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Gov. Mike DeWine has said that he does not know if Ohio will be able to afford the $100 state match needed to extend the $400 weekly federal unemployment benefits. Ohio isn’t the only state with financial concerns.
While Latinos are only 13 percent of Washington’s population, they make up 43 percent of the state’s positive COVID-19 cases. Public officials are struggling with why the rate is so high and what can be done to reduce it.
The state has spent $43 million suing the Trump administration, resulting in billions of dollars in savings. Since Trump took office, the attorney general’s office has filed over 90 lawsuits against the administration.
Silicon Valley was going to help America keep track of COVID-19 with badly needed technology. Yet, states never embraced the idea, and tech firms couldn’t overcome privacy concerns. But the idea is getting a reboot.
What’s it like to be a front-line government official in the COVID era? The mayor of Hattiesburg, Miss., talks candidly about "awful moments,” as he navigates a pandemic, an economic meltdown and racial tensions.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, commenting on CARES Act spending that is used to repair roads and highways instead of providing direct aid to citizens and businesses. (PEW — August 7, 2020)
The amount that the U.S. Postal Service has lost from April to June as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Officials predict that the service could see a total loss of $20 billion over the next two years.
There are approximately 325,000 rural Marylanders and 40 percent of households in Baltimore that can’t access high-speed Internet. While digital equity isn’t a new issue, it’s now urgent as many work and learn from home.
Many officials are urging greater openness in contact tracing to help combat COVID-19. But as case numbers keep rising, contact tracers are outnumbered, making the data even more difficult to track.
The bill would require employers to promptly notify employees and health officials if one of their workers is exposed to COVID-19. Some believe the existing law does not have clear enough requirements for employers’ reporting.
To address racial disparities, they need to collect and analyze more data to evaluate promising policies and better inform their indictment decisions and sentencing recommendations.
While it's helped a lot of Americans who are displaced from their offices get their work done, it's fallen short in areas like education and disease tracking and has once again highlighted the digital divide.
It’s the country’s most famous road, and like so many other iconic pieces of mid-century Americana, it has been nearly obliterated by progress. But a few bits remain if you know where to look.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, speaking about the state’s free COVID-19 tracking app that was launched earlier this week. The app will automatically notify people if they’ve been exposed to the virus. Virginia is the first state to use the pandemic technology from Apple and Google. (AP News — August 5, 2020)
The number of lawsuits and other legal actions that the ACLU has filed against the Trump administration, 174 of them dealing with immigrant rights.
The state’s Census fund has more than $1.3 million that hasn’t been spent. Advocates want the money to be spent to encourage hard-to-count communities to participate in the 2020 Census as the Sept. 30 deadline draws near.
While the city’s Wi-Fi service will not be available ahead of this school year, officials hope that it will be ready before next year’s academic schedule. “We are getting closer to closing the digital divide.”
Two-thirds of Black and Latino voters reported that the virus was a major health threat while less than half of white voters reported the same. And 69 percent of voters agreed that COVID-19 is increasing inequality.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham defended her executive orders allowing up to $30 million in coronavirus response spending after a legislative inquiry questioned her authority to do so. Only $1.1 million has been spent so far.
President Trump remains opposed to a bailout for "poorly run states." The administration may end up agreeing to help, but warnings about dire spending cuts have not yet prompted action.
For local governments coping with the fiscal pressures brought on by the pandemic, it might seem that now is the time. But public leaders first should ask themselves some important questions.
Voting by mail may have started during the Civil War, but the template for the 2020 general election is being created in real time. Legislators are working to bring clarity to vital details.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said of the state’s unemployment system and how it was designed to pay the fewest number of claims and deter applicants from filing applications. (Business Insider — August 5, 2020)
The proportioned decrease of daily COVID-19 testing over the past two weeks. Coronavirus testing has fallen in 22 states even though the U.S. is still seeing more than 1,000 deaths each day.
A group of voters have sued Tim Walz and other officials over the governor’s mandate, requiring people to wear masks when they vote in-person for next week’s primary. This is the 11th challenge to the state’s COVID-19 rules.
State officials were reminded repeatedly of the outdated unemployment system through several audits, but continued to ignore the issue. Now COVID-19 is forcing the state to deal with the antiquated system.
A technological glitch in the electronic data system used by the state’s health departments could be hampering California’s ability to track COVID-19 cases. Officials are uncertain as to when the issue will be resolved.
In 2013, Deloitte was paid $40 million to overhaul Florida’s unemployment system. In March, the system failed immediately. Now, the state is paying Deloitte $135 million to take on the state Medicaid system.
In responding to COVID-19, governments have been forced to move far more quickly and flexibly. What they've learned will prove invaluable as they prepare for the crises of the future.
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging across much of America, a return to full-scale classroom instruction poses too grave a risk to students, teachers, school staff, parents and their communities.
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