GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• $4.6 million in federal funding is being used to make voting safer in Kansas
  • The Secretary of State’s Office has enlisted the help of Kansas and Missouri company Binswanger Glass to make 2,200 plexiglass shields to protect both voters and poll workers from the coronavirus spread.
  • Polling locations across the state will also receive personal protective equipment, including masks, hand sanitizer and gloves 
• (Rhode Island) RI could spend about $1B on coronavirus relief by end of the year
  • The state has spent $43.7 million on the pandemic and committed to spend another $142.7 million
  • Through the end of 2020, the state could spend up to another $700 million fighting the virus
• Virginia Department of Elections announces CARES Act funding
  • The Virginia Department of Elections announced $9 million will be going towards the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security funding for the 2020 federal election cycle.

Funding & Economic Impact

•  (Washington) State reaches 24,041 cases on Monday; more CARES funding allocated
  • Another round of federal CARES Act funding has been allocated by Pierce County. As a result, nearly one-third of the $158 million total CARES funding has been allocated to date.
• How Federal Funding Failed to Match Each State's COVID Outbreak
  • The relief and recovery packages have provided relatively timely support to Americans and will certainly help stave off longer-term economic damage. The legislation has also been widely criticized for flaws such as prioritizing industries over workers, inadequate funding for health care, and potentially hindering people who do not typically file tax returns from applying for one-time payments.
  • More generally, the distribution of the funds to states has appeared especially crude — as many of the hardest hit states have not received federal funding commensurate to the severity of their public health or economic crises.
• Partial reopening of Indiana's economy helps boost state tax revenue in May
  • According to the State Budget Agency, Indiana's General Fund collected a total of $952.4 million from all revenue sources in May.
  • That was $233.3 million, or 19.7%, less than predicted by the December 2019 revenue forecast, and $187.4 million, or 16.4%, below state tax collections for May 2019.
• ‘We need help’: Small cities face fiscal calamity from virus
  • The federal CARES Act sent $150 billion to states and the nation’s most populous cities and counties to help them pay for expenses related to the virus outbreak. But only 36 cities met the population threshold of 500,000 or more to qualify for the money. With the next round of aid stalled in Congress — and no guarantee of a federal bailout anytime soon — Allentown and other local governments are facing tough choices about what to cut and what to keep.
• (Michigan) Detroit council signs off on $31M spending plan for federal COVID aid
  • Detroit's City Council unanimously signed off Tuesday on the Duggan administration's spending plan for pandemic relief dollars awarded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES.
• (Nevada) Nevada governor's plan addresses $812M budget shortfall through cuts, spending reversals
  • The plan includes $67 million in reductions in state agency operating expenses and $49 million in reversals of one-shot appropriations from the 2019 legislative session
• (Illinois) Pritzker signs pandemic budget, approves Medicaid for undocumented seniors
  • The budget spends $8.9 billion on K-12 education,  $1.9 billion on higher education, $7 billion on social services, $8 billion on Medicaid and $2 billion on criminal justice and public safety
•  (Delaware) State refunds $33 million of debt
  • The transaction will save the state $5.2 million in debt service on a net present value basis over the next decade and is structured to further help the state address the fiscal year 2021 budget challenges brought on by the COVID-19 emergency  
• Fed to keep providing aid and sees no rate hike through 2022
  • The Federal Reserve stated that it will keep supplying all the help it can by buying bonds to maintain low borrowing rates and forecasting no rate hike through 2022.
• Iowa legislators laying groundwork on $7.85 billion general fund budget
  • Republicans began work on a $7.85 billion state budget proposal for next fiscal year that they called a “status quo” spending plan for much of state government while providing more state money to K-12 school and Medicaid.
• (Illinois) Gov. Pritzker Signs $42.9 Billion Illinois Budget
  • Governor Pritzker has signed the Illinois operating budget for Fiscal Year 2021 into law. $5 million of the $42.9 billion budget directs federal aid from the CARES Act and other federal aid packages to public health, social services, small businesses, local governments and households, including funding targeted to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The budget will go into effect July 1, 2020.
• Nevada Anticipating $812 Million Shortfall After COVID-19 Pandemic
  • The State is anticipating an $812 million shortfall for the fiscal year 2020, which includes approximately $265 million in General Funds necessary to address the projected shortfall in the Distributive School Account. The Governor’s Finance Office is proposing $67 million in reductions in state agency operating expenses, as well as $49 million through the reversal of one-time appropriations from the 2019 session that had not yet been expended.
• (New Mexico) Legislative Finance Committee To Discuss General Fund Revenue, Public School Response To COVID-19
  • The New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee will be holding a virtual meeting discussing the outlook of the general fund revenue today, June 10. The reports expected to be released form the meeting include Public School Response to COVID-19 and Opportunities to Mitigate Lost Learning; Prekindergarten Quality and Educational Outcomes; and the Fiscal Analysis of New Mexico’s Health Security Plan.

Higher Education

• Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Kaine Introduces Bill To Help Higher Education Institutions Access Federal Funding To Support Students
  • Senator Tim Kaine introduced the Coronavirus Relief Flexibility for Students and Institutions Act to fix several implementation issues with the higher education emergency relief fund in the CARES Act by providing institutions of higher education and students with the increased flexibility Congress intended.
  • This bill would make an additional 7.5 million students eligible for emergency financial aid and allow institutions of higher education to use CARES Act funds to cover revenue losses incurred as a result of COVID-19. It would also ensure that colleges hardest hit by COVID-19 are receiving the support they need.

K-12 Education

• Texas school districts won't get supplemental CARES Act funds they were expecting; TEA puts money toward state funds
  • Some Texas school districts have to figure out a plan after not getting the additional money they were counting on to recover from the COVID-19 shutdown. Instead, the Texas Education Agency will put CARES Act funds toward money lost in the 2019-2020 school year.
• Missouri works to avoid K-12 funding decline from coronavirus inflicted attendance drop
  • Missouri Board of Education members discussed how to avoid a drop in school funding as a result of possible coronavirus related attendance problems.
• (Virginia) Gov. Northam announces plan for students to return to school this fall, with restrictions
  • The governor is likely to announce what recommendations his Education Work Group has developed on how children can safely return to the classroom in the fall.
• (Iowa) State House, Senate leaders prepare to tackle budget amid COVID-19 revenue dip
  • Prior to the pandemic lawmakers agreed to a 2.3% increase in funding to the state’s K-12 schools for next school year. House GOP leaders are stating that this plans to be untouched going into the next year.
• Oregon Dept. Of Education Releases Initial Guidance For 2020-21 School Year
  • The Oregon Department of Education released the initial guidance for how public and private schools will develop plans to safely start the 2020-21 school year. The plan, named “Ready Schools, Safe Learners”, will provide Oregon schools with a framework for the coming year and will evolve throughout the school year based on school district, public health, and community feedback.

Health Care

• Medicaid providers receive additional $15B in coronavirus relief funding
  • HHS announced the distribution of $15 billion in coronavirus relief funding to Medicaid providers that have not yet received any such payment. The additional funding will be distributed to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program providers.
• Hospices Contend with COVID Relief Funding Questions
  • As millions of dollars of federal relief funding were distributed to hospice providers, legal rules and restrictions surrounding the ways hospices could use these funds remained unclear, leaving many organizations questioning whether or not they should accept the federal dollars.
• Assisted living facilities ask for emergency funding, federal support
  • The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living have requested $5 billion in emergency funding from the federal government to help fund expanded testing, supplies and additional staffing needed to respond to COVID-19.
• HHS announces $15 billion in COVID-19 relief funding for assisted living operators, others
  • The Department of Health and Human Services will distribute approximately $15 billion in grants to eligible state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program providers, including assisted living operators.
• (Louisiana) Louisiana Lawmakers Expand Access to Mental Health Services via Telehealth
  • Healthcare providers are now able to use connected health platforms to deliver telemental health services and the list of providers able to use the technology to include psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners has expanded
• Testing offered to protesters; Public transit to increase
  • Boston is offering those who were involved in protests following the death of George Floyd access to coronavirus testing.

Social Services 

• California budget cuts could end adult day care
  • This week, state legislators and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are in the final stage of negotiating the new state budget, set to be ratified by Monday, June 15. As part of the haggling, the $95.2 million California would spend on the Adult Day Services program, which Estelle Sherman describes as “a lifeline,” is on the red line
• (Washington) Up to $399 per Child to be Added to Washington EBT Cards in July
  • The P-EBT benefits – a one-time amount up to $399 per eligible child in each household – automatically will be deposited onto existing EBT cards in early July

Justice/Public Safety

• Protecting Correctional Officers during the Pandemic
  • The virus has taken an enormous toll on correctional officers and staff within the nation’s prisons and jails. As of June 9, 50 correctional officers have died in the line of duty from COVID-19. More than 7,500 county, state, and federal officers have tested positive for the virus and require quarantine.

Transportation

• Pandemic decimates funding for Michigan highway repairs
  • The coronavirus pandemic has decimated state and federal road funds, and that means less money for future highway and bridge projects in Michigan.
  • Michigan expects to have enough cash flow to sustain the state's 2020 construction program, which was mostly put out for bid for construction work prior to the coronavirus shutdowns, according to Jeff Cranson, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation. But there are no guarantees beyond that.
• (Oregon) OR: TriMet, other transit agencies seek permission to spend payroll tax to shore up budgets
  • TriMet and Oregon’s smaller transit agencies want lawmakers to let them spend payroll tax dollars on basic operations instead of expanding service and efforts like converting diesel fleets to lower-emission vehicles as the state intended.
• (Iowa) IA: Commission approves $3.6 billion five-year transportation plan for Iowa But coronavirus outbreak presents some funding challenges for Department of Transportation
  • The Iowa Transportation Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a nearly $3.6 billion five-year transportation plan, but the plan faces short-term funding challenges.
• (Pennsylvania) PA: Union seeks hazard pay for CamTran workers due to COVID-19
  • The labor union representing Cambria County Transit Authority employees wants the authority to deliver policy changes and supplies to help keep workers and riders safe from COVID-19 as the state reopens.

Community Development/Housing

• HUD Allocates Nearly $3 Billion In Funding To Aid Homeless Amid Coronavirus Recovery Efforts
  • HUD announced that it will provide $2.96 billion in the remaining Emergency Solutions Grants funding to aid homeless Americans and people at risk of becoming homeless because of hardships such as job loss, wage reduction or illness due to COVID-19. The funding is in addition to $1 billion of ESG grants announced within a week of President Trump signing the CARES Act.

Natural Resources/Environment

• In absence of federal action, farm workers’ coronavirus cases spike
  • Coronavirus outbreaks among farm workers are popping up in rural communities across the country, sparking fears within the agriculture industry that cases will skyrocket as harvest season stretches into summer.