GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• (Philadelphia) Epidemic of wipes and masks plagues sewers, storm drains
  • Mayor Jim Kenney kicked off a recent briefing on Philadelphia’s coronavirus response with an unusual request for residents: Be careful what you flush.
• (California) Facial recognition bill falls flat in California legislature
  • A controversial California bill aimed at allowing businesses and government agencies to use facial recognition on customers stalled in the state legislature Wednesday, relieving privacy activists who argued the bill’s passage would’ve given too much leeway on how the controversial technology is used.
• (Hawaii) Hawaii Set To Receive $1.5 Million To Help Combat COVID-19
  • Hawaii will receive $1.5 million in funding from the federal government to be used to train health care workers, expand telehealth services, and purchase additional personal protective equipment to help in the fight against the coronavirus.

• (Washington) COVID-19: Washington unemployment fraud might be $650 million
  • Officials are still working to determine the final amount paid out fraudulently, but believe it was between $550 million and $650 million. The state has recovered $333
• Authors retract major COVID-19 paper on effects of hydroxychloroquine
  • A major study on the effects of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients was retracted from a leading medical journal after doctors and scientists raised questions about the validity of the data.
• Suddenly, Public Health Officials Say Social Justice Matters More Than Social Distance
  • For months, health experts told Americans to stay home. Now, many are encouraging the public to join mass protests.

Funding & Economic Impact

• (Wyoming) $50 Million Wyoming COVID-19 Business Relief Program Launching June 8
  • The Wyoming Business Council will begin to accept applications for the $50 million “Wyoming Business interruption Stipend Program” offering grants of up to $50,000 to independent Wyoming small businesses. The launch of the program is the first of three the Business Council is administering of the $325 million in relief to businesses impacted by COVID-19 using federal funding received through the CARES Act.
• (Texas) Council boosts direct economic aid in spending plan for federal Covid-19 money
  • Austin, Texas will move more of its federal aid for COVID relief toward direct assistance for residents, with $70 million now dedicated to rental relief, food aid and direct payments to individuals
• (San Antonio) ‘Time is of the Essence’: Council OKs $191M COVID-19 Recovery Spending Plan
  • San Antonio City Council approved a $191 million local recovery plan that will fund workforce training to stabilize workers and the economy during and after the pandemic, housing assistance, grants for small businesses, and the expansion of internet access to assist distance learning
• (Connecticut) Lamont announces $75 million to reimburse cities and towns for COVID-19 expenses
  • Governor Lamont announced that his administration is establishing a program, called the Connecticut Municipal Coronavirus Relief Fund Program, in which the state will reimburse city and town governments for expenses related to COVID-19
• (Montana) Additional $25 million toward biz grants, $2 million for meat processing
  • The state is putting an additional $25 million into a business stabilization program meant to help small businesses in the state weather the economic fallout from the pandemic
• (Arizona) Economic pain of COVID-19 increases need for school finance reform
  • As Arizona’s schools adapt to online instruction and try to figure out their short-term plans, the coronavirus-related disruptions on the state’s education system have only just begun. The COVID-19 pandemic’s negative impacts on the economy and tax revenues are going to cause major shortfalls in school district and state budgets, which will make it increasingly crucial for Arizona to pivot toward a more equitable and flexible school funding system that better utilizes every education dollar.
• (Vermont) Lawmakers plan to expedite grants for businesses hurt by Covid-19
  • The leaders of Vermont’s House and Senate say they plan on fast-tracking grant money for businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and hope to send an initial economic relief package to the governor’s desk.
• Florida counties want DeSantis to release unspent COVID-19 funds
  • Florida counties are pushing Gov. Ron DeSantis to release nearly $1.3 billion in federal money that has been sitting in state coffers for more than two months, as local officials struggle to keep their communities afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• (Ohio) DeWine reopens camps, entertainment venues; Ohio House passes $350 million funding bill
  • The Ohio House has passed a funding bill that would send $350 million to cities. Because they made alterations to the bill, it is now headed back to the Senate for approval.
  • Day camps and residential camps may open at any time, while certain entertainment venues may open beginning June 10 as long as their managers and owners can follow the retail, consumer, service & entertainment guidelines and other applicable guidance put in place by the state in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• (Michigan) Panel OKs $1.2B coronavirus bill; visitation rules relaxed
  • Michigan lawmakers advanced a bill that would allocate more than $1.2 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding, including $200 million to help small businesses restart as stay-at-home restrictions are loosened.
• (New Jersey) New Jersey awarded $31.98 billion in federal coronavirus relief
  • New Jersey has received $31.98 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid, the eighth lowest amount among all 50 states relative to the number of its COVID-19 cases and resulting economic disruption.
• Montana expands COVID relief grants, creates new program for meat processors
  • Montana will be expanding COVID-19 relief grant opportunities to help small businesses, local governments and help get more Montana meat to people’s tables.
• (Maryland) City to hire 300 jobless Baltimoreans for new contact tracing, public health effort
  • The newly launched program, Baltimore Health Corps, is a $12 million public-private partnership. The effort is being led by the mayor's office, the Baltimore City Health Department and the Rockefeller Foundation, which has made an initial commitment of $2 million.

Higher Education

• (Brown University, Rhode Island) Ivy League grad workers win historic first union contract
  • Graduate workers at Brown University have signed a groundbreaking labor contract, winning job security, hundreds of dollars in COVID-19-related healthcare relief and a stipend increase, in the middle of an unprecedented national crisis. The contract marks the first time an Ivy League school has agreed to a labor contract with graduate workers.
  • The tentative three-year agreement, covering more than 1,200 workers, includes an effective 3.7 percent stipend increase in the first year; a one-year appointment extension due to COVID-19 for third, fourth, fifth and many sixth years; full reimbursement for out-of-pocket COVID-19 testing and treatment medical expenses; the establishment of a health reimbursement account; and a mechanism to deal with sexual harassment claims outside of Title IX.
• (New York) SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson to resign
  • State University of New York Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson plans to leave her job to become president of Ohio's five-campus public university beginning Sept. 1, 2020. Johnson, who earns $560,000 as SUNY chancellor, joined the university system in September 2017.

K-12 Education

• How Colorado Gov. Polis will spend the last $44 million in federal education relief money
  • Polis announced Thursday how he plans to distribute the money from a discretionary fund that’s a small share of the federal CARES Act relief bill. The largest share, $33 million, will go toward an innovation grant fund that will address learning gaps that have widened while schools were closed and improve students’ economic prospects.
  • Another $5 million to $6 million will go toward increasing the capacity of Colorado Empowered Learning, the state’s supplemental online learning platform.
  • $3 million will go to a state teacher recruitment program that was set to lose most of its funding in the state budget.
• (Florida) Brevard schools to get up to $15 million in COVID-19 relief as budget shortfalls loom
  • The county's total education allocation came to about $17.4 million, she said, but between $2.4 and $3.4 million of that will go to local charter and private schools, proportional to student enrollment. The school district is facing an estimated $13 million shortfall heading into next school year.
  • A projected $2 million shortfall before the pandemic — the result of a state-required increase in its contribution to the Florida Retirement System and a drop in enrollment due to charter school growth, which affects per-pupil dollars from the state — is expected to balloon on the back of a projected $11 million deficit in the district's health insurance trust fund by the end of the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
• Northeast Missouri schools working on plans to respond to further COVID-19 related budget cuts
  • State revenue is down due to the COVID-19 recession and Governor Parson said that another $130 million will likely be cut from K-12 budgets. Most schools in northeast Missouri are in the same position, not planning to make cuts but are going to need more planning surrounding budget shortfalls.
• (Connecticut) Gov. Lamont: CT COVID-19 deaths top 4,000, hospitalizations continue to trend downward
  • The State also announced $111 million was released to all Connecticut’s Boards of Education to support remote learning costs for students K-12.
  • The Connecticut State Department of Education also released guidance to every school superintendent in the state detailing rules for operating in-person summer school programs during the pandemic.
• Illinois Schools Can Reopen For Summer School, Gov. Pritzker Says
  • Governor Pritzker of Illinois has signed an executive order allowing students to go back to summer school with safety precautions in place. Any school that reopens is expected to maintain social distancing, limit groups to 10 people, and mandate face masks for anyone over the age of 2 years old in addition to further safety guidelines.

Higher Education & K-12 Education

• (Tennessee) Gov. Bill Lee's latest budget cuts pay raises to state employees, offers buyouts but keeps funding for vouchers
  • The latest version of the budget scales back but still funds the school vouchers law, eliminates proposed pay raises to state employees and teachers, and sets aside $50 million to offer buyouts for government workers.
  • Overall, the budget proposal calls for more than $346 million in various reductions for fiscal 2020-2021, which begins July 1. In fiscal 2021-2022, the administration is proposing $240 million in reductions, followed by $160 million the next year.
• (Colorado) 06-04-20 CO Governor Polis Announces $44M for Education in Federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds
  • In addition to providing funding with grants to school districts, public schools, and public institutions of higher education, the state will provide significant funding to increase capacity for Colorado Empowered Learning, the state-supported supplemental online program, in order to help school districts and schools access virtual content and professional development for educators in blended instructional models.
  • These grants will focus on student-centered learning, rethinking the student experience, strengthening and formalizing linkages between higher education, PreK-12, and industry, and catalyzing innovations that can drive long-term impact and be sustainable after the life of the grant.
• COVID-19 Tracking App Key to University of Alabama Opening
  • Technology that can track whether students, and even college football fans, are feeling symptoms of COVID-19 could be a major part of the plan to reopen Alabama college campuses and stadiums this fall.

Health Care

• (Florida) One in five Florida nursing homes tell feds: We hardly have any gowns, masks
  • Nearly one in five Florida nursing homes say they do not have a one-week supply of protective gowns or the N95 masks recommended for care of patients with COVID-19, according to new data released by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
• (Arkansas) Arkansas Receives $2.5 Million To Help Respond To COVID-19
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $2.5 million to Arkansas in order to aid in expanding its testing capacity for COVID-19. The funding will also be used to train workforces, procure supplies and equipment, and expand telemedicine in response to COVID-19.
• COVID-19 Relief Measure to Earmark Additional $1B for Technology Modernization Fund
  • IT modernization efforts include electronic medical records, IT upgrades related to public health, platforms to support relief efforts, social services and welfare assistance and hardware and systems backing telehealth and telework initiatives
• Contact tracing is the next step in slowing spread of COVID-19
  • After helping those with COVID-19 recall their close contacts, people known as contact tracers then call each one and tell them to self-isolate for 14 days. The contact tracer calls them daily to check in.
• (Illinois) 116 more die in Illinois of COVID-19 as state opens up drive-thru testing sites for all
  • The Illinois Public Health Department announced its 11 state-run drive thru COVID-19 testing sites would be open to everyone, even those without symptoms.
• (Washington) Gov. Inslee, Secretary of Health discuss next steps in state’s COVID-19 response
  • The state’s four-step approach to fighting COVID-19 includes testing, contact tracing, isolation and face masks. To that end, the Governor said that testing capacity has grown, with 35,000 tests being carried out already.  To further expand supplies, Inslee said he has been looking to “domestic manufacturers” to produce testing kits.

Social Services 

• (Texas) Gov. Abbott extends emergency SNAP benefits due to COVID-19
  • Governor Abbot announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) will provide approximately $177 million in emergency SNAP benefits for the month of June
• (North Carolina) Bill to fend off unemployment fraud, seek SNAP waiver passes North Carolina House
  • House Bill 1229 directs $2 million to fight unemployment fraud, and it authorizes the state to apply for a federal waiver that allows non-disabled adults to continue to participate in SNAP  
• Billions in federal COVID-19 aid is being withheld from those with disabilities
  • In March, the CARES Act established the Public Health & Social Services Emergency Fund. To date, Congress has appropriated $175 billion to the fund, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has failed to allocate a single dollar to Medicaid, which funds the vast majority of support on which people with intellectual or developmental disabilities rely.
• Top health lawmakers push HHS on COVID-19 Medicaid payments
  • Leaders from health committees in both chambers penned a bipartisan letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar demanding relief funding be distributed to Medicaid providers.

Justice/Public Safety

• Public health experts urge police to stop using tear gas during the pandemic to prevent spread
  • Doctors say the gas can damage the respiratory system and aggravate COVID-19 symptoms or aid spread of the disease.

Transportation

• Road Construction Funding Plummets due to COVID-19 - Funding from Toll Bridge Revenues and Fuel Taxes Decrease as Less People on the Roads
  • As a result of social distancing and the increase in numbers of people working remotely, there has been a significant decrease in the number of drivers on the roads. This has affected revenues from toll bridges and fuel taxes which are an important source of funding for road improvement and maintenance projects.
• (New Jersey) Efforts to get dedicated funding for NJ Transit stall as coronavirus upends budget process
  • The budget of the beleaguered transit agency likely to be patched again, with no reliable funding on horizon.
• Airlines fight to exit ‘intensive care’
  • Despite signs of modest improvement in passenger traffic and the lifting of many coronavirus restrictions, airlines aren’t relaxing efforts to shore up balance sheets and restructure in hopes of remaining solvent until demand returns in a meaningful way years from now.
• (Ohio) New Sales Tax Will Fuel Transit Modernization in Cincinnati
  • Amid nationwide disruptions to public transit brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, at least one Midwest agency is moving forward with plans for expanded service and technology upgrades, fueled by new revenue.
• (Washington) WA: Sound Transit leaders warn projects must be canceled or delayed to keep cash from running dry
  • The current economic collapse will dry up Sound Transit's tax money to build more train and bus lines by 2028, unless elected leaders delay or cancel some projects they've promised to voters.

Public Utilities

• When storms collide: Utilities' new approach to hurricane restoration in the age of COVID-19
  • The Atlantic hurricane season began Monday, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it is anticipating a "busy" six months. Regardless of the number of storms, electric utilities will face additional challenges as they work to restore power while also dealing with the impacts of a global pandemic.