GovWin SLED Coronavirus Recon

General

• D.C. CTO proposes 'cluster-based' IT inspired by pandemic
  • Washington, D.C.’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer is planning to reorganize the way government employees train, handle service requests and invest in new technology to adapt to a more digital post-COVID-19 world.

Funding & Economic Impact

• (Georgia) Atlanta officials direct millions of COVID-19 relief funds toward helping homeless, preventing evictions
  • The Atlanta City Council approved legislation that lays out how $88.4 million in federal CARES Act funding will be divvied up, and a hefty portion will go toward helping the homeless and preventing others from losing their homes.
• Education, social services get boosts in funding as Utah lawmakers make COVID-19 budget cuts
  • Utah lawmakers implemented about $850 million in budget cuts in response to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • But education and social services were largely spared. In fact, the legislature's powerful Executive Appropriations Committee gave those areas a net increase.
• (Oklahoma) Democratic leader calling for additional federal funding for COVID-19 ahead of Trump rally
  • As the number of coronavirus cases in Oklahoma continues to increase, Democratic leaders are calling for more COVID-19 funding.
• (Montana) Missoula County seeks to cover lost revenue with COVID funding; Gianforte says “unlikely”
  • In a meeting with Rep. Greg Gianforte, Missoula County officials expressed concern over certain restrictions related to the stimulus funding appropriated by Congress earlier this year to help state and local governments navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Michigan finalizes plan to spend $880 million in federal coronavirus funds
  • Michigan is poised to create a new “small business restart” grant program, cut child care rates, boost summer school programs and invest in a beleaguered unemployment insurance system under a midyear spending bill that will allocate more than $880 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding.
• (Illinois) Gov. JB Pritzker Unveils $900 Million In COVID-19 Relief Grants
  • Gov. JB Pritzker has announced a $900 million effort to provide financial assistance to renters, homeowners, businesses, and others hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic and by recent looting in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
• (Kansas) State Finance Council approves $400 million COVID-19 relief fund
  • The State Finance Council unanimously approved $400 million that will be distributed to 103 Kansas counties to assist with the economic and health costs of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• (Ohio) State Controlling Board approves $4.7 million in funding for fairs
  • The State Controlling Board has approved $4.7 million in funding intended to help fairs comply with COVID-19 health guidelines.
• (South Carolina) How SC lawmakers could divvy $1.9B in COVID-19 aid, from broadband to academic camps
  • South Carolina legislators return to the state Capitol next week to decide how to spend $1.9 billion in federal aid for the state’s response to the coronavirus. Proposals include $500 million to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance fund and $222.7 million for the state’s Department of Education to hold summer academic recovery camps for students and to add an additional five days of classroom instruction.
• Indiana Expects Budget Shortfall Of More Than $3 Billion By Next Year
  • Indiana fiscal officials expect the state to fall between $3 to 4 billion short of its current two-year state budget. A new revenue forecast will come out later this year. But officials at the State Budget Committee meeting Wednesday say they expect a $1.7 billion shortfall this fiscal year (which ends in two weeks) and another roughly $2 billion loss next fiscal year.
• Pandemic looms over New Mexico Legislature, state finances
  • Legislators are gathering to shore up New Mexico state finances for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic struck.
• (Oklahoma) Gov. Stitt announces developments in CARES Act funds distribution
  • Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, along with city and county leaders, announced during a news conference Wednesday morning that the state has begun fulfilling reimbursement requests for CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds.
  • Stitt said the state is fulfilling 30% of city and county requests in the first seven days of receiving applications. From June 1 to June 10, the State received a total of $7.5 million in reimbursement applications from more than 60 cities and counties for operation expenses related to the presence of COVID-19.
• (Vermont) House approves $300 million health care package; Senate approves budget
  • The Vermont House on Wednesday unanimously passed a $300 million aid package for the state’s health care industry, while the Senate advanced a budget bill that will fund the state government for the first three months of the upcoming fiscal year.
• (Washington) Inslee Orders Furloughs As Forecast Shows $9 Billion Drop In Washington's Revenues
  • Governor Inslee canceled pay raises for state employees and ordered furloughs for many more

Higher Education

•  (Nevada) Higher education officials, students brace for budget cuts
  • Higher education is bracing for 160 million in cuts through 2021. Here's one way it will make up for it: modest surcharges students will pay per credit.

K-12 Education

• (Indiana) K-12 Schools Will Not Have State Funding Cut due to COVID-19
  • Indiana’s K-through-12 schools will likely be spared from the state’s COVID-19 budget cuts. Governor Eric Holcomb is recommending moving ahead with the current K-through-12 budget, including planned increases.
• (Ohio) Proposed law could help districts affected by COVID-19 losses and state funding cuts
  • School districts across Ohio are waiting to see if Gov. Mike DeWine will offer them financial relief after cuts and extra expenses for COVID-19.
  • Both the Ohio House of Representatives and the state Senate passed the emergency relief bill. It calls for an “addition payment” to districts that lost more than a 6% loss in state revenues this fiscal year.
• New York law ensures schools won't lose State funding for closing during COVID-19 pandemic
  • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a measure into law that guarantees schools will not lose state funding due to COVID-19 closures.
• Michigan State University publishes guide for K-12 schools reopening amid pandemic
  • MSU has compiled an array of recommendations and guidelines from the CDC and other research, recommendations include the familiar social distancing guidelines in addition to limiting classroom sizes and constantly transitioning from remote to in-person learning. The “Return to School Roadmap” is set to be released on June 30.
• Minnesota set to release fall guidance for K-12 schools on Thursday
  • The education department is considering 3 scenarios for the return to school in September: Fully resuming in-person classes; a hybrid of in-person and distance learning; and total distance learning.
• (Indiana) No Cuts To K-12 Education Funding, Despite Revenue Shortfalls Due To COVID-19
  • Indiana will not cut funding for K-12 schools, according to Gov. Eric Holcomb. At a press conference, he said the state's budget for K-12 schools approved by lawmakers in 2019 will remain on track, despite revenue shortfalls spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, State agencies are cutting their budgets by 15 percent, and colleges and universities will see funding cuts of 7 percent.
• (Wisconsin) Gov. Evers announces $80M in COVID-19 financial assistance for K-12 schools, higher education institutions
  • The governor announced more than $46 million to K-12 schools and $37 million to higher education partners to assist with the challenges faced relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The $46.6 million for K-12 schools will come from the GEER Fund of the CARES Act and the $37 million for higher education institutions will be distributed out of funding provided directly to Wisconsin under the CARES Act and can be used to reimburse necessary, unbudgeted expenditures made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Texas Students Will Return To School Campuses This Fall, Governor Greg Abbott Tells Lawmakers
  • Texas students will be returning to public schools in person this fall according to Governor Abbot. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is expected to release additional guidance for school districts in the coming week.

Health Care

•  States Launch New COVID-19 Provider Relief Funding Efforts
  • Some states have recognized the need to provide alternative or supplemental aid to health care providers early on.
  • The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is accepting applications from specific types of health care providers to receive pandemic relief funds.
  • New Hampshire has also made certain funding available to health care providers, including assisted living facilities.
• As States Reopen, Do They Have The Workforce They Need To Stop Coronavirus Outbreaks?
  • An NPR survey of state health departments shows that the national coronavirus contact tracing workforce has tripled in the past six weeks, from 11,142 workers to 37,110. Yet given their current case counts, only seven states and the District of Columbia are staffed to the level public health researchers say is needed to contain outbreaks.
• Pennsylvania will give health systems $175M to lead virus response inside state’s struggling nursing homes
  • Pennsylvania will soon dole out $175 million to health systems across the state to lead the COVID-19 response inside nursing and personal care homes, many of which have been ravaged by the coronavirus.
• Maryland to reimburse prison health care provider for coronavirus-related expenses, estimated at $3M per month
  • Maryland is set to begin reimbursing Corizon Correctional Healthcare, the company that provides health care to state prison inmates, for coronavirus related expenses

Social Services 

• Online purchases of food using SNAP benefits approved in South Carolina
  • The USDA has approved requests for both South Carolina and Utah to allow SNAP benefits to be used for online purchases of food.
• (Maryland) County might spend $10.5M to help ensure steady food supply
  • Of the funds, $10 million would be for implementation while the remaining money would go to the Greater Washington Community Foundation to initiate and manage the Montgomery County Food Security Fund
• 1.5 million more laid-off workers seek unemployment benefits
  • About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, a historically high number, even as the economy increasingly reopens and employers bring some people back to work.
• Missouri Resumes Food Stamp/SNAP Recertification Requirement July 1
  • The Department of Social Services’ temporary waiver of the recertification requirement for Food Stamp/ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants ends this month. Starting July 1, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) resumes the requirement for Missourians to complete a periodic recertification process to verify the household still qualifies for Food Stamp/SNAP benefits.