CALIFORNIA SHARES LIFESAVING VENTILATORS WITH HARD HIT STATES THROUGH EMAC

The following is a news release from CSG Affiliate The National Emergency Management Association (NEMA)

Press Release
April 9, 2020

Lexington, KY – The state of California is sharing lifesaving ventilators this week with at least 6 other states to support patients being treated for COVID-19, including New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, Nevada, as well as the District of Columbia. These ventilators are owned by California and loaned through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) – a nationally adopted mutual aid agreement.  Two additional states have shared Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and a public health incident management team.

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FEMA Releases Information Regarding National Guard Title 32 Status

The following is a news release from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Release date: 
March 29, 2020

Release Number: 
HQ-20-042

WASHINGTON — The response to COVID-19 is a highly coordinated effort between States, Territories, and the Federal government. As States and Territories scale their response to meet the threat, the Federal government will scale its support of these efforts by increasing the level of shared resources. To effectively contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 it is imperative that real-time information and data, including demand on hospital beds and supply chain issues, be collected and shared.  With this rapidly evolving situation, the Federal government will continue closely monitoring needs and re-evaluating Federal support. 

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Put Down Your Number Two Pencils: Canceled by COVID-19 for 2020, Standardized Testing Continues to Be Rethought by Educators

By Sean Slone, CSG Senior Policy Analyst

With the closing of schools across the country this spring due to the coronavirus and stay-at-home orders in some places, states have had to grapple with the impact on what is normally a busy season for standardized testing, the activity that drives assessment and accountability systems nationwide, helps guide students to college and careers and generates the data that is used at the state and federal levels to target funding decisions and shape education policy.

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Occupational Licensing – COVID-19 Responses

By Carl Sims, CSG Policy Analyst

Summary

  • The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in shortages of qualified, licensed health care and other related professions that are needed to support state and local responses.
  • States have been enacting measures to modify existing licensing regulations that remove barriers that may prevent an individual to assist in response efforts.
  • Many states have been granting temporary licensure for out-of-state professionals or those that are otherwise retired, still in training, or have lapsed licenses.
  • Certain health care practitioners in some states are being granted expanded scopes of practice.
  • Other states are removing barriers to allow for greater use of telemedicine services.
  • States are also waiving or suspending certain requirements related to the maintenance or attainment of licenses where they might require physical travel, interactions or might otherwise be difficult to achieve during the crisis.
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Federal Response to COVID-19: Health Care

By Brandy Whisman, CSG Policy Analyst

Summary

The ripple effects of COVID-19 are impacting millions of Americans. Due to social distancing guidance and mandatory shutdowns, many Americans deemed nonessential or unable to work from home have lost their only source of income. According to Pew Research, the most vulnerable professions are food and beverage industry workers and retail workers. As unemployment rates continue to climb, so does the need for social safety nets.

As a result of losing income, many Americans will need to apply for Medicaid to cover any health issues that arise. Medicaid has long been the health safety net for Americans with low incomes. Currently, Medicaid provides health care coverage to over 70 million Americans. The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has responded by relaxing certain requirements for 1135 waivers and expansion for the 14 states who have not expanded already.

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Response to COVID-19: Elections

By Taylor Lansdale, Program Director, CSG Overseas Voting Initiative

Summary

  • COVID-19 has caused significant distress in the elections community.
  • Social distancing rules makes in-person voting a safety concern for both voters and election workers.
  • Polling sites are experiencing shortages of those poll workers, presumably because they are concerned about exposure to the virus.
  • States are taking different steps to overcome COVID-19 concerns:
    • Moving election dates
    • Expanding all-mail voting
    • Some states, such as Wisconsin, calling in National Guard to work polling places
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State and Federal Response to COVID-19 Cybersecurity

By Casandra Hockenberry, Policy Analyst, The Council of State Governments Overseas Voting Initiative

Summary

Cybersecurity is the measures taken to secure electronic data and systems against criminal attacks, including malware, phishing, spearphishing, denial-of-service, etc. In most companies and businesses, there is some level of internal cybersecurity steps that have been take to stop these attacks. COVID-19 means we are seeing unprecedented levels of teleworking, including telemedicine. Suddenly, these systems are significantly more open for cyber-attacks. Additionally, actors both foreign and domestic have been working on misinformation and disinformation campaigns.

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States Form Task Forces to Consider Short- and Long-Term Impacts of Coronavirus

By: CSG Policy Team

As the spread of COVID-19 continues to uncover new challenges for state governments each day, many state leaders have turned to task forces and advisory committees to help them better understand these issues. While many of these panels focus on the immediate needs related to the state’s public health response and agency coordination, others are also tasked with looking ahead to consider the long-term strategies that may be needed to repair state economies and decimated support systems in the years ahead. Here’s a look at some of these task forces including their makeup and focuses:

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