Pandemic

September 17th Edition of the DMGS State Capital Weekly Recap: Cash Bail, Redistricting, Marijuana, and Newsom Survives the California Recall

2023-09-11T01:43:47-04:00

Digital collage image and collage by Ryan Stevens; image sources by Gordon Johnson, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, & Paula Wood from Pixabay    A lot of focus was spent this week on California Governor Gavin Newsom surviving a recall election effort, but lawmakers and other governors across the country were also busy this week on issues ranging from COVID-19 to [...]

September 17th Edition of the DMGS State Capital Weekly Recap: Cash Bail, Redistricting, Marijuana, and Newsom Survives the California Recall2023-09-11T01:43:47-04:00

COVID Vaccine Mandates & Testing Requirements

2023-09-11T01:30:57-04:00

Digital collage by Ryan Stevens; image source by torstensimon from Pixabay  On August 23rd, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 years and older.  In announcing the vaccine’s approval, Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock noted that they hope the full FDA approval will instill additional confidence for people to [...]

COVID Vaccine Mandates & Testing Requirements2023-09-11T01:30:57-04:00

Mask Mandates in Schools: Where Does Your State Stand?

2023-09-11T00:36:10-04:00

Digital collage by Ryan Stevens; image source by Muhammad Rizwan & Thanks for your Like • donations welcome from Pixabay  Many states began dialing back their COVID restrictions earlier this spring and summer, including mask wearing.  However, with the Delta variant of COVID-19 becoming more prevalent and the CDC issuing new guidance, more states and localities have begun [...]

Mask Mandates in Schools: Where Does Your State Stand?2023-09-11T00:36:10-04:00

State Action on Stimulus Checks

2023-09-11T01:31:23-04:00

by: Ryan J. Stevens Digital Collage by Alana Burman Congress passed the CARES Act nearly six months ago, which provided roughly $2 trillion to individuals, businesses, and states in response to the global coronavirus pandemic.  The Act also included payments of as much as $1,200 for individual taxpayers and $500 per child, phased out when [...]

State Action on Stimulus Checks2023-09-11T01:31:23-04:00

State Action on Mandatory Flu Vaccines

2023-09-11T00:36:41-04:00

DMGS Highlights Some states are considering requiring flu vaccinations this fall.Massachusetts has already instituted a statewide flu vaccine requirement for students enrolled in child care, pre-K, K-12, and post-secondary institutions.New Jersey and Vermont are also considering a similar requirement. As COVID death tolls in the United States continues to rise and the economic impacts of [...]

State Action on Mandatory Flu Vaccines2023-09-11T00:36:41-04:00

2020 and Gubernatorial Vetoes

2023-09-11T01:31:24-04:00

DMGS Highlights: Governors of states maintain the power to veto legislation.Each state has its own veto process.There are numerous types of vetoes.Vetoed legislation in 2020 includes: minimum wage bills, online voter registration bills, high school graduation requirement bills, telemedicine bills, budget line-item vetoes, and more. In a state’s system of checks and balances, governors maintain [...]

2020 and Gubernatorial Vetoes2023-09-11T01:31:24-04:00

CARES Act Funding & K-12 Education

2020-08-26T07:15:00-04:00

Key Highlights: The CARES Act allocated $150 billion in aid to state, local, and tribal governments.Lawmakers and Governors in states across the country have allocated these funds towards various education-related expenditures.The federal CARES Act funding has been used to support instructional programming to help students catch up from interrupted instruction caused by COVID-19, improve air [...]

CARES Act Funding & K-12 Education2020-08-26T07:15:00-04:00

2020 Special Legislative Sessions

2023-07-25T12:05:35-04:00

Photo by Stephan Müller on Pexels.com What is a “Special Session”?  Unlike a regular legislative session, special sessions occur to deal with specific issues or topics.  Usually, the scope of the special session is limited to these specific issues.  Each state has its own rules and laws for the processes on special sessions, including how [...]

2020 Special Legislative Sessions2023-07-25T12:05:35-04:00

How to Advocate in the Age of COVID-19: DMGS Lobbying Tips

2023-09-11T01:44:07-04:00

Digital Illustration by Alana Burman Last year, DMGS looked at “Hill Day Strategies” and provided lobbying tips on how to advocate effectively.  This year, traditional lobbying and advocacy have changed due to the spread of COVID-19.  In the past few months, in-person meetings with lawmakers and their staff members have dwindled, while digital meetings, emails, [...]

How to Advocate in the Age of COVID-19: DMGS Lobbying Tips2023-09-11T01:44:07-04:00
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