GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon
Published: June 04, 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) PandemicRecon
GovWin's SLED Coronavirus Recon, produced by Deltek's SLED Market Research team, is designed to support awareness and understanding of the response to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by state, local, and educational (SLED) entities and the contractors that support them.
Word on the Street
(What our Analysts are hearing from government)
- The Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is reporting delays in awarding contracts as they shifted their priorities and focus to address the COVID 19 pandemic. DAS has been tasked with sourcing all the PPE supplies and COVID-19 test kits needed for the state.
General
- New York State shares lessons from COVID-19 tech 'SWAT teams'
- One of the measures New York ITS took early in the pandemic was to make an open call to private-sector technologists who might be able to lend their skills to the state’s needs, including apps to help people screen themselves for a coronavirus infection, expanding processing capacity for state services like unemployment and distributing network hardware to support field operations.
- The agency this week also published a brief “playbook” meant to be a guide for other government entities that find themselves scrambling for emergency IT services
- Iowa Legislature reconvenes following absence due to COVID-19
- Following a nearly two-month hiatus due to the spread of COVID-19, state legislators returned to the Capitol on Wednesday to resume budget talks and virus safety
Funding & Economic Impact
- Are public pensions doomed because of the coronavirus pandemic? State, local budgets feel pain
- With stocks well below recent highs and state and local government budgets crunched due to the coronavirus, public pensions are suddenly at risk of even greater shortfalls.
- (Massachusetts) State gets federal funding to expand COVID-19 testing
- The state has received $374 million in federal funding to ramp up COVID-19 testing as it takes gradual steps toward reopening the economy.
- Coronavirus Stimulus Funds Are Largely Depleted After Nine Weeks
- Nine weeks after Congress approved its largest-ever economic relief measure to counter the coronavirus pandemic, most of the direct cash assistance aimed at keeping the economy afloat has been spent or committed.
- (Minnesota) Local lawmakers deliberate over $2.2 billion COVID-19 funding
- In Minnesota, the question of who will decide how the state allocates its slice of the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund and how it will be distributed will be a point of contention.
- (Pennsylvania) Gov. Wolf: $50 Million in Grants Available to Support Fire and EMS Companies Negatively Affected by COVID-19
- Governor Tom Wolf announced that the Office of State Fire Commissioner will be working to enact recent legislation to provide $50 million in direct financial relief to fire and emergency medical service (EMS) companies negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
- Illinois taps Federal Reserve for $1.2bn emergency funding
- Illinois is set to become the first US state to tap the Federal Reserve for emergency funding, planning to borrow $1.2bn from the US central bank to plug a financing gap created by the pandemic.
- Texas awarded $78.81 billion in federal covid relief
- Texas has received $78.81 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid, the 12th highest amount among all 50 states relative to the number of its Covid-19 cases and resulting economic disruption.
- (Connecticut) Lamont is ready to give towns their first share of federal relief funds
- While it remains unclear whether the impact on municipalities will stretch into the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, Lamont is expected to announce an initial wave of funding for communities, which have been pressing for assistance for the past two months.
- COVID Hurts Overall IT Spending, Cloud Benefits
- Among the most closely watched results are from Gartner Inc., which projects and 8 percent decline in global IT spending from 2019. The pandemic and its worldwide economic impact have shifted CIO’s priorities from expansion and upgrades to “mission critical” technology and services, Gartner said.
- (Florida) Florida counties pushing Gov. DeSantis to release almost $1.3B in COVID-19 aid sitting in state coffers
- $1.275 billion remains unspent, as counties increase pressure on the Republican governor to distribute funds to rural areas that have suffered since DeSantis and local officials shut down most businesses in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- (New Jersey) Vote set on $5B debt authorization stemming from COVID-19
- The measure gives the administration approval to borrow the money to plug the budget hole created by the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak
- (Tennessee) Gov. Lee's revised budget features sharp cuts, no raises for state employees, teachers
- The state plans to cut their budget by another $284 million and use millions in reserve funds to help make up for an expected $1 billion shortfall in the upcoming budget
- The plan includes no raises for state employees, K-12 teachers and people who work in public higher education
- California lawmakers agree to close $54.3 billion budget gap
- California's Legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected billions of dollars in budget cuts to public schools and health care services that Gov. Gavin Newsom had proposed, setting up a fight with the governor over how to close the state's estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit.
- (Kentucky) No Quick Fix To COVID-Wrecked State Budget, Analysts Say
- Kentucky budget forecasters anticipate a dramatic drop in the state's General Fund dollars as a result of measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19.
- Governor Ron DeSantis Announces FEMA has Awarded $252 Million to Florida for COVID-19 Operations
- Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state of Florida will receive nearly $252 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse costs associated with the COVID-19 response. The funds are allocated to Florida for expenses from the COVID 19 response from March 13 through April 30. The total approved cost is $335,869,104 with a federal share of 75 percent of the total project cost, or $251,901,828.
Procurement
- Maryland spending board declines to approve millions in coronavirus contracts
- Maryland’s spending board declined Wednesday to approve hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency spending on the state’s coronavirus response.
Higher Education
- (Tennessee) U of M expects to lose $15 million in state funding, due to COVID losses
- The University of Memphis will have to cut at least $15 million from the nearly $130 million it expected to receive from the state Legislature for the coming year due to COVID-related decreases in state revenue.
- More than half of students probably can’t afford college due to Covid-19
- More than half, or 56%, of college students say they can no longer afford their tuition tab, according to a survey by OneClass, which polled more than 10,000 current freshmen, sophomores and juniors from 200-plus colleges and universities across the country.
- (New York) Senator Shelley Mayer and Senator Toby Stavisky Introduce the "SHARE" Act to Protect New York Public Schools and Higher Education From Budget Cuts as a Result of the Fiscal Shock of COVID-19
- The SHARE Act would bring in much-needed new revenue, asking those most capable of paying to share in the financial burden of COVID-19 for a very limited time, two years, in order for the state to avoid devastating education cuts.
- The new revenue generated by the SHARE Act would be shared between public schools and public higher education: 85% for public schools and 15% for SUNY and CUNY.
- Louisiana colleges, universities talk changes as higher education reopens this fall
- LSU Interim President Tom Galligan said the university is facing 34.5 million in losses and costs between the middle of March and the end of April. Galligan said LSU is in the red and will continue to be in the red as their COVID expenses are greater than any CARES reimbursement that they expect to receive.
- In terms of changes for reopening plans, the colleges and universities will be re-configuring classrooms; smaller classes will be held in larger rooms; and larger classrooms will be held online.
- Higher education enrollment further threatened by pandemic, proclamation
- There continues to be a decline in completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms which is one of the indicators for post-secondary enrollment.
- Also according to The Hechinger Report, if international student enrollment decreases, the economic fallout will be severe, as it nationally accounts for about $2.5 billion in tuition and fees.
K-12 Education
- (California) How Will 'Hybrid Schedules' Work If K-12 Schools Reopen This Fall? LAUSD Is Thinking About It
- One of the reopening options that LAUSD is considering is that have student spend one week on campus followed by the next week using remote learning from home. Another option considered is for students to rotate through the classroom every other day, or once every five days, or every third week.
- The school district is putting its emphasis on the learning environments of particular students such as younger students, English learners, students with learning differences and disabilities, and struggling students prior to the pandemic.
- Gutted Colorado budget passes its first test on party-line vote
- K-12 education would take a nearly 10% hit and higher education would lose more than a quarter of its state support under the budget that passed the Colorado House. The budget cut more the 21% to the overall budget and has now moved to the Senate.
- Lee Administration Releases Plan to Balance Tennessee Budget
- The administration and the General Assembly agreed on $397 million in recurring reductions at the onset of COVID-19, and the administration is proposing an additional $284 million in reductions for FY 20-21, bringing the total to $681 million in reductions and the state has also brought in hiring and expenditure freezes.
- The budget plan is a multi-year spending plan which provides full funding for the Basic Education Program (BEP) for K-12 public schools, among other programs and funds.
- (Michigan) State superintendent: Congress can prevent 'profound' K-12 cuts
- Michigan's school superintendent stated K-12 districts are confronting the possibility of staggering spending cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic unless Congress helps fill a nearly $2.4 billion revenue shortfall over this budget year and next.
Health Care
- (Arkansas) State panel backs funds for hospitals' virus costs
- A panel appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to recommend the state's best uses of $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds endorsed the state Department of Human Services' request for $109.6 million to reimburse Arkansas hospitals for covid-19 expenses.
- FCC Awards COVID-19 Telehealth Program Funding to Another 53 Providers
- The ninth group of healthcare providers brings the total to almost 240 locations in 41 states and Washington DC, accounting for almost $85 million of the $200 billion fund set aside for telehealth development and expansion.
- (Arkansas) State panel backs funds for hospitals' virus costs
- Governor Hutchinson is endorsing the state Department of Human Services’ request for $109.6 million to reimburse Arkansas hospital for COVID-19 expenses
- (Idaho) Idaho health officials explain latest contact tracing efforts, use of 'Sara Alert' system
- Idaho's seven health districts received a total of about $7 million to respond to COVID-19, some of which may be use for increased contact tracing efforts.
Social Services
- (Texas) Council to Weigh $80M Workforce Development Program, Small Business Aid
- The $80 million will fund workforce development for 10,000 participants, with $10 million spent on temporary child care support for working families and $70 million on workforce training support, career navigation and placement, education and training, and participant stipends
- (Oregon) Employment Department May Seek National Guard's Help With Claims
- Unemployment in Oregon is so grave that the state Employment Department is considering bringing in the National Guard. The tentative idea would be to have the Guard update people with basic information on the status of their claims, so they wouldn’t need training on the intricacies of unemployment compensation.
- 1.9 million seek jobless aid even as reopenings slow layoffs
- Nearly 1.9 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that many employers are still cutting jobs even as the gradual reopening of businesses has slowed the pace of layoffs.
- $20M In Grants Will Help Families And Nebraska Child Care Centers And Programs
- Nebraska Director of Children and Family Services, Stephanie Beasley, has announced that $20 million from the coronavirus relief bill will be used in child care development block grant funds to help mitigate the effects COVID-19 has had on children, families, licensed child care centers and family home providers. The grant will be focused on helping child care centers and home providers stay in business.
Justice/Public Safety
- Jury Trials Begin Again, Carefully
- Over the next several weeks and months, courts around the country must figure out how to resume operations in a way that keeps employees and visitors safe, yet also safeguards the constitutional guarantee to a jury trial.
- Facial recognition adapts to a mask-wearing public
- With more people wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, facial recognition developers are adapting, building datasets of images featuring masked faces to develop and train facial identification and recognition algorithms and upgrading existing solutions.
Transportation
- Road Construction Sees Drop in Funding from Fuel Taxes due to COVID-19
- Several US states are facing a serious loss in funding for their Departments of Transport (DOTs) as a result of less traffic and therefore less revenue from tolls and fuel taxes.
- Although there is a resulting drop in funding, some states are accelerating planned road improvement projects with less traffic and road users.
- San Antonio mayor shelves plan for November transit ballot measure
- The 1/8th-cent sales tax would have provided funding to expand VIA Metropolitan Transit’s service.
- Chicago-area RTA launches online dashboard showing COVID-19 effects on regional transit network
- The dashboard includes ridership data, service changes and financial information.
- Mississippi License Offices to Reopen With Virus Precautions
- Mississippi driver’s license offices will reopen Monday after being closed for about two months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Tate Reeves announced.
Public Utilities
- Businesses, lawmakers urge $22B in federal clean energy investment as sector job losses top 600K
- In a pair of unrelated letters to Congressional leaders, lawmakers, companies and business groups urged federal support for the clean energy industry, which has lost an estimated 600,000 jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- US residential energy storage posts record quarter, but COVID-19 threat looms: report
- Residential energy storage rose 10% in the first quarter of 2020, compared to the prior quarter, setting a new record for deployments while non-residential deployment dropped 20%, according to the latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report.