GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• (Washington) Coronavirus updates: King County applies for Phase 2 of reopening
  • The King County Board of Health approved a motion to send the application for Phase 2 of reopening to Washington state.
• (North Carolina) Gov. Cooper: Decision on Phase 3 expected early next week
  • State officials are expected to announce whether North Carolina will transition into Phase 3 of reopening in the near future.
• Fired Florida GIS manager creates her own coronavirus dashboard
  • The data scientist who was fired last month by the Florida Department of Health after she accused her superiors of wanting to manipulate statistics related to the spread of the coronavirus launched her own data dashboard to track COVID-19 last weekend to counter the official figures being put out by the state.
•  Sisolak: Nevada not ready to enter Phase 3 of reopening; special session coming this month
  • Gov. Sisolak said that the state is not yet ready to enter “Phase 3” of business reopening amid an uptick of people testing positive for COVID-19. The Governor also said he will call lawmakers to the capital sometime this month to address a sizable state budget hole, and he declined to rule out asking for a tax increase to help fill a budget gap estimated at close to $900 million just for the fiscal year that concludes at the end of June.
• How COVID-19 is Driving Big Job Losses in State and Local Government
  • In the public sector, officials responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by furloughing workers at shuttered facilities and trimming payrolls in the face of substantial projected budget shortfalls. Colleges, school districts, and other areas of state and local government have shed approximately 1.5 million jobs since March, but most have been furloughs or temporary layoffs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In all, employment for the sector has fallen to its lowest levels since 2001, eclipsing the declines that followed the Great Recession.
• Governor Hutchinson Signs Three Executive Orders Regarding COVID-19 In Arkansas
  • Arkansas Governor Hutchinson has signed three executive orders regarding worker’s compensation coverage, medical immunity and business liability during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• DeSantis defies critics as coronavirus spreads in Florida
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proudly welcomed the Republican National Convention to Jacksonville last week. On Sunday, he marked the official return of audience-attended professional sports in Florida by waving the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In between, he urged schools to reopen next fall.

Funding & Economic Impact

• Governments look to property taxes to make up for pandemic revenue shortfall
  • Nashville Mayor John Cooper stated he could see the city attempting to hike property taxes by 20 percent or more.
  • The New York City budget anticipates continued property tax increases of 4 to 6 percent per year.
• Judge: U.S. must release $679M in tribal virus relief funds
  • U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., said the agency doesn't have discretion to withhold the money that is part of a federal relief package that included $8 billion for tribes. He ordered the Treasury Department to disburse it among tribal governments.
• (Illinois) $275 million in state funding to help households impacted by COVID-19
  • Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced $275 million in funding will go towards emergency relief for households impacted by COVID-19.
• Michigan has a $6.2B budget problem and $2.75B that can't help unless Congress gives OK
  • The state of Michigan is facing a significant budget shortfall for the next 15 months or so and it’s caused people in all areas of state government publicly pleading for flexibility from the feds.
  • Chris Kolb, state budget director, equated the $6.2 billion shortfall for the remainder of this budget year and next year combined to the pitfalls of the Great Recession.
• (Virginia) Clarke County gets almost $1.3 million in COVID-19 relief funds
  • Clarke County has received $1,275,451 in federal relief money to help cover local expenses in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.
• (North Carolina) Treasurer: State pension strong despite COVID-19 downturn
  • North Carolina’s pension plan is in a good position, according to the state treasurer.
  • Despite all the stress and volatility regarding COVID-19 in the stock market, this pension plan that so many people depend on is down less than 3.0% for the calendar year.
•  $14.66M in GO Virginia funds redirected to COVID-19 recovery initiative
  • More than $14.66 million of Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia) funding  for economic development has been redirected to a new Economic Resilience and Recovery Program in response to COVID-19-related economic impacts, Gov. Ralph Northam announced.
• (California) State proposal would drain $145M from Santa Clara County’s general fund
  • Santa Clara County officials said that a proposed amendment in a state bill would strip the county’s general fund of about $145 million annually, draining its budget for homeless services, supportive housing and child care among many programs if the proposal passes.
• (Texas) First half of Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund distributed; applications for Phase 2 to open June 23-24
  • The Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund is a $30 million fund administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation that aims to financially assist vulnerable individuals and families with essential needs who do not otherwise qualify for other pandemic-related assistance. The Harris County Commissioners Court initially approved a $15 million fund injection during its April 28 meeting and subsequently doubled that amount to $30 million on May 19.
• Northern Virginia receives funding for regional 'Back to Work' website
  • Gov. Northam announced a grant from a state COVID-19 recovery fund to build a “Back to Work” website for the Northern Virginia region. In total, Gov. Northam awarded $341,800 to organizations in different regions in the state.
• Minnesota Legislature nears agreement for COVID-19 aid to cities, counties
  • About $316 million went directly to Hennepin and Ramsey counties, now the state gets to distribute $841 million more to smaller local governments.
• (Louisiana) Gov. Edwards signs La. GOP's $300M small business aid plan
  • The money came from direct federal aid allocated to Louisiana by Congress to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Hit on state revenues could be $400 million lower than projected, but Virginia localities hurt by sales tax losses
  • The economic damage the coronavirus shutdown has done to the state budget could be significantly less than the $1 billion revenue loss previously estimated for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

Higher Education

• (Virginia) Gov. Northam announces plan to make Juneteenth a state holiday, says Phase 3 won't be this week
  • Gov. Northam said colleges and universities will be able to reopen their campuses to in-person classes this fall, but must follow all public health guidelines and meet certain public health conditions to be able open and stay open.
  • Similar to pre-K-12 schools, institutions of higher learning have to submit reopening plans to be approved, though by the Council for Higher Education of Virginia specifically, rather than by the Virginia Department of Education.
• Harvard Drops Admissions Exam Requirement Due To The Coronavirus
  • Harvard College announced it will not require undergraduate applicants to submit the SAT or ACT in the coming admissions cycle.
• The pandemic created an opportunity for startups to create an alternative to higher education
  • What the crisis has changed very clearly is the motivation of academic institutions to connect up with startups and make a change in the way they do things.

K-12 Education

• (North Carolina) NC Senate approves teacher pay bill, tables pitch for larger bonuses
  • The Senate backed a $350 bonus for North Carolina public school teachers, and potentially another $600 in bonuses for teachers and support staff.
• (Michigan) MSU's College of Education offers guide to help schools reopen during COVID-19 era
  • Michigan State University Office of K-12 Outreach in MSU’s College of Education has created a guide to help school leaders of all grades prepare for the opening of their buildings and start of academic years.
  • The guide provides an overview of recommendations based on research from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Texas Education Agency outlines options for school districts to adjust 2020-21 calendar in response to COVID-19
  • The TEA anticipates short-term disruptions to instruction and an increase in student absenteeism, with some students consistently absent due to COVID-19.
  • To minimize disruptions, the TEA has created school calendar scenarios that can adjust for learning loss. Projections show the possibility of a year’s worth of progress lost in math for students.

Health Care

• Ohio hospitals granted millions in COVID-19 funding to help vulnerable patients
  • Twenty-eight hospitals in Ohio will each receive at least $5 million from federal grants. The highest amount granted can be up to $50 million. The grants come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and total just over $400 million.
•  After Months Of Questions, Ohio Medicaid To Start Paying Pharmacists For Coronavirus Testing
  • The Ohio Department of Medicaid said they’ll start reimbursing community pharmacies to test one of the state’s most vulnerable populations for coronavirus.

Social Services 

• Many Alaska child care providers find themselves on the brink during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Many child care providers across Alaska are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and need financial assistance to survive.
• Illinois expands aid program to help 1 million more residents pay for rent, food, medicine, other essentials
  • The state is expanding eligibility requirements and adding millions to an aid program offering a total of $275 million in grants to people experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19, officials said.

Justice/Public Safety

• (California) LAPD curtails officers’ overtime pay after spending $40 million during protests, coronavirus
  • Chief Michel Moore said in a memorandum that despite a multibillion budget, the LAPD is so cash-strapped that any overtime earned from June 7 onward will be paid out in compensation time.
• Jury Trials In Alaska Postponed Until Sept. 1 Due To Continued COVID-19 Concerns
  • Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Joel Bolger signed an order that will postpone all jury trials in the state until at least September 1. The order also cites space limitations in courtrooms as a reason for the continued postponement. Alaska Court System staff is working on ways to resume jury trials safely, Bolger said. Face coverings and social distancing will be required when people physically come to court.