GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• How to deploy an enterprise analytics platform during a pandemic
  • Many state and local governments are realizing the necessity for data-driven decision-making as a result of COVID-19.
• Arkansas governor creates board to review COVID-19 tracing tech
  • Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the creation of an 12-member panel tasked with reviewing technologies that the state may use in developing a contact-tracing program to track the spread of the coronavirus.
  • The COVID-19 Technical Advisory Board includes officials from the state departments of Health and Information Systems, other statewide agencies and the University of Arkansas.
• Kansas Setting Record For Mail Ballot Requests Amid Pandemic
  • Kansas election officials are encouraging voting by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic The mail ballot applications have reached a historic rate of 57,000 as of yet and is expected to increase.
• Fewer COVID-19 cases and deaths, as Rhode Island begins Phase 2 of reopening economy
  • As Rhode Island begins the second phase of reopening its economy Monday, the state Health Department is reporting a drop in new daily cases of COVID-19, fewer people hospitalized, and fewer deaths.
• Hurricane Season Collides With Coronavirus, As Communities Plan For Dual Emergencies
  • Coastal states from Maine to Texas have been scrambling to revise hurricane emergency plans to take the pandemic into account.
  • They’re rethinking everything — from evacuation routes and shelters to stockpiling personal protective equipment and communicating new procedures, says North Carolina meteorologist Katie Webster. She coordinates monthly calls with emergency managers through the National Emergency Management Association and is director of the natural hazards branch of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Funding & Economic Impact

• While asking for more, states are slow to spend federal coronavirus aid
  • Many states have yet to spend the federal funding they received more than a month ago to help with soaring costs related to the coronavirus crisis, complicating governors’ arguments that they need hundreds of billions more from U.S. taxpayers.
• COVID-19 will threaten Arizona pensions, long after we've found a vaccine. Here's why
  • Arizona pensions were already underfunded, and losses from the COVID-19 crash will only make things worse for schools, cities, teachers and first responders.
• (Pennsylvania) York County to receive $40.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds
  • York County is slated to receive $40.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds after Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation that swiftly passed through both chambers of the state Legislature.
• Tennessee awarded $18.49B in federal COVID-19 relief
  • Tennessee has received $18.49 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid, the 21st-highest amount among all 50 states relative to the number of its COVID-19 cases and resulting economic disruption.
• (Maine) Mills administration may steer COVID-19 funds to schools, public health
  • Finance Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa said as much as $220 million of the funding could go to K-12 public schools to help them prepare for reopening in the fall with strict physical distancing measures, based on recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Some of the funding also may go to rebuild parts of the state’s public health system that had been reduced under the previous governor.
• (New Hampshire) State agencies project major revenue declines due to COVID-19 crisis impacts
  • New Hampshire State agencies expect revenue collections to be more than half a billion dollars less than planned through the middle of 2021, indicating key services for Granite Staters may face funding challenges without other supports.
• (Louisiana) Federal funding on the way to help with Covid-19 testing and contact tracing
  • Governor Edwards announced nearly $200,000,000 will help the state fight covid-19.
  • The federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services is for a testing plan, which is already in the works.
• (Illinois) Pritzker says budget 'acknowledges that massive disruption leads to difficult decisions'
  • Lawmakers approved a state operating budget shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, May 24, but despite the passage of the document, nothing about the next fiscal year is black and white.
• (Colorado) Department of Local Affairs Allocates $275M in Coronavirus Relief Funds
  • The money will be allocated to local governments across the state from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CVRF) in an effort to reduce the financial impact of the pandemic

Higher Education

• Rep. Shalala Addresses Federal Higher Education Policy in Post-COVID World
  • Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) the first-term lawmaker and former Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton said the federal government has yet to do enough to help students and institutions who have been adversely impacted, saying the stimulus package passed in March was just the first step in offsetting the financial impact the virus has had.
• Trump Vetoes Move to Ease Loan Forgiveness for Defrauded Students
  • Without Trump’s veto, the bipartisan congressional resolution — passed with the support of 10 Senate Republicans — would have overturned a Department of Education rule that makes it harder for student borrowers to prove the colleges they enrolled in defrauded them. Trump’s veto means Secretary of Education Betsy Devos’s rule, released last year, will go into effect July 1. The administration says Devos’ rule will save the federal government $11 billion over the next decade.
• UTSA professor awarded NSF grant for COVID-19 research
  • Researchers from UTSA and the University of Kansas have launched a study to investigate the life and academic challenges that STEM faculty and students around the U.S. are facing—particularly in their mentor-mentee relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic.Guan Saw, an assistant professor of educational psychology in UTSA’s College of Education and Human Development, will co-lead the new project with Chi-Ning Chang of the University of Kansas. Support in the form of a $153,899 Rapid Response Research grant from the National Science Foundation, using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, will help fund their research.
• Oklahoma State Regents pass higher education COVID-19 response measures in May 29 meeting
  • The regents unanimously passed an item on the agenda approving the allocation of state-approved funds to higher education institutions and programs for FY 2021. The 2020 State Legislature approved $770,414,742 for allocation to Oklahoma colleges and universities — a 3.95 percent decrease from last year’s appropriation of $802,070,058.

K-12 Education

• (California) Schools issue warning: Coronavirus testing and tracing are needed before campuses reopen
  • Raising the possibility that campuses won’t reopen in the fall, leaders of the state’s two largest K-12 school systems demanded that public health authorities, not school districts, take the lead on setting up coronavirus testing and contact tracing of students and employees.
• (Oregon) OSU Board Approves $124 Million In Cuts Due To Covid-19
  • Oregon State University is getting ready to slash its budget for next school year because of financial impacts from Covid-19. The Board of Trustees approved $124-million dollars in cuts.
• (New Jersey) West Orange Superintendent Addresses Impact of State Aid Reductions
  • After Gov. Phil Murphy announced that approximately $335 million has been cut from his original school-funding proposal as a result of the financial impact of the pandemic, West Orange Public Schools (WOPS) Superintendent Dr. J. Scott Cascone had an optimistic outlook on the revised proposal, stating that reduction is not as steep as the district expected and explaining how another federal grant will help offset the loss of state aid.
• Arizona Releases Guidelines For How To Safely Reopen Public Schools
  • The Arizona Department of Education release guidance for public schools put together by a task force of teachers, principals, school nurses, and other administrative leaders.
  • The document outlines precautions such as social distancing of desks in classrooms, reduction in class sizes, marking one way routes in hallways, and installation of sneeze guards and partitions where physical distancing is not possible. The report does not address if schools will be provided funding to pay for additional resources such as cleaning materials.
• Georgia Dept. of Education releases guidelines for K-12 schools to reopen
  • The Georgia Department of Education has released a set of "considerations and recommendations" for returning the state's schools to normalcy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Georgia's Path To Recovery for K-12 Schools is a document that has been focused on health and physical requirements necessary for reopening school facilities across the state.
• Department of Education Announces $180 Million Grant Program Under CARES Act
  • The $180 million discretionary Rethink K–12 Education Models Grant will be available to states most affected by the coronavirus so they can “create adaptable, innovative learning opportunities” for all K–12 students, according to a press release from the Department of Education. It is funded by the Education Stabilization Fund under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which also authorized $127.5 million for short-term postsecondary and work-based learning programs.

Health Care

• Pennsylvania approves regional approach, $295 million in aid to combat COVID-19 in long-term care
  • Assisted living communities and personal care homes in the Keystone State will receive a collective $50 million under House Bill 2510, the Senior Protection Act to Safeguard At-Risk Seniors, which the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved unanimously. Nursing homes will receive $245 million.
• New York Home Health Agencies Facing $200 Million in 2020 Losses Due to COVID-19
  • Due to the losses, the Home Care Association of New York State (HCA-NYS) wrote to New York Sen. Chuck Schumer to demand additional financial support for home health organizations in the next federal aid package — with priority for those operating in New York.
• Expert: Hospitals should prepare for pent-up demand from non-COVID-19 patients
  • While much of the focus has been on "flattening the curve" when it comes to COVID-19, experts warn hospitals should be prepared for another potential surge: pent-up demand for deferred care.
• (California) As jobs vanish, so does health care
  • More than 84,000 people have signed up for coverage through Covered California since March 20, when the exchange announced a special enrollment period in response to the coronavirus pandemic. That special enrollment period will be in effect until June 30 or possibly beyond that date, depending on the situation.
• Michigan launches web portal allowing employees, employers to track coronavirus symptoms
  • The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Labor and Economic Opportunity announced a collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Public Health and College of Engineering to launch the MI Symptoms Web Application.
• (Virginia) Federal funding to be given to Virginia hospitals for purchasing more medical equipment, support preparedness planning
  • The award will be distributed through HHS’s Hospital Preparedness Program to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association for COVID-19 preparedness and response activities under the Virginia Healthcare Emergency Management Program

Social Services 

• Idaho Department of Labor Adds More Phone Lines And Agents To Help Answer Claimants Calls
  • The Idaho Department of Labor has contracted with a call center to provide additional agents for claimants who want to talk to someone about their claim beginning Monday, June 1. The goal is for claimants to eventually experience shorter hold times.
• (Oregon) Gov. Kate Brown Fires Director Of Oregon Employment Department Over Delays In Delivering Jobless Benefits
  • In response to the Oregon Employment Department’s long delays in delivering jobless benefits to out-of-work Oregonians and the agency’s inability to communicate the status of worker’s benefits claims, Governor Brown has asked for and received the Department’s Director’s resignation.
• (North Carolina) N.C. exceeds $3 billion in paid state, federal unemployment insurance benefits
  • The overall unemployment benefits payment breakdown is: $1.68 billion from the federal pandemic unemployment-compensation package; $798 million in state benefits; $625.5 million in the federal pandemic unemployment-assistance package; and $14.9 million in pandemic-emergency unemployment compensation
• (Florida) Floridians who have exhausted state unemployment may be eligible for more weeks of pay under new federal program
  • Residents who qualify for the program can collect a combination of two payouts: up to $275 a week for 13 weeks and an additional $600 through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program  
  • Floridians can collect PEUC benefits as far back as March 29 and until December 26
• (Massachusetts) Massachusetts passes bill to improve access to unemployment benefits
  • Components of the bill include: protection for employers, extending the unemployment benefit period, lifting the cap on dependency allotment and giving a nonprofit contribution grace period
• (New Jersey) Additional Food Assistance for SNAP Recipients
  • An additional $37 million will be provided to about 220,000 New Jersey households for June 1, 2020
• (Virginia) Emergency SNAP benefits will be released in June
  • SNAP participants will continue to receive emergency benefits during the month of June as part of the Virginia Department of Social Services’ ongoing efforts to provide additional food assistance to households during the pandemic

Justice/Public Safety

• Will COVID-19 Cause Long-Term Tech Changes for Courts?
  • Tech experts who work with county court systems have implemented a number of changes to help the justice system continue to function in the time of COVID-19, and some of those changes may become permanent.

Transportation

• (Missouri) MoDOT facing financial challenge through COVID-19
  • The Missouri Department of Transportation is looking at some serious budget shortfalls in the near future due to COVID-19.
  • Current projections show the department bringing in around $900 million less than it was expecting to at the beginning of the year.
• (Oregon) TriMet’s budget adjustments due to COVID-19 focus on preserving services, jobs and safety
  • CARES Act funding will sustain reduced operations for Fiscal Years 2020 and 20201, but concerns for the future remain.
• Op-Ed: The New York MTA's $51-billion, five-year 2020-2024 capital plan is in jeopardy
  • The MTA $51-billion 2020 - 2024 Five Year Capital Plan is no longer financially viable. The only solution is either reductions in scope of work or postponement of some capital projects and programs into the next MTA capital plan.
• (New Jersey) NJ: N.J. commuting will change forever as state slowly reopens. Here’s what to expect.
  • Commuting, transit agencies and highway traffic will be affected by how and where employees work, with those continuing to work from home being the biggest game changer, experts told NJ Advance Media.
• Overall Light-Vehicle Sales Down in May but Expected to Rise
  • In May, new light-vehicle sales, including fleet, are forecast to fall to 1,050,000 units, down nearly 33% compared to May 2019, according to Cox Automotive. However, when compared to April sales are expected to rise by roughly 347,000 units, an increase of 49%.
• Kentucky allowing driver’s license, ID renewals remotely
  • Kentucky is letting people renew or replace their driver’s licenses and ID cards remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said people whose licenses, permits or ID cards were lost or expired between March 1 and June 30 may apply with their circuit court clerk to receive a new one in the mail. Beshear's order keeps the process in place through July 31.