The alliance has three core principles: states are continuing to lead on climate change; state-level climate action is benefiting economies and strengthening communities; states are showing the nation and the world that ambitious climate action is achievable.
Since then, 18 additional Democratic governors have joined the alliance. 
On Tuesday, six of these governors Democratic governors (NEWSOM (CA), MILLS (ME), MURPHY (NJ), LUJAN GRISHAM (NM), NORTHAM (VA), and INSLEE (WA)) will host a panel in New York City focusing on how states are leading the charge against climate change.
Some news from this past week:

• Environment
  • TWENTY Democratic governor-led states have sued to stop the Trump administration for revoking CALIFORNIA’S authority to set greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy standards for cars and trucks.
  • ELEVEN Democratic governors signed a letter calling on Congress to do more to protect drinking water in and around military bases.
  • MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS announced the membership of the Maine Climate Council, which is charged with helping the state tackle its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals and with preparing the state for the impact of climate change.
• Addiction recovery
  • COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS in partnership with the state’s Department of Human Services announced the new line of recovery-themed greeting cards available for free at the state Capitol. In less than 24 hours, all 5,500 cards in stock were gone.
• Veterans services
  • MAINE Gov. Janet MILLS participated in a veterans suicide prevention event, telling veterans “I want you to know that you’re not alone. Please hear me when I say you are loved, honored, welcomed and not alone.”
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ held a four-day veterans tour aimed at helping the state’s veterans and their families ahead of the deployment of 700 National Guard members. The tour included a focus on veterans’ mental health and suicide prevention.
• Women’s rights
  • MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ helped launch a statewide task force on the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women. The 27-member task force is meant to draw attention to the disproportionate rates of violence experienced by indigenous women and girls.

Name that governor:
This governor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering…
Think you know? Shoot me your answer at amestoy@dga.net.
Turns out, it’s NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY who can tap dance and was the answer to this question: This governor initially wanted to go into musical theater…
Have a great week!