Alabama

As of May 1st

The Alabama Legislature is set to reconvene on Monday, May 4 for the remainder of the 2020 Regular Session. Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) and House Speaker Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) announced late last week that they were in agreement on a narrow legislative agenda which will include passage of both the Education Trust Fund budget and the General Fund budget, as well as local bills.

Other Issues and Special Sessions

There has been some speculation that other priority bills could receive consideration, but as of now, no formal commitments have been offered by legislative leadership, and it’s increasingly likely that one or more special sessions will be held later in the year to address standalone pieces of legislation. At least one of these sessions is expected to focus on criminal justice bills and prison reform, and a second would likely be more broad in its scope to include reauthorization of economic development incentives, broadband connectivity, and additional supplemental funding packages, to name just a few possibilities. Special sessions are called by Governor Kay Ivey’s office, and there will be jockeying from various interests groups hoping to have certain issues be included in the Governor’s orders. One such example is the debate amongst traditional pro-business groups pushing for employer liability protections in the wake of COVID-19. Whether there’s room for compromise with the powerful plaintiff’s bar on this topic, which could also be remedied by action at the federal level in the coming weeks, remains to be seen.

Budget Action

Earlier this week, each of the Senate budget committees met to discuss plans from the FY2021 budgeting process. The Education Trust Fund (ETF) budget is set to start in the House of Representatives this year, yet Senate Chairman Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) held an informal meeting of his committee on Tuesday, at which members heard testimony from a representative of the Legislative Services Agency about the state’s current budgetary position. Conventional wisdom in recent weeks has been that a level funded education budget (meaning at the current fiscal year level as passed in 2019) would be the starting point for any discussion heading into the resumption of this session. Senator Orr reminded his colleagues about the importance of the Rolling Reserve Act (passed in 2011) and how those reserve funds could be leveraged to offset the expected decreases in sales and income tax revenues. Orr’s primary argument for swift action on this budget is that local education agencies need a degree of certainty heading into the summer months as to how much money they will have to spend for the upcoming school year. Meanwhile, Orr’s budget counterpart in the House, Chairman Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa), has been much more tight-lipped about his work around a re-crafted budget that will see most all significant increases (to include a much discussed teacher pay raise) suddenly off of the table. It will be interesting to watch the dynamic between the two in the week ahead as Poole’s committee is expected to formally meet on Monday. No drafts of his budget recommendations have been circulated as of yet, and advocates will likely be working over the weekend to gather information as to his thinking on funding levels compared to Orr’s.

On the General Fund side, Senator Greg Albritton (R-Range) has been working closely with his House colleague, Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), on an updated version of that budget. In the interest of streamlining its passage, Sen. Albritton held a formal committee meeting on Tuesday at which there was some spirited discussion about the prudence of including any budgetary increases in what has traditionally been the more cash-strapped of the two budgets (non-education state agencies receive yearly General Fund appropriations, with the Department of Corrections and Alabama Medicaid being the largest of those). After Governor Kay Ivey previously expressed some surprise that legislative leadership was prepared to take up both budgets within this Regular Session (and without the benefit of several months’ worth of economic data), one of her closest allies in the Senate, Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville), echoed a similar refrain at the General Fund meeting. In fact, Chambliss was the only 1 of 14 members present to record a no vote on moving it forward for floor debate next week. Furthermore, it has not gone unnoticed that the Governor Office’s and several members of the Senate leadership may be at odds over how best to allocate over US$1.7 billion in federal CARES Act monies. The Senate’s version of the General Fund also included language which provides for the approval and direction of those CARES funds which. If enacted as is by the full Legislature, that budget language would allow Chairmen Albritton and Clouse to steer funds even without the Governor’s formal approval.

Democrat Boycott?

In another still-developing political wrinkle, House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) announced late Thursday afternoon that he and the other members of the Democratic Caucus will not be traveling to Montgomery this coming week to participate in the remainder of the Regular Session. Daniels said they will instead focus their service on a district-level response to COVID-19. Republicans currently hold a supermajority in both the House and Senate, which means a quorum could be established without any Democratic members present. However, the optics of passing the budgets without more complete representation present is not an ideal scenario for the state’s leaders. Many Democrats have criticized the haste with which legislative leadership has moved to reconvene and conduct business, even going as far as to suggest that it’s being done without consideration of the health and welfare of some older legislators.

Arkansas

As of April 30th

Gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to reopen starting on May 4. All staff and patrons will be screened prior to entry, regular sanitizing of equipment will be required and social distancing of 12 feet must be observed. Masked must be worn when not actively exercising.

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission is proposing a grant program to offer up to US$100,000 to businesses to assist in expenses related to reopening businesses in a way that provides consumer confidence.

Connecticut

As of April 30th

Data updates on COVID-19 testing in Connecticut

The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases, deaths, and tests in Connecticut.

Overall SummaryStatewide TotalChange Since Yesterday
Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Cases26,767+455
COVID-19-Associated Deaths2,168+79
Patients Currently Hospitalized with COVID-191,691-41
COVID-19 tests reported94,818+2,073

Connecticut Labor Department launches website to track unemployment data, providing valuable planning tool for state and municipal governments

The Connecticut Department of Labor yesterday launched a website containing spreadsheets that breaks down information on people who have filed for unemployment in the state by age, industry, gender, and town. The public release of the information will provide a valuable insight to municipal and state governments for planning and budgeting purposes, and for developing responsible strategies for re-opening the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The website – www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/claimsdata.asp – was developed by the agency’s Office of Research in an effort to track unemployment data from January 2015 to April 2020. Due to the large number of unemployment claims being processed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the April 2020 data is preliminary only.

For more information, read the press release issued yesterday by the Connecticut Department of Labor.

Georgia

As of May 1st

  • Daily State Public Health stats:
    • As of 10:25a Friday, State cases are up to 27,023 confirmed cases as compared to 26,208 Thursday afternoon, with 5,218 hospitalized patients as compared to 5,180 Thursday afternoon, and 1,140 deaths as compared to 1,128 Thursday afternoon.
  • 10% of COVID-19 cases in GA are among health care workers. Of the 2,600 infected health care personnel, 81% are female, half are African American.
  • State agencies were told to plan on US$3.6b of cuts from their budgets, a 14% cut with no exceptions.
  • The State Patrol issued 20 citations for people violating the order since April 3, with state park officials writing one citation.
  • Senator Beach is blaming Senator Thompson for the coronavirus hitting the State Senate. As you can imagine, Senator Thompson did not appreciate it. Thompson contributed to Beach’s opponent, Rep. Caldwell, last year.
  • Internal GOP polling shows the Presidential race deadlocked, with Rep. Doug Collins leading the November field by 18 points. Senator Perdue was leading Jon Ossoff by 6 points in the other race. The poll showed the Governor with a 52% disapproval rating.
  • DPH is seeking to hire contact tracers at US$15/hr.
  • While the shelter in place expired, the Governor is requesting that Georgians “continue to stay home whenever possible.”
  • Bruce Brown’s usual election clients have asked a federal judge to further delay Georgia’s primary three works until June 30 to implement a detailed plan to include replacing the touchscreen with paper ballots.
  • DPH Commissioner Toomey seeks a state goal of 100,000 tests in 10 days.

Local:

  • The Peachtree Road race will now be on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26.
  • Gwinnett Schools wants district-level staff and above to report to work May 6. All other staff report May 11 with teachers returning to their classrooms on May 18. Students would not return. Many employees have expressed concern.
  • While some malls are opening today, Simon has decided to wait until Monday.
  • DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader has continued fight against local tax incentives that reduce county tax revenues by introducing a resolution addressing the issue at the DeKalb County Commission.

Kansas

As of May 1st

On Thursday, April 30, Governor Laura Kelly announced her plans to reopen the State of Kansas. This follows the “stay-at-home” order she issued on March 28, 2020 to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reopening will be a phased approach. A new Executive Order will be issued from the Governor for each phase. Each phase will be introduced no less than 14 days flowing the previous Order, but could be delayed if the rate of cases per 100,000 individuals does not satisfy health experts.

Significantly, if a business is listed under a phase, that business may not open during that time but rather may be permitted to open under a different phase. If a business does choose to open, they must follow social distancing and deep cleaning guidelines as issued by the Kansas Department for Health & Environment. The state will post specific, industry-developed guidelines on its website: covid.ks.gov. All guidelines are suggested.

Details for each phase are as follows:

  • Phase I
    • Begins May 4
    • Gatherings permitted may be no more than 10 people
    • Business Types Not Able to Open Under this Phase:
      • Bars & Nightclubs (establishments that do not serve food)
      • Casinos
      • Fitness centers & Gyms
      • Personal Services (cosmetologists, barbers, etc.)
  • Phase II
    • Begins May 18
    • Gatherings permitted may be no more than 30 people
  • Phase III
    • Begins June 1
    • Gatherings permitted may be no more than 90 people
  • Phase “Out”
    • Begins June 15

NOTE: Once the State Orders expire per phase, or in the entirety, local and county government Orders are binding. Local Orders may be more stringent than any state protocols, but not less stringent.

Following Governor Kelly’s announcement about her plan to reopen Kansas, she has issued the following Executive Orders. You may view the specific Order by clicking on the link.

Minnesota

As of May 1st

Late yesterday, Governor Walz extended the MN Stay at Home order to May 18th. The new order does allow retail establishments deemed “non-essential” in previous orders to begin curbside and delivery services starting Monday, May 4th. The new order and relaxing of some business restrictions came with very specific guidance for all customer facing retail establishments. Like manufacturing businesses allowed to open last week, every business must develop and post a plan for protecting employee and customer safety, businesses should only accept electronic payments and employees must maintain good social distancing and wear masks and gloves while performing their work duties. The Walz Administration believes an additional 30,000 Minnesotans should be allowed to return to work with this announcement.

Of particular note – pet grooming is now allowed, however beauty salons are barbershops must remain closed except to provide retail sales of their products. Governor Walz suggested additional changes are likely to come before the new order expires on May 18th. Specifically he mentioned a change to allow for elective surgeries (which has been opposed by Minnesota Hospitals), additional discussions regarding religious services and small family gatherings. The following link will take you to his executive order.

Governor Walz Executive Order 20-48 (Extending Stay at Home)

Over the past week, there has been a significant increase in the number of reported tests, cases and deaths. The COVID-19 Dashboard continues to provide the most up-to-date information and resources on all aspects of the Coronavirus. The following is a link to that site.

COVID-19 Dashboard

As of April 30th, there have been 371 deaths and 5,730 identified cases. As testing continues to expand, the number of know cases is also moving upward. Thursday was the largest testing day-to-date, with 4,553 completed tests and 594 of those coming back positive. Nearly 80% of all deaths have been from nursing homes or assisted living facilities, 40% of the confirmed cases have recovered, 369 people are currently hospitalized with 118 of those patients in intensive care.

As of Monday, May 4th, the Minnesota Legislature will have two weeks remaining in the 2020 Legislative Session. Both bodies have moved away from the more recent bipartisan approach to legislation and are now working on bills more closely aligned with their political messaging and the upcoming election. On Monday, Minnesota Management and Budget will release a new fiscal update. Legislative Leaders and the Governor hope this will provide a better snapshot of the state’s fiscal situation and the document will likely guide session ending negotiations regarding a bonding bill, additional COVID-19 financial support and a potential tax bill. Given the financial uncertainty, it is likely the Minnesota Legislature will need to return, perhaps multiple times, over the interim to continue addressing the impacts of the Coronavirus.

We will continue to provide updates on the Governor’s actions and the final days of the 2020 Legislative Session. We hope you are practicing smart social distancing and remaining healthy and safe.

Missouri

As of April 30th

Missouri is now reporting 7,564 cases of coronavirus and 332 deaths. One week ago, we were at 6,137 cases and 240 deaths. Missouri’s Stay at Home order will expire on Sunday night.

The General Assembly returned to the Capitol this week for their first of the last three weeks of the legislative session. They have quickly eschewed the notion that they will only address the budget and Coronavirus-related legislation and are vigorously working toward passing a large volume of legislation. The number of bills being debated is much lower than we would normally see, but those bills are taking on an extraordinarily high number of amendments, often ballooning them well past their original intent.

Missouri Prepares to Reopen

Governor Parson outlined the first phase of his “Show-Me Strong Recovery” plan to reopen Missouri’s economy. Phase 1 will begin Monday, May 4 and extend through Sunday, May 31. The State’s plan does not supersede local jurisdictions with more stringent or extended Stay-at-Home orders, including Andrew County, Jackson County, Kansas City, Maries County, Moniteau County, Phelps County, Reynolds County, St. Louis City, and St. Louis County.

The plan does the following:

  • Citizens may begin returning to economic and social activities but must adhere to social distancing requirements, including maintaining six feet of space between individuals in most cases.
  • The ten person limit for social gatherings has been lifted.
  • All businesses can be open provided that the social distancing guidelines are followed. Some businesses will be required to take additional precautions, such as occupancy limits at retail locations.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has outlined rules that will allow some businesses to begin reopening on May 6 and others on May 15. Dubbed “10-10-10,” businesses must operate at 10% of their normal capacity or have 10 people in the establishment, whatever is greater. That includes the employees needed to run the business. Customers who are in a business for more than 10 minutes will have to register their name and contact informationso that if a business is found to be at the center of an outbreak, health officials can trace those who may have been exposed.

Fiscal Year 2021 Budget

The Missouri House cut approximately US$700 million from the 2021 Fiscal Year budget. The Senate has taken up the bills and begun their mark-up process. Next week, the bills will be approved by the Senate, move to conference committees to work out the differences, and then approved a final time by both chambers.

  • Almost every new decision item has been removed. ­Meaning no new programs are being funded and there are almost no increases to existing programs.
  • Missouri’s colleges and universities took a 10% reduction from the amount they were appropriated last year. The University of Missouri System will see a US$36.5 million reduction.
  • The K-12 foundation formula was not reduced from its FY 2020 level.
  • State employees will not receive a planned 2% pay raise.
  • Education transportation was cut by US$7 million from current fiscal year funding and the US$10 million planned increase has also been eliminated for a total cut below where it was 6 weeks ago of US$17 million.
  • In the Department of Economic Development, all funding was eliminated from the Rural Broadband Grant program and the Missouri Technology Corporation. The Missouri OneStart job training program was reduced from US$14.2 million to US$5.5 million. The House maintained a US$750,000 increase for the Missouri Partnership, placing its funding at US$3 million.

North Carolina

As of May 1st

Update

  • Laboratory confirmed Coronavirus cases: 10,923
  • Coronavirus deaths: 399
  • Currently hospitalized: 547
  • Completed tests: 138,832
  • NC Counties affected: 98/100
  • Realtime COVID-19 Data for NC

Highlights

The state legislature returned to Raleigh this week focused on deciding how to spend the US$3.5 billion given to North Carolina by the federal government to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The House passed H 1043 Pandemic Response Act, its US$1.7 billion COVID-19 response bill on Thursday. The package includes millions in funding for education, healthcare, food banks, small business loans and other COVID-19 relief. It also includes money for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and tracking data trends, as well as for Personal Protective Equipment.

The Senate passed its own bill, S 704 COVID-19 Recovery Act, a US$1.36 billion bill on Wednesday night. Senators increased funding from the originally introduced US$1.2 billion plan, adding US$106 million for the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Public instruction, but the final amount is still millions less than the House’s plan. (Both bills are linked below)

NC DHHS will begin to release COVID-19 cases statewide by zip code. The exception will be for very small zip code areas, as it could cause privacy issues.

Update

Governor Cooper is hopeful the state can ease some of the social restrictions he implemented last month in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, examined the trends the state is monitoring to determine when to allow some businesses to reopen. The statewide stay-at-home order is due to expire on May 8. Signs of improvements could move the state into the first phase of a three-phase gradual relaxing of the restrictions.

State health officials are monitoring four trends related to the virus’ spread and severity while also considering testing capacity as part of their decision-making process. Cohen said the state had met two of the four benchmarks as of Thursday. The state has succeeded in its efforts to lower the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests and leveling off the number of patients hospitalized by the virus. The state’s DHHS reported that that nine percent of those tested were positive for the coronavirus the last two days after it was as high as 13 percent last weekend. Hospitalizations hit an all-time high of 551 on Wednesday before it dropped to 546 on Thursday. The benchmarks the state has yet to meet are a leveling of the total number of lab-confirmed cases and the number of cases detected through patients with symptoms being evaluated by healthcare professionals.

Governor Cooper also stated that if several North Carolina benchmarks are met, bars and restaurants in the state could reopen in some form by the end of May. But the owners and chefs of some of the state’s most popular restaurants say that plan does not work for them. Nearly 40 top restaurant owners have signed a letter stating their business numbers will not work with half-full restaurants. The letter argues that partial reopening favors corporate chains with larger dining rooms, not small independent restaurants. The restaurants say that takeout is a better option until full dining rooms can reopen.

Rather than reopen under conditions that would almost certainly ensure failure the letter asks the Governor to maintain the status quo of curbside takeout and delivery service until restaurants can operate safely at full capacity. With the shutdown, many restaurants have stayed afloat with limited takeout operations. Just as many have closed their doors, hoping to reopen on the other side of the coronavirus curve. The restaurant owners worry that people will take this limited reopening of restaurants to mean that restaurants are open, full stop. The owners claim that will take away leverage owners have with landlords and creditors and shift public health liability from government to restaurants. The narrative will be that restaurants are open, not restaurants are partially open, the letter states. This puts owners in an impossible position with lenders and others needing payment deferments and rent abatement. Those people are going to say, “What’s your problem? You’re open.”

State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced the creation of a task force to help guide the reopening of North Carolina’s public schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. Schools are closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the school year, with no certainty about when they will reopen next school year. Johnson said that the bipartisan Schools Reopening Task Force will work through the challenges of reopening, such as what social distancing guidelines will be needed to allow people to safely return. The task force members will include leaders from the state Department of Public Instruction, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, state lawmakers, State Board of Education members and superintendents from around the state. North Carolina is among 43 states, four US territories and the District of Columbia that have ordered or recommended that school buildings be closed for the rest of the academic year. The closures are affecting about 45.1 million students in the US, including North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students.

House and Senate leaders are trying to reach a compromise on coronavirus relief legislation in order to vote on a final measure Saturday. House Speaker Tim Moore had hoped to get an agreement by Thursday afternoon, but after beginning negotiations, sticking points remained between the House’s US$1.7 billion plan and the Senate’s US$1.2 billion plan, and House members were sent home. Initially lawmakers planned a Friday session, but late Thursday night the timeline was delayed until Saturday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown stated that the debate is over how much federal money to spend now. In a news release, he argued that it is not prudent to throw money around now that may be needed in the near future. He said federal guidelines could change and allow CARES Act money to fill expected budget shortfalls and other forms of funding could be used for certain healthcare and education programs. Brown’s news release does not criticize the House’s spending plan, but Speaker Moore stated that the House plan leaves plenty available for a second relief package.

Asked about the remaining points of contention, Speaker Moore said there were issues with the education policy and health policy along with the money. Moore said that he likes the Senate’s US$5 million marketing. He also stated that the House will agree to more money going to Golden LEAF for small business loans. The Senate’s plan provides US$50 million more than the House plan. Moore also addressed the Senate bill’s provision that would provide limited protections from lawsuits for essential businesses in situations where someone contracts coronavirus while doing business with or while employed by the essential business. The House bill does not contain this provision, but Moore said he likes that it puts safeguards in place for companies who are doing nothing reckless while responding to COVID-19. Another key difference between the chambers’ plans is money allocated to various universities to develop vaccines and other research related to the pandemic. The Senate bill funds research at Duke and Wake Forest universities. The House bill gives money to both universities, as well as UNC, East Carolina and Campbell universities, for a substantially higher overall amount. The Senate bill also includes additional unemployment changes beyond those in the House bill, including an increase in maximum weekly state benefits to US$400 starting in August. Speaker Moore stated that he doubts the negotiations will run into next week and expects a vote on Saturday.

Once the House and Senate make a deal, the final package will not go through the usual conference committee process. To save time, both chambers will split up the provisions in the compromise, and then each will roll out a proposed committee substitute of the other chamber’s bill, take a floor vote, and send the measure back to the originating chamber for a concurrence vote.

After legislators leave town, the House COVID-19 committees will resume to work remotely on a second round of relief measures. No date for the next session has been set, but Speaker Moore said it could happen in a few weeks.

More than 13,000 workers have lost their jobs since the coronavirus hit North Carolina in early March, according to data from the N.C. Department of Commerce. Businesses have filed more than 180 notifications of closures or mass layoffs, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) records. But the WARN Notices do not include all layoffs in the state and are likely just a fraction of the total. Mecklenburg County registered the most layoffs of any county, with nearly 3,000 as of late April. Guilford County saw about 2,000 layoffs and Wake County saw about 1,600.

From March 15 to April 27, more than 875,000 people in North Carolina filed an unemployment claim. The flood of claims has overwhelmed the state’s unemployment office, as applicants report technical difficulties and long hold times. The state’s Division of Employment Security is increasing its staff to keep up with the influx of claims. Less than half of those who applied have been paid their benefits, which now includes the additional US$600 a week from the federal stimulus package. The state has paid out US$910 million in unemployment insurance.

Executive Actions, Week of April 27th

Bills Introduced/Legislative Actions, Week of April 27th

North Carolina Agencies/Programs

Local Government Actions

Relevant Articles

Tennessee

As of April 29th

The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 10,366 with the most cases in Davidson County (Nashville-2,454) followed by Shelby County (Memphis-2,432). There have been 195 confirmed deaths in the state and 1,013 hospitalizations. The Unified Command’s data dashboard can be viewed HERE.

Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday issued an executive order allowing for the opening of all businesses except recreational and personal service venues on May 1 after the safer-at-home order expires in 89 of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Gyms will be allowed to reopen on Friday, Lee announced Tuesday afternoon prior to issuing the order. The new order restricts social gatherings of 10 people or more, not including faith-based services, but does encourage places of worship to continue virtual services. Residents are encouraged to wear a cloth face mask when nearby others in public.

Lee indicated Wednesday that he plans to reopen salons and barbershops in 89 counties on Wednesday, May 6. No guidance or updates on those reopenings have been provided at this time.

The state also announced this week that it is imposing a hiring freeze amid significantly lower revenue projections as a result of the pandemic. In a memo to departments today, the new Commissioner of Finance & Administration Butch Eley directed a hiring freeze on vacant positions that are not deemed “mission critical.” The hiring freeze also is imposed on hiring of temporary services workers through the statewide temporary services contract. The directive also extends to equipment purchases and requests a restrain on any discretionary spending “which will not disrupt mandatory program service delivery.”

Additionally, about 23,000 state employees who have been working from home due to COVID-19 will be doing so for another month, until at least May 26. About 18,000 state employees, or 44% of the total full-time workforce, have still been required to come to work during COVID-19.

Legislative staff is scheduled to return to work on Monday, although the Cordell Hull legislative building will continue to be closed to the public until further notice with the exception of guests who have a scheduled appointment with a Member.

On Thursday night, Gov. Lee and Commissioner of Health Dr. Lisa Piercey will participate in a statewide, televised town hall. The town hall meeting will be televised live at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday from WKRN in Nashville. It will also be broadcast live on WREG in Memphis, WATE in Knoxville, WJHL in Johnson City, WRCB in Chattanooga and WJKT in Jackson.

Wisconsin

As of April 30th

Updated numbers released on Thursday:

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin Hospital Association released updated numbers on Thursday, of note are the following:

  • 359 Current Hospital Admissions (119 patients in ICU)
  • Hospital admissions are up 9 from 350 on Wednesday (+9)
  • ICU patients dropped 2 from 121 on Wednesday (-2)
  • 334 positive test since Wednesday’s update on 3,098 tests (10.8% positive tests)
    • Cumulatively there have been 69,394 negative test results and 6,854 positive test results
  • 8 deaths reported since Wednesday, for a total of 316 deaths from COVID-19 in Wisconsin
  • 2,882 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have recovered (not updated by DHS since 4/27)

Sources:

Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) COVID-19 Situational Awareness Update site
DHS COVID-19: County Data; https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/county.htm

Thursday DHS Facebook Live:

Two staff from the Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary; Traci DeSalvo Communicable Diseases Epidemiology Section Chief at Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Jordan Mason with the Division of Public Health who supervises the epidemiologists that conduct surveillance and outbreak investigations of enteric, foodborne, and waterborne diseases.

The DHS shared insight into what is contact tracing, how it is conducted by local public health departments and DHS’s role in providing surge capacity for those local health departments and the re-tasking of state employees to assist with contact tracing.

The Facebook Live chat was archived here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHi7FGr9qhs

Wisconsin Health News: Newsmaker with DHS Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm

Wisconsin Health News hosted a Newsmaker webinar with Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to discuss Gov. Tony Evers’ Badger Bounce Back plan, as well as steps the state is taking to ramp up testing and contact tracing.

That webinar was archived on WisEye here; https://wiseye.org/2020/04/30/wisconsin-health-news-newsmaker-with-dhs-secretary-designee-andrea-palm/

Assembly Committee on State Affairs Informational Hearing on “Back to Business Plan”

The Assembly Committee on State Affairs, chaired by Rep. Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander) held an informational hearing on Back to Business Plan published by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

Speakers included:

  • Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce
  • Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
  • Wisconsin Grocers Association
  • Wisconsin Restaurant Association
  • Members from the Tavern League of Wisconsin
  • Members from the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance
  • Members from the Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association
  • Members from the Wisconsin Bankers Association

The hearing was archived on WisconsinEye at; https://wiseye.org/2020/04/30/assembly-committee-on-state-affairs-11/

Wisconsin Receives Delivery of 230,000 N95 Masks from FEMA, New Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System Coming Online in Wisconsin Mid-May

Gov. Tony Evers today announced Wisconsin has received a delivery of 230,000 N95 respirator masks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), providing a boost to efforts to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) for distribution in the state. FEMA has also informed the state that it will be receiving technology in the form of a Battelle Critical Care Decontamination SystemTM (CCDS) to help decontaminate N95 respirator masks, which will help extend the life of these important supplies.

“I would like to thank FEMA for answering our calls for help with obtaining these critical supplies, which are badly needed by folks working on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19,” Gov. Evers said. “Staff at the State Emergency Operations Center has been working tirelessly to acquire PPE, and these masks will be a welcome addition to the supply chain they have worked to establish. However, it only addresses a small portion of the ongoing need in Wisconsin for reliable access to PPE.”

Link to press release.

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Daily Numbers:

Cumulative Numbers:

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David Quam

About David Quam

As a member of Dentons’ Public Policy practice, David co-leads Dentons 50, the firm’s 50-state advocacy network that provides clients facing complex, multi-state policy matters with on-the-ground government relations capabilities in every state capitol.

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Crawford G. Schneider

Crawford G. Schneider

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