GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• Wisconsin needs a statewide, data-driven approach to fight the coronavirus pandemic
  • This article outlines the need for clarity, communication, tools, and tactics to overcome the challenges.
• (Tennessee) Gov. Lee extends online government meetings through June
  • Gov. Bill Lee gave permission for local and state government organizations to continue to hold electronic meetings through the end of June.
• What to know about the plan to massively expand contact tracing in Minnesota
  • Officials from the Minnesota Department of Health told members of the Legislature’s House Health and Human Services Finance committee that to properly implement contract tracing, the department would need those workers and a new computer system it would purchase from a private vendor. Officials said they would also need more support for local and tribal public health departments. Money for the initiatives would likely come from cash already received from the federal government under the CARES Act.
• Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (5/6/20 edition)

Funding & Economic Impact 

• California Faces Nearly $55 Billion-Budget Deficit Due To Coronavirus Pandemic
• (Minnesota) COVID-19 Daily Briefing: State leaders address budget, future of economy
  • Minnesota state leaders addressed the future of the economy in the state and Gov. Tim Walz reminded Minnesotans of the "darker days ahead."
  • The latest Minnesota budget projection for the current biennium has significantly worsened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of February, the state had a projected surplus of just over $1.5 billion. That outlook switched to a projected deficit of $2.426 billion, a swing of almost $4 billion.
• Ohio Senate OKs $350 million from feds to local governments for coronavirus response
  • About $1.2 billion will eventually go to smaller local governments, but the state is pushing out only $350 million of that now because it is working with the federal government to relax guidelines on how the money can be spent, Sen. Matt Dolan said.
• As they brace for budget strain, Washington state school districts will receive some coronavirus aid
  • As they shell out on childcare and remote learning expenses they hadn’t budgeted, Washington state school districts will be getting some $270 million in federal aid to help them respond to coronavirus disruptions.
• State Funding for Public Colleges Was Rebounding. Now They Brace for Coronavirus Budget Cuts
  • Most state funding for public colleges and universities is still not up to pre-recession levels — and it could put schools in a difficult position as they reckon with financial effects of the coronavirus crisis.
• Most local CIOs bracing for budget cuts, survey finds
  • A slight majority of city and county chief information officers expect their budgets to be cut before the end of the year as the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic leaves government revenues in tatters.
• Federal Funding To Help Texans Impacted By Coronavirus Seek Crisis Counseling
  • The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has received $5.8 million in federal funding to provide crisis counseling services to Texans who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Coronavirus plunges California into worst budget deficit in state history
  • California’s government faces a $54.3-billion budget deficit through next summer according to an analysis by advisors to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the deepest projected fiscal hole in state history.
• (Wisconsin) State Tax Collections Dropped Sharply During Early Days Of COVID-19 Pandemic
  • State government saw a sharp decline in tax revenue during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a drop that was caused by a combination of the economic slowdown created by the virus and the three-month extension for filing income taxes.
• (Mississippi) Reeves, legislative showdown: Federal funds always part of state budget
  • The 2019 Legislature appropriated $8.6 billion in federal funds to various agencies of state government. These were funds passed by the United States Congress, signed into law by the president and sent to Mississippi for various programs, ranging from money for Medicaid beneficiaries to funds for highway construction and maintenance to funds for pandemics like COVID-19. The total state budget, including those federal funds, is $19.23 billion.
• Hawaii Farmers Struggle To Stay Afloat As Many Businesses Remain Shut Down
  • Affected by the decrease in tourism, local Hawaiian farmers are losing cash flow as hotels, restaurants, and farmers markets were a primary source of revenue.

Procurement

• Desperate for coronavirus help, California spending billions on no-bid contracts with little accountability
  • In a frantic effort to secure face masks and respond to the coronavirus crisis, California has committed to spend more than $3.7 billion on no-bid contracts

Higher Education

• House Dems to Include More Education Spending in Stimulus Proposal
  • Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are planning to propose adding more money for education aid for states in the next coronavirus relief package with focus on higher education bailouts.
• Louisiana representative shares COVID-19's potential impact on higher education and TOPS funding
  • District No. 36 Louisiana Rep. Philip Tarver thinks that state universities may receive a lack of funding for capital projects such as renovations on decaying buildings like LSU’s Middleton

K-12 Education

• As they brace for budget strain, Washington state school districts will receive some coronavirus aid
  • Washington state school districts will be getting some $270 million in federal aid to help them respond to coronavirus disruptions but Washington state will see a loss in revenue close to $7 billion.
  • Divided across all of Washington’s 1.1 million public school students, that first pot of funds works out to about $196 per student.
• Mississippi to receive millions in education CARES Act funds
  • The district by district allocation amounts are not available yet, according to a department spokesperson, but department officials are working on releasing guidance documents to schools on how to spend the money.
• (Ohio) Hundreds of millions in budget cuts to hit all areas of education
  • The Director of the state’s Office of Budget and Management said $55 million in more specific line-item cuts to the Ohio Department of Education are still being discussed by the agency and districts; this comes after the Governor announced a total of $775 million in budget cuts across the state.

Health Care

• (California) State Ready To Pay Assisted Living Facilities To Take Coronavirus Patients
  • The Newsom Administration has approved a plan to pay assisted living communities to take in COVID-19 patients — a move that doctors, nurses and other advocates for elderly people say is unnecessary and dangerous.

Social Services 

• (Missouri) State expands child care assistance through CARES funding
  • Child care providers and low-income families could soon see some financial relief, thanks to an expansion of the state’s child care assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 33 million have sought US unemployment aid since virus hit
  • Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the business shutdowns caused by the viral outbreak deepened the worst U.S. economic catastrophe in decades.
• Governors Lead the Way in Responding to Child Care Needs Amid the Coronavirus Crisis
  • Across the country, governors are leading the response to the coronavirus crisis. For most governors, that response includes taking initial steps to provide child care for essential workers and stabilize the child care industry so that providers can reopen.

Justice/Public Safety

• COVID-19: How public safety companies are assisting the frontline pandemic response
  • PoliceOne provides an update on how the businesses that equip and serve first responders are supporting the national emergency response with new products, free services and donations.

Transportation

• With America beginning to reopen, are workers ready to jump back on public transit?
  • A recent survey of U.S. adults found more than three-quarters of respondents were not comfortable using public transit until health officials say it is safe and additional precautions were put in place such as face coverings and physical distancing.
• (Pennsylvania) PA: U.S. Department of Transportation sends $6 million to Capital Area Transit as part of coronavirus response
  • The money will be used by the Capital Area Transit for operations, preventive maintenance and administrative expenses.
• (Michigan) MI: Ann Arbor bus system gets $20.7M in federal funding
  • The funding will go toward operating bus routes in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas.
• (Connecticut) CT can delay its transportation financing debate only a few months more
  • With Connecticut’s economy reeling from the coronavirus, legislators insist they won’t hike gasoline taxes or impose tolls this summer — even with new projections the transportation program is headed for collapse in just over one year.

Public Utilities

• So far, COVID-19 fallout not altering plans to retire US coal-fired plants
  • While U.S. power generators continue to assess what the total implications could be of a decline in electricity demand caused by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, those forecasting a shift to less carbon-intensive assets have not yet changed near-term plans to retire coal plants.

Community Development/Housing

• (Louisiana) Gov. Edwards Awards $10.4M Affordable Housing Grant to New Orleans in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak
  • John Bel Edwards announced that the State has committed $10,382,000 in community development block grant (CDBG) funds to the City of New Orleans to support nine affordable rental housing projects that were in danger of losing their funding as a result of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak.