GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

Word on the Street

(What our Analysts are hearing from government)

• A Chief of Contracts from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services said that they are working under a spending freeze, leading to potential impacts of timing and ability to fully award and execute contracts.

General

• Michigan Secretary of State says all voters may submit ballots by mail this year
  • All registered Michigan voters may vote by mail in the upcoming August and November elections
• (Ohio) Cellphone tracking tells where Ohioans stayed home during height of coronavirus
  • In February, the data suggest an average of 1.5 million Ohioans stayed home. That figure peaked at 5 million in April before falling to 2.2 million by May 9 — a week after Ohio’s stay-at-home order ended.
• All states will be partially reopened by Wednesday despite at least 17 seeing coronavirus case rates rise
  • Every US state has now begun lifting measures to curb the spread of coronavirus — though daily case rates still are rising in parts of the country.
• Governor Wolf vetoes three bills related to the state’s response to COVID-19
  • According to the Wolf Administration, SB 327, HB 2388 and HB 2412 violate the separation of powers and make other changes that go against the administration’s plan for reopening the state safely.
• (Ohio) Coronavirus: DeWine implements Ohioans Protecting Ohioans advisory as part of next phase
  • Gov. Mike DeWine is implementing an Urgent Health Advisory called Ohioans Protecting Ohioans as part of the next phase of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• (California) SD County to Send Phase 2 Reopening Plan, Phase 3 ‘Pilot’ Plan to State for Approval
  • San Diego County’s COVID-19 Response Team confirmed the county has satisfied the new metrics set by the state to allow jurisdictions to advance further into Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan.
• (Minnesota) Latest on COVID-19 in MN: State unveiling plan to reopen bars, restaurants
  • Minnesota leaders are poised to unveil plans for a phased reopening of bars, restaurants and other gathering spaces.
• Gov. Mike DeWine lifts Ohio’s ‘Safe At Home’ order, makes more coronavirus restrictions voluntary
  • More of Ohio’s mandatory restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including the state’s “stay-at-home” order and two-week self-quarantine period for travelers entering the state, will be cut short.
• Federal judge rules Texans afraid of catching Covid-19 can vote by mail
  • A Texas federal judge ruled that all voters afraid of catching the novel coronavirus can request absentee mail-in ballots due to the pandemic.

Funding & Economic Impact 

• (Michigan) Flint freezes hiring during coronavirus pandemic to avoid layoffs
  • The city of Flint is suspending new hires until it can get a clearer image of its financial stability after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• (Utah) Salt Lake County disburses CARES funds to municipalities
  • Salt Lake County has announced that it will distribute $34 million to municipalities to meet the needs at the local level. The County says the funds will be distributed to municipalities based on population.
• What To Expect Out of Illinois Legislature’s Emergency Session This Week
  • For three days, the Democratic-led House and Senate have a full agenda that could include a state budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a COVID-19 relief package and election legislation designed, in part, to expand Illinois’ vote-by-mail program this fall.
• (Wisconsin) Governor’s office outlines $1B COVID-19 spending plan
  • Amid expanded testing and local governments setting their own reopening guidelines, Governor Tony Evers's office announced Tuesday a $1.17 billion plan to expand testing, contact tracing, purchase new equipment and prepare for possible future outbreaks in the state's ongoing effort to mitigate the threat of the novel coronavirus.
• (Texas) City outlines $270M coronavirus response
  • The $270.1 million framework features $37.9 million for medical and public health needs, $98 million to recover direct costs of the pandemic response, and $101.2 million in economic relief to the community
• (California) This is how Orange County plans to spend money from coronavirus relief fund
  • The Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a plan for spending $243.1 million, the county said 60% of the funds will go to the community
• (Mississippi) COVID-19 COULD FORCE GOVERNOR, LEGISLATORS TO TURN TO RAINY DAY FUND THIS FISCAL YEAR
  • The decision to extend Mississippians’ tax deadline until July 15 will likely force Gov. Tate Reeves and the Legislature to dip into the rainy day fund to balance the budget for the current fiscal year that ends on June 30.
• (Delaware) Wilmington mayor optimistic city can survive economic impact of coronavirus crisis
  •  Wilmington is projecting significant losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Mayor Mike Purzycki believes the city is ready to handle the challenge.

Higher Education

• (North Carolina) Board of Governors committee discusses COVID-19 aid funding for UNC System schools
  • The N.C. General Assembly appropriated the UNC System $44.4 million for costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • These funds were provided in order to cover the cost of remote coursework and exams, facility sanitation before reopening campuses and expenses for student and faculty assistance, such as counseling services and IT support.
• Gov. Parson: COVID-19 has impacted Missouri budget, difficult decisions need to be made
  • The governor says he plans to talk with the Missouri Department of Elementary of Secondary Education and the Missouri Department of Higher Education to address how those entities may be impacted as the state focuses on testing for coronavirus. Budget decisions are likely to be drastic with heavy reliance on the CARES Act funding.
• (Texas) Budget cuts at UT-Austin will likely bring furloughs and layoffs, campus leaders say
  • University of Texas at Austin leaders are working on a second phase of budget cuts in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and those cuts will likely include furloughs and layoffs.
• Lawmakers just cut 58% from Colorado public colleges. Federal money will ease the blow.
  • Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee slashed $493 million from next year’s higher education budget, a massive 58% cut from this year’s funding levels by lawmakers trying to fill the state’s $3.3 billion revenue shortfall.

K-12 Education

• (New Jersey) What COVID-19 Funding Cuts Would Mean for Newark Public Schools
  • Newark Public Schools, which presented its budget hearing remotely in March, and other urban districts are adrift in a sea of unknowns as the state reassesses what it will allocate to schools. Many are already tightening their belts and preparing for the worst amid the ravaged economy.
• Will Federal Education Aid Offset Cuts To Ohio's Schools?
  • Ohio district leaders are advocating for the federal government lifts the restrictions on the money in order for budget deficits to be addressed.
• Gov. Polis announces distribution of $1.6B in federal CARES Act aid, much to Colorado education
  • Nearly $1 billion will go toward lower and higher education, according to the order, and comes on top of around $294 million already directly distributed by the federal government to K-12 and higher education and as lawmakers consider education cuts.
  • The Colorado Department of Education will receive $37 million for next fiscal year and The CDE will also get $510 million from the federal funding to facilitate distance learning and social distancing, prevent lost learning hours and increasing free teaching hours for K-12 students.

Health Care

• Arizona develops surge line for load-balancing COVID-19 cases
  • The state’s many health systems put competitive concerns aside for the greater good during a pandemic, using IT to send patients to locations that could best serve them.
• Federal coronavirus response pushes funds to Alabama telehealth expansions
  • More than $1 million in grant funds are flowing to Alabama amid the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to bolster telehealth and telemedicine services in the state.
• Michigan introduces 'Robin,' an automated, online assistant to answer COVID-19 questions
  • The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has launched Robin, a new automated online assistant that can help answer common COVID-19 questions.
• Ohio Dept. of Aging launches free check-in service for seniors
  • The Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) announced a free, daily check-in by phone service for Ohio’s older residents to ensure their well-being amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency and beyond.
• (Michigan) State House Passes Bills to Expand Access to Telehealth
  • The Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation May 13 that would expand access and improve reimbursement for telehealth services. If they become law, House Bills (HBs) 5412 through 5416 would expand opportunities for providers to receive Medicaid payment for telehealth services and remove requirements that previously limited access to care.
• Virginia gets more than $200 million in government funding to expand COVID-19 testing
  • The Department of Health and Human Services is delivering more than $200 million in funding to help Virginia expand its COVID-19 testing capacity.
  • The funding is being provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention which is giving $10.25 billion to states, territories and tribes in the CDC’s jurisdiction.
• Wisconsin to ramp up testing with federal CARES Act funding as coronavirus cases in Wisconsin near 13,000
  • Gov. Tony Evers laid out a plan that calls for the state to spend $1 billion in federal aid to ramp up testing and contact tracing and support local health departments.
• (Colorado) Polis: Any Coloradan With Coronavirus Symptoms Should Get Tested
  • Coloradans with COVID-19 symptoms can now get tested for the disease, Gov. Jared Polis announced. Previously, tests were reserved for symptomatic frontline health care workers and other first responders, as well as those who deal with the public, work in nursing homes or require hospitalization.
• Idaho Receives $56M From Federal Government To Expand Testing
  • The US Department of Health and Human Services is sending $56 million from the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to help pay for testing as well as contact tracing.
• Lawmakers question $295M emergency deal to expand Texas contact tracing network
  • Hearst Newspapers reported last weekend that Texas will give MTX Group up to $295 million over a 27-month period to hire contact tracers and create a call center to find people who were exposed to the virus. Building up a force of contact tracers is key to the state’s strategy for limiting the spread of coronavirus as Texas reopens its economy.
• (Michigan) Michigan to receive $315 million for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing as state reopens
  • The money is part of $10.25 billion included in the federal Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to increase COVID-19 testing across the country.
• (North Carolina) NC receives $189 million to bolster coronavirus testing capacity
  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it is giving $188.9 million to North Carolina as part of about $10.25 billion in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to different states, cities, and jurisdictions across the country. 

Social Services 

• Floridians Still Waiting for Unemployment Benefits After State Received Funding
  • Records show the state of Florida received federal funding in the beginning of April to help residents get benefits needed after filing for unemployment due to COVID-19, yet some are still waiting to receive payments.
• Many Still Without Unemployment Funds In Arizona
  • Arizona’s unemployment agency is paying out claims to over 300,000 residents with agency officials saying some will have to wait up to 3 weeks to receive regular unemployment disbursements.
  • The state’s Department of Economic Security (DES) averages between 70,000 and 120,000 phone calls a day while only able to answer roughly 5,000. The agency has expanded their staff to 700 to handle the unemployment claims during the pandemic.
• New York State Department of Labor Announces Over $10 Billion in Unemployment Benefits Paid to Over 2 Million New Yorkers During COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Backlog includes applications that are missing critical information and cannot be processed, duplicates, and abandoned claims
• Arkansas, Illinois COVID-19 unemployment websites leak data
  • Experts say the hurried pace of setting up these digital services could very well have resulted in glitches and overlooked gaps in security
• Washington state records record unemployment
  • Washington’s unemployment rate shot up to 15.4% in April and the state’s economy lost 527,000 jobs in the month as a result of the economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic.

Justice/Public Safety

• Alabama County Embraces Virtual ‘Picnic Court’ Concept
  • Officials call it the 'Picnic Court' in Prattville, Ala., and it involves respondents lining up on the lawn of the Autauga County, Ala., Courthouse to have their matters handled virtually via tech.

Transportation

• (North Dakota) SD: Transit, taxis hit hard in pandemic economy
  • The businesses of moving people around Jamestown have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, according to Maureen Wegenke, executive director of the James River Senior Center and James River Transit.
• (Washington) WA: STA gets $23.4 million to keep buses running as it braces for likely shortfalls, cuts
  • The Spokane Transit Authority has received a $23.4 million cash infusion from the federal government that will help keep Spokane’s bus system operating in the near term.

Public Utilities

• As utilities tackle immediate COVID-19 impacts, analysts stress need to focus beyond the pandemic
  • Power systems across the country need new approaches for today's shifting loads, but focusing on recovery and tomorrow’s resources can be even better, analysts say.
• Energy efficiency has been hit hard by COVID-19; don't question its merits
  • Nearly every sector of the economy has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the energy efficiency industry is no different. Energy efficiency workers in the U.S. filed for nearly 70,000 unemployment claims in March, according to the recent Clean Jobs America report. This is a number four times higher than the next-biggest clean energy sector for unemployment claims, renewable energy, at 16,500 claims.