GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• Hawaii's latest digitization project was well-timed for the pandemic
  • Hawaii’s Office of Enterprise Technology Services announced it’s completed the latest phase of upgrades to the state’s enterprise resource planning system, representing an elimination of 40-year-old paper processes that’s already proving valuable as a majority of state government employees continue working from home.
• Kansas' new coronavirus bill puts privacy limits on contact tracing
  • An emergency bill passed this week in the Kansas Legislature appears to put some limits on how expansive state and local health authorities can go in building out contact tracing programs for COVID-19.
• Missouri law expands absentee voting during pandemic
  • Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday signed a bill into law that will allow people to vote by mail this year if they're concerned about the coronavirus.
• (New York) Cuomo accelerates reopening plans as the coronavirus pandemic recedes
  • State officials are easing restrictions and accelerating reopening for some businesses and activities; the state has accelerated a limited reopening for restaurants and bars, houses of worship, barbershops and hair salons
• The $7,000 Covid test: Why states are stepping in to shield consumers
  • Insurance regulators from Tennessee to Washington state have stepped up efforts to protect patients from unexpected bills for coronavirus tests, concerned the federal government has failed to shield people from thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses.

Funding & Economic Impact

•  (New Mexico) Receipts posted for state COVID spending
  • The state Department of Health is beginning to account for millions being spent to combat the novel coronavirus.
• Oregon state legislators send in ‘Cares Act Relief Funds’ framework to Governor Brown
  • State legislators have submitted a ‘Cares Act Relief Funds’ framework to the governor, in hopes smaller cities and counties in Oregon can begin receiving federal coronavirus funding.
• Gov. Tim Walz is spending Minnesota’s federal COVID-19 money his way, whether the Legislature likes it or not
  • Gov. Tim Walz is beginning to spend the nearly $1.9 billion sent to Minnesota by the federal government to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • So far, Walz’s budget officials have informed what’s called the Legislative Advisory Committee that the administration will spend about $55 million of the money.
• (Montana) MT expands COVID-19 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.
• (Illinois) Pritzker Announces First $1.3M Awarded To Downstate, Rural Communities As Part Of Small Business Stabilization Fund
  • Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the first round of grants awarded as part of the new Downstate Small Business Stabilization Program.
• (Connecticut) Coronavirus has cost towns nearly half a billion dollars so far
  • The coronavirus has taken a huge chunk out of Connecticut municipalities’ piggy banks, leaving dozens of towns scrambling for cash and raising the prospect of major property tax hikes one year from now.
  • Preliminary projections from cities and towns include $407 million in revenue delays or losses and another $63 million in added costs, according to data released last week by the state Office of Policy and Management.
• Oregon lawmakers approved $247 million for COVID-19 recovery
  • The Oregon legislative Emergency Board approved more than $247 million in Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund on Friday to support Oregonians and businesses impacted by the pandemic.
• (Texas) City of Austin proposes $271.6M investment in COVID-19 relief
  • The largest expenditure would be on emergency response, which is believed to need a $105.5 million investment; Economic support would account for $103.2 million, and $62.9 million would be spent on medical and public health needs
• (Wisconsin) Local Governments Face Huge Revenue Losses
  • Local governments across Wisconsin will lose about $400 million in revenues this year because of the pandemic
• (Alabama) Gov Ivey asks public for ideas on ways to spend CARES Act money
  • Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday announced a Coronavirus Relief Fund Expenditure Request Form has been developed for the public to submit for reimbursement for expenses incurred from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Higher Education

• California University Researching COVID-19 Suffers Cyberattack
  • Hackers have been agressively and successfully targeting universities engaged in COVID-19 research, recent reports show. The rash of cyberattacks is the latest example of the willingness of cybercriminals and bad actors to target governments and public institutions as they work to contain the ongoing pandemic. 
• Ohio lawmakers agree to fund $1.2B in construction projects
  • State lawmakers have dropped plans to de-fund hundreds of millions of dollars for previously approved construction projects for colleges and universities, as well as new soccer stadiums in Columbus and Cincinnati.

K-12 Education

• (California) State Lawmakers Would Spare K-12 Schools COVID-19 Budget Cuts If Federal Aid Is On The Way
  • California Assembly and Senate leaders have announced they have agreed on a state budget that would rescind all cuts to K-12 and higher education that Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed
• (Georgia) School budget cuts coming; the impact will vary by community
  • With Georgia’s economy thawing from a COVID-19 freeze, Gov. Brian Kemp had good news for schools and other government entities that are thirsty for state revenues: The money will flow a little better than he thought.
• Report: No Way to Reopen Schools Safely Without Federal Bailout
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety recommendations for reopening, school districts will be forced to spend nearly $2 million per district that they hadn't budgeted for.
  • The cost analysis from the superintendents organization and the Association of School Business Officials International shows that in some cases school districts can expect to spend an additional $490 per student to cover costs associated with purchasing cleaning supplies, gloves, masks and other PPE, hiring additional custodial staff and nurses, etc. The additional expenses for an average school district of about 3,700 students total $1.8 million.
• Indiana Voters Show Support for School Fund Increases
  • On primary election day, 14 school districts sought voter approval to exceed statewide property tax caps for construction projects or other expenses.
  • Of 18 referendums on ballots, 16 passed, according to preliminary results. The high approval rate follows three previous and less favorable elections in Indiana when voters defeated at least one-third of such measures.
• CA lawmakers would spare K-12 school budget cuts if federal aid is on the way
  • California Assembly and Senate leaders announced they have agreed on a state budget that would rescind all cuts to K-12 and higher education that Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed. In order for this to happen Congress must pass and President Trump must sign an aid package for states that would include $14 billion for California.
  • Newsom hopes the Senate will approve the $3 trillion HEROES Act, and Newsom has proposed to tentatively cut programs now in the state budget that must be passed by June 30.
• (New York) Board of Regents and State Education Department Announce Regional Reopening Task Force Meetings
  • The New York State Board of Regents and State Education Department announced four Regional School Reopening Task Force meetings will be held virtually to gather input needed to develop guidance and regulatory changes that will enable New York’s schools to continue safely educating their students this fall.
• (New York) Gov. Cuomo to issue order extending deadline for school budget ballots
  • Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation extending the deadline to submit absentee ballots in the upcoming primary elections, and said he'd issue an executive order extending the deadline for school districts to receive school budget ballots.

Health Care

• Global Healthcare Information Technology Market to 2021 - The Rising Prevalence of COVID-19 is Helping to Drive the Market
  • The global healthcare information technology market size is projected to reach USD 270.3 billion by 2021 from USD 227.5 billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 23.6%.
• Rapid Changes To Health System Spurred By COVID Might Be Here To Stay
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has done what no president or social movement or venture capitalist could have dreamed of: it forced sudden major changes to the nation’s health care system that are unlikely to be reversed.
• Fight Intensifies Over COVID-19 Legal Immunity for Senior Living
  • As the long-term care industry continues to wrestle with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, another storm is brewing over whether to grant providers immunity from liability lawsuits stemming from the outbreak.
• Alaska hospitals fear long-term consequences of COVID-19 financial impact
  • Alaska hospitals have been crucial to the state’s economy, driving employment even as other industries have gone up and down. But they’re among the businesses that have seen steep drops in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. And while federal aid has been crucial, it hasn’t made up for their losses.
• (Maine) COVID-19 Testing in Maine is expected to quadruple in July
  • The Mills Administration announced today that it will quadruple COVID-19 testing capacity at the State lab, develop testing sites throughout Maine, and allow more people in Maine with elevated risk of exposure to get tested for the virus.
• Poll: Pandemic does little to alter US views on health care
  • The coronavirus pushed hospitals to the edge, and millions of workers lost job-based coverage in the economic shutdown to slow the spread, but a new poll suggests Americans have remarkably little interest in big changes to health care as a result of the pandemic.
• CDC wants states to count ‘probable’ coronavirus cases and deaths, but most aren’t doing it
  • Fewer than half the states are following federal recommendations to report probable coronavirus cases and deaths, marking what experts say is an unusual break with public health practices that leads to inconsistent data collection and undercounts of the disease’s impact.

Justice/Public Safety

• 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.

Transportation

• How Transportation Innovation Can Support Covid-19 Recovery
  • The Covid-19 outbreak is a stress test to the resiliency and sustainability of transportation networks and infrastructure. As communities across the globe grapple with pandemic responses, the value of public-private partnerships and technology integration has never been more clear. Now, as we look to recovery, incorporating shared mobility and innovation into federal funding allocated for equitable, sustainable, and efficient transportation systems is urgently needed. 
• Mobility Redefined
  • With lockdowns easing and service levels returning, the transit industry isn’t as concerned with rebounding as much as it is with reshaping.
• (North Carolina) NC: Federal money expected to stop bus route cuts in Fayetteville
  • The Fayetteville Area System of Transit will get a $9 million grant that will keep the city from cutting services after the pandemic ends.

Public Utilities

• FERC plans technical conference to tackle long-term energy sector impacts of COVID-19
  • The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Friday it will hold a commissioner-led technical conference on July 8 and 9 to consider the "ongoing, serious impacts that the emergency conditions caused by COVID-19 are having on various segments of the United States' energy industry."

Natural Resources/Environment

• (Oregon) Forestry Officials Predict Severe And Complex Wildfire Season Amid Drought And COVID-19; Still Searching For Money To Pay For It
  • The Oregon State Forestry Agency is looking to negotiate a new, long-term line of credit with the Oregon Treasury as the agency’s budget would be exhausted in August entering the peak of fire season.
• Nevada Readies For High-Risk Fire Season Amid COVID-19
  • Fire officials preparing for a hazardous wildfire season in Nevada will be challenged by high temperatures, drought and the coronavirus.
• California Was Set To Spend Over $1 Billion to Prevent Wildfires. Then Came COVID-19
  • Still recovering from devastating wildfires, California was poised to spend billions of dollars to prepare for future fires and other extreme weather disasters.
  • But with a $54 billion budget deficit, the programs are being put on hold.