OML UPDATE AT-A-GLANCE
Here are the top three things you need to know from this past week:
- This week, Governor DeWine announced an order from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) that imposes a statewide facial covering mandate, effective Thursday, July 23 at 6 p.m. The order mandates that all individuals in Ohio must wear facial coverings in public when unable to socially distance with a few exceptions, such as medical reasons. You can read a copy of the ODH order HERE. More information is available in the article below.
- Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Larry Householder, a political staffer and three lobbyists were arrested and charged this Wednesday with conspiring to commit racketeering and other crimes in regard to passage of HB 6, legislation enacted last year which, in addition to other things, provided a $1.2 billion bail-out of Ohio's two nuclear power plants. The charges identify a long history and complex conspiracy of political operatives and "dark money" used to illegally thwart the democratic process and betray the trust of the citizens of Ohio. You can read the federal indictment HERE. We will continue to keep our members updated if new leadership is identified in the people's House.
- The League has written a letter of support HERE for HR 7094, legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson (R- OH) which would allow local governments to use funds from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) included in the CARES Act legislation for revenue replacement to help stabilize local budgets. The League thanks the congressman for his leadership with this critical issue and we encourage our members to pass a resolution in support of this important legislation. You can access a sample resolution HERE.
- The League and the Mayors Association of Ohio would like to thank U.S. Senator Rob Portman's State Director, Kevin Hoggatt, for joining the mayor's weekly call Wednesday and providing an update on the latest activity on the next legislative round of federal aid as well as other issues. We appreciate Kevin's time and wiliness to answer our mayor's questions regarding federal issues impacting Ohio's cities and villages.
- Despite weeklong negotiations with White House and other legislative officials, the U.S. Senate was unable to present a legislative package to address future aid related to impacts associated with the coronavirus. The National League of Cities (NLC) has provided members with an update which can be found below.
U.S. SENATE FAILS TO PRODUCE LEGISLATION FOR PHASE 4 CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE
We want to thank Irma Esparza Diggs, Senior Executive and Director of Federal Advocacy for the National League of Cities (NLC) for providing continuing updates on the efforts of the federal government to reach an agreement on additional assistance to state and local governments. Below is the latest information on where the negotiations stand.
U.S. Senate Fails to Unveil Relief Package:
Initially, U.S. Senate Republicans seemed confident that they would introduce a package that would be the basis of negotiations with Democrats for the upcoming relief bill.
However, before the GOP could unveil any legislation, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was dispatched to Capitol Hill to talk to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell about last minute policy disagreements shortly before the Senate Leader was to take to the Senate floor. It is unclear where exactly the disagreement was between the White House and Senate GOP.
Sen. McConnell, many hours after the delay occurred, said the Administration needed more time to look at the "finer details" of the proposal.
This false start comes after three days of meetings among the GOP and the White House's negotiators, trying to get a package even to the starting line.
McConnell promised that the Senate GOP would roll out a bill early next week. However, NLC reports that for cities, there will be no additional funds, at least in this opening draft.
This week, Senate Republicans also floated a trial balloon of extending enhanced unemployment insurance through the end of December so the GOP could buy themselves time to devise a more comprehensive relief package.
According to CNBC, the GOP plan would extend the enhanced unemployment benefits at $100 per week through the end of the year. Currently, those on unemployment receive $600 in enhanced unemployment insurance per week, and the benefits are set to expire at the end of the month.
The deadline, according to The Wall Street Journal, to get a bill passed that would ensure that there is not an unemployment benefit cliff is July 25. This will enable state's time to reprogram their benefits programs.
U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) said that if the work on a larger package cannot be finished quickly, then an extension of unemployment benefits should be considered.
Mnuchin Tells CNBC That Flexibility Will Work; Discusses "Bail Outs":
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin repeated a fallacy that additional flexibility to states for Coronavirus Relief Funds will help alleviate the fiscal pain cities are feeling.
"I think you know we allocated $150 billion probably 30-50% of that money has been used, we gave a lot of flexibility, we're going to have the Kennedy bill," Mnuchin said. "Which basically says the states that have the money can use the money for lost revenue. That's going to take care of virtually every single state, I think that's a very fair compromise."
NLC sent a communication to Capitol Hill staffers to correct this fallacy and is working hard to beat back this myth.
Mnuchin went on to call aid to state and local governments a "bail out."
"It is unfair for states like Florida to be bailing out states like New York, having said that, kind of, we're going to go with a compromised solution which is the Kennedy bill," Mnuchin said.
We encourage our municipal leaders to call their members of Congress to tell them that flexibility for local governments is neither sufficient nor is an additional allocation in a "bail out."
Our members must
impress upon Congress the need for additional flexible federal relief to keep local governments delivering the quality local services Ohioans need and deserve.
OHIO MUNICIPAL SEWER SYSTEMS MONITORED FOR EPA CORONAVIRUS STUDY
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Ohio EPA are conducting a study where samples are collected from municipal sewage and wastewater systems to test for the presence of coronavirus fragments. The Ohio EPA has said data from the study could help provide early COVID-19 warning for a community as well as help researchers better understand coronavirus trends throughout Ohio.
Prior studies revealed coronavirus fragments can be detected in the feces of both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patents and that those coronavirus fragments can be discovered in wastewater approximately three to seven days before that community sees an increase in COVID-19 cases and/or hospitalizations.
The initial municipalities participating in the study are Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron, Toledo and Dayton. The Ohio EPA also stated it intends to expand the study to medium and small-sized cities and villages. $2 million from the CARES Act is funding the study, which is being led by Ohio Water Resources Center at the Ohio State University in coordination with the University of Toledo, the University of Akron and Kent State University.
Data from the research and any additional information about the study will be available on coronavirus.ohio.gov.
UPDATE ON OHIO COVID-19 RESPONSE
- As of Thursday afternoon, Ohio is reporting 80,186 cases of coronavirus, 3,256 deaths, 9,968 hospitalizations and 2,403 ICU admissions.
Statewide Mask Mandate:
- OnThursday, July 23, at 6:00 p.m.,a statewide mask mandate went into effect for citizens living in all 88 Ohio counties. All individuals in Ohio must wear facial coverings in public at all times when: at an indoor location that is not a residence; outdoors, but unable to maintain six-foot social distance from people who are not household members; waiting for, riding, driving, or operating public transportation, such as a taxi, a car service, or a private car used for ride-sharing.
- The order only requires those 10 years old or older to wear a mask. Additional exclusions include: those with a medical condition or a disability or those communicating with someone with a disability; those who are actively exercising or playing sports, at religious services, involved in public safety, or actively eating or drinking. Schools should follow the guidance previously issued pertaining to masks.
Public Health Advisory Update:
- New public health data has led the Ohio Department of Health to designate 23 counties as being in a Red Alert Level 3 Public Emergency as defined by the Ohio Public Health Advisory System:
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Upgraded to Level 3 (Red): Clark, Defiance, Erie, Hardin, Henry, Lawrence, Marion, and Medina
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Continuing at Level 3 (Red): Athens, Allen*, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, Licking, Lucas, Montgomery, Pickaway, Richland, Scioto, and Union
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Downgraded to Level 2 (Orange): Butler, Lorain, Summit, and Wood
- You can access a sign for businesses and others to post in counties that are at Level 3 or 4 Alert Level HERE.
- The updated Ohio Public Health Advisory System map will enhance the ICU indicator to address concerns in the event ICU levels increase due to reasons other than COVID-19. The indicator will trigger if ICU capacity for a county's hospital region exceeds 80% of normal capacity and if 20 % of the normal ICU capacity is being used for COVID-19 positive patients. The Ohio Public Health Advisory System will also be updated in the coming weeks to include more localized testing data and an indicator related to known contacts spreading the virus when such local data is widely available.
Other COVID-19 Response Measures:
- Gov. DeWine announced atravel advisory for all individuals coming into Ohio from states reporting positive COVID-19 testing rates of 15 percent or higher. Those traveling from Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina, and Texas should self-quarantine for 14-days. The self-quarantine recommendation applies to those who live in Ohio and to people who are traveling into Ohio from any of these states. Additional information is available at coronavirus.ohio.gov for tips on how to effectively quarantine.
- Gov. DeWine urged citizens to use extreme caution when considering attending or hosting an informal gathering. The Governor said that Ohio is seeing serious exposures to the virus that are arising from every day events like church services, small house parties, neighborhood get-togethers, weddings, etc.
Business and Employment Updates:
- Gov. DeWine has signed onto a letter to Congressional leadership with 20 other fellow governors from across the nation, calling for reasonable limited liability protections for businesses, schools, healthcare workers, and governments as they are reopened during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The letter calls for predictable, timely, targeted liability protections to shield employers from legal risks associated with the spread of the novel coronavirus, so long as they are following the appropriate standards of care to protect their employees, customers, and students. The letter specifically requests that the protections be drawn in a narrow fashion as to not give license for gross negligence, misconduct, or recklessness. You can read the letter HERE.
- Ohio's unemployment rate dropped three percentage points in the last month to 10.9%.
- Ohioans filed 30,138 initial jobless claims last week, according to statistics the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported to the U.S. Dept. of Labor today. Ohioans filed 423,672 continued jobless claims last week, which were 352,630 fewer than the peak earlier this year. Over the last 18 weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $5.5 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 757,000 Ohioans. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, about 94% have been processed, with about 6% pending.
Broadband Updates:
- Lt. Gov. Husted announced the next steps in OhioBroadband's plans to expand broadband access across the state. Respondents to the request for information (RFI) will need to provide the specific equipment they have available, number of units available, price and amount of time it would take to implement an order. This RFI will be specific to K-12 plans and will be housed in a single location, giving every school district a chance to compare what is available and make the best decision for their district and their students.
- Additionally, pending upcoming Controlling Board approval, schools can apply for a dollar to dollar matching grant program with the state for hotspots, in-home internet, and internet-enabled devices to students. This funding will be facilitated through the federal CARES Act and will total $50 million. Schools will have the flexibility to use the funding through a connectivity plan that makes the most sense for their student population and district.
- A new E-Permitting system is being launched through InnovateOhio and the Ohio Department of Transportation. The new system fulfills a goal outlined in the December 2019, Ohio Broadband Strategy, and replaces a paper-only right-of-way permitting system with an online process that is more convenient for permit requesters and is expected to reallocate 24,000 hours of labor per year.
Miscellaneous Updates:
- Following a 19-case outbreak linked to a county fair in Ohio, Gov. DeWine spoke with fair managers from across Ohio to stress the importance of following safety guidance during county fair events. The Governor said he wants fairs to continue, but they must follow the rules. Guidance for fairs is available at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
- After an outbreak at an Ohio long-term care facility in which more than two dozen residents and staff tested positive for COVID-19, Governor DeWine continued to encourage Ohioans to self-quarantine for 14-days after traveling to high-risk areas.
- The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation will sponsor two new public service announcements created in partnership with the Ohio Restaurant Association, OhioHealth, JobsOhio, and the Ohio Business Roundtable. The first PSA (HERE) features real Ohioans explaining why all Ohioans should all wear a mask. The second PSA (HERE) features Dr. Steve Markovich, a former Air National Guardsman and fighter pilot, who is CEO of OhioHealth. He encourages younger adults to wear masks to protect family, friends and coworkers.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: BILLS OF MUNICIPAL INTEREST
Passed by Senate:
- SB 10 - THEFT IN OFFICE PENALTIES. Sponsored by Sen. Wilson (R - Maineville), would expand the penalties for theft in office based on the amount stolen and include as restitution audit costs of the entity that suffered the loss. The bill was informally passed by the Ohio Senate. The League is supportive of this legislation.
Committee Hearings:
- HB 13 - BROADBAND EXPANSION. Sponsored by Rep. Carfagna (R - Genoa Township) And Rep. O'Brien (D - Warren), is regarding broadband expansion, including access to electric cooperative easements and facilities and railroad rights of way, and makes an appropriation. During its first hearing before the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee, the bill's sponsor explained that the bill "incentivizes true public/private partnerships and rewards cooperation to bring this infrastructure to those without this critical resource." The League is supportive of this legislation.
