GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• There's no end in sight to coronavirus stimulus spending
  • The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the U.S. budget deficit will be roughly $3.7 trillion for fiscal year 2020, with public debt projected at 101% of GDP — and that was before the "phase four" $484 billion relief package passed by Congress late last week.
• In Utah, coronavirus decisions are fueled by real-time data
  • A handful of states are using a dashboard-type platform by the Utah business-intelligence software firm Domo to supply their governors and their staffs with the latest statistics related to the novel coronavirus.
  • This platform has helped Utah Governor Gary Herbert track the virus’ spread and set benchmarks for when certain parts of the state’s economy can resume.
• Michigan Stay-At-Home Order Extended, Committee Formed to Look at State Coronavirus Response
  • Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order extending the state’s stay-at-home order through at least the middle of May, but she also loosened some restrictions, allowing some businesses to return to work.
• Governors discuss, defend plans to reopen state economies amid coronavirus pandemic
• Coronavirus updates: More states easing lockdowns as U.S. deaths near 55,000
  • A growing number of U.S. states plan to join hard-hit European countries this week in starting to lift lockdown measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
• (Wyoming) State lawmakers begin drafting COVID-19 response plan
  • The plans include the infusion of tens of millions of dollars in new funding for critical medical facilities, the creation of a new eviction avoidance program, assistance for local government, expansion of the state’s worker’s compensation and unemployment insurance programs, and the potential creation of a fund similar to the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program that will be aimed at small businesses.
• Inslee to Slowly Reopen Washington State Boating, Fishing Closed Under Coronavirus Emergency Order
  • Beginning May 5, Washington State’s will begin reopening state boats ramps provided that boaters continue to follow social distancing measures. Recreational fishing will likely open later in May in phases as monitored by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Oregon Outdoor Recreation Sites Could Begin Reopening by Mid-May after COVID-19 Closures
  • Oregon state officials are looking at reopening sites in stages and ensuring safe conditions before reopening.
• Cuomo eyes construction, manufacturing for regional reopen in New York
  • New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to reopen regions of the state in coordinated phases, starting with the construction and manufacturing industries.
• Nevada, Colorado join West Coast reopening alliance
  • Colorado and Nevada have joined a coalition of Western states coordinating a gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions. The governors of California, Washington and Oregon had already announced a regional pact aimed at restarting their economies as the pandemic's spread has slowed. The addition of two more states means the group will encompass some 60 million Americans, or about a fifth of the nation's population.
• (Connecticut) Reopening not likely until June

Funding & Economic Impact 

• States focus on next COVID funding battle
• Pennsylvania businesses receive $13.5M from COVID-19 funding program
  • The state Department of Community and Economic Development says 160 companies have received a total of $13.5 million in loans as part of the COVID19 Working Capital Access Program.
• HHS Increases Telehealth Promotion, Rural Hospital Funding for COVID-19
  • The Department of Health and Human Services launched a new telehealth website through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a means to better inform people about ongoing federal efforts to support and promote telehealth programs at this time.
  • In addition to launching the aggregated telehealth-information platform, the agency announced it will provide $165 million in funding to support telehealth in rural hospitals
• (New York) North country hospitals face multi-million-dollar deficits from COVID-19 fallout
  • Several hospital networks in northern New York state are expected to have significant deficits duet to the pandemic.
• State and local governments brace for huge cuts as feds debate sending help for coronavirus-related revenue loss
  • States will likely be forced to contend with budget cuts as the most recent funding bill did not include direct allocations for state and local governments.
• (North Carolina) Gov. Cooper Shares Emergency Budget Package Details for COVID-19 Relief
• Missouri budget plan shows almost $500 million in cuts
  • The University of Missouri System will permanently lose the $37 million withheld from its state support under the budget plan
• Virginia has $1.65 billion in federal relief funds, but faces limits on its use
  • The money Virginia has received is half of the $3.3 billion dedicated to the state and local governments under the CARES Act stimulus package
  • Virginia is supposed to receive $1.8 billion and local governments $1.5 billion, but they can't use it for their most pressing need: massive shortfalls projected in state and local government revenues because of the economic shutdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
• Colorado lawmakers are looking at how to close a $3 billion budget shortfall. Here’s the roadmap.
  • The General Assembly’s budget writers on Monday will start reviewing recommendations from legislative analysts for potential spending cuts across all government agencies. The documents are expected to include scenarios for slashing budgets as much as 20% and force legislators to make hard choices that will impact most Colorado families, according to drafts reviewed by The Colorado Sun.
• (Arizona) Phoenix and Mesa get millions in coronavirus relief funds, but still face financial woes
  • Metro Phoenix's two largest cities are beginning to get millions of dollars in coronavirus aid from the federal government — yet they still expect to make substantial spending cuts to balance their budgets.
• Speculation Begins On When, If, Florida Special Session Will Be Called
  • The financial picture will start to become clearer when April sales tax revenues are reported in May. A panel of economists is expected to meet in June to consider what likely will be the disease’s devastating impact on sales tax collections, which comprise about 74 percent of Florida’s general revenue.
• (Missouri) Lawmakers face grueling deadline to pass state budget
  • The University of Missouri System, that’s about a $36.5 million cut.
  • MoDOT would have about $4.3 million less than the governor's recommendation, and about $55 million less than the actual fiscal 2020 budget. Much of that was because of one-time funding for bridge repairs in this year's budget.
  • The Department of Economic Development would have about $31 million less than the governor's recommendation, and about $30 million less than the actual fiscal 2020 budget.
  • The Department of Corrections would have about $18 million more from the actual fiscal 2020 budget, in large part to reimburse counties for holding state prisoners.

Higher Education

• Status of Higher Education Scholarships in Flux with Coronavirus Outbreak
• University of Minnesota-Crookston deals with COVID-19 budget factors
  • UMC has estimated it will refund students about $600,000 in fees related to housing, dining, student service fee, course fees and parking
  • More than 200 administrators across the University of Minnesota System have taken a voluntary five-day pay cut between April and the end of June
  • The University of Minnesota System will see around $35.5 million in funding with the most going to the Top 25 Twins Cities campus at about $25.7 million

K-12 Education

• Colorado school districts preparing for major budget cuts due to COVID-19
• (Virginia) School buses with wireless routers deliver the internet
  • A school district in Virginia is outfitting school buses with wireless routers to deliver high-quality internet to students who can’t get online.
• COVID-19 could lead to reductions in Arizona school funding
  • The state is anticipating an estimated $1.1 billion budget shortfall, which could affect education funding which has seen a drop in funding per student by about 36.6% from 2008 to 2015.
• (North Carolina) Governor Cooper, state education leaders announce that remote learning will continue through end of 2019-2020 school year
  • Governor Cooper released a recommended budget plan to invest $1.4 billion in emergency funds to help North Carolina respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding for this proposal would come predominantly from the state’s share of the federal CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) and would be appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly in its upcoming session.
  • The budget package is intended to fund immediate needs in three main areas:
    • Public health and safety
    • Continuity of operations for education and other state government services
    • Assistance to small businesses and local governments

Health Care

• 28 companies, including tech firms, collaborate on EHR-fueled COVID-19 database
  • An assortment of 28 U.S. firms have formed a cross-industry collaboration
  • Doctors and other stakeholders can use the research database to, among other things, evaluate drug effectiveness using de-identified electronic health record and claims data.
• Telehealth Resource Centers Get COVID-19 Funding From CARES Act
  • The consortium of 12 regional and 2 national telehealth resource centers is getting funding – $828,571 each – from last month's CARES Act to help healthcare providers and other organizations ramp up their telehealth and mHealth programs.
• Many states are far short of Covid-19 testing levels needed for safe reopening, new analysis shows
  • More than half of U.S. states will have to significantly step up their Covid-19 testing to even consider starting to relax stay-at-home orders after May 1, according to a new analysis by Harvard researchers and STAT.
• Hospitals Face Financial Hardship As COVID-19 Continues To Surge
• (North Carolina) Health spending plan in NC House has temporary Medicaid expansion for COVID-19 patients
  • The draft bill would allocate $40 million to be used for Medicaid cost, including support for long-term care, primary care and other providers dealing with disrupted

Social Services 

• Will Child Care Be There When States Reopen?
  • Child care centers, home daycares, and after-school programs nationwide are struggling to stay open as families stay home to avoid spreading the coronavirus. As some governors prepare to lift stay-at-home orders, child care advocates warn that if these business cannot survive, it’ll be harder for parents to return to work.
• California’s Jobless Face Jammed Phone Lines, Computer Glitches While Trying To Get Unemployment Assistance
• New Jersey Unemployment System Goes Down Over Weekend
  • State officials have confirmed that workers seeking to claim their weekly benefits online or file a new unemployment claim have been unable to do so through a system that has been flooded with users.

Justice/Public Safety

• Florida police departments reconsider body camera purchases
  • Two of FloridA’s largest police departments said they would delay buying body cameras because of financial concerns spawned by the coronavirus outbreak.
• COVID-19 Q&A With 9-1-1 Center Leaders: May Update
  • The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) will be hosting a webinar on Friday May 1, 2020 at 1:00PM to provide updates and help 911 centers benefit from lessons learned.

Transportation

• Pennsylvania)PA: CamTran officials: Ridership down more than 50%, revenue loss more than $158K due to pandemic
  • Cambria County Transit Authority (CamTran) has seen ridership down more than 50% across the system. The decline represents a loss of $158,726 in revenue thus far. CamTran is set to receive $4.5 million in CARES funding.
• (Indiana) IndyGo postpones implementation of new route networks as part of COVID-19 response
  • The implementation of a new grid-based bus network will be postponed due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic; the implementation was previously planned for June 2020
• How Technology is Impacting Fleet Fueling
  • This article discusses the technology of contactless payment likely becoming more common in the United States for fleet fueling. Social distancing measures and recommendations will likely contribute to the adaptation of this technology within the United States.

Public Utilities

• Tracking the impact of coronavirus on the US power sector
  • Updated April 27, 2020; impact COVID-19 has had on the United States power sector