BG Reads | News You Need to Know (March 26, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
*NEW* BG BLOG: Austin Mayor Steve Adler announces "Stay Home – Work Safe" order (LINK TO BLOG POST)
*NEW* BG PODCAST EPISODE 80: Discussing Austin's Omnibus SXSW/COVID-19 Resilience Plan (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Council vote could allow online board and commission meetings during COVID-19 quarantine (Austin Monitor)
The city’s boards and commissions, which have been sidelined since mid-March because of bans on large gatherings linked to the spread of COVID-19, could get the green light to hold virtual meetings.
Today City Council is expected to vote on temporarily waiving local ordinance 2-1-6(E) that requires all members of a board or commission to be present in order for a meeting to take place. The change would allow meetings “via telephonic or videoconference” until the suspension of the local disaster declaration made by Mayor Steve Adler earlier this month.
Council will hold its first meeting using online conferencing technology today, with city staff expected to adapt the digital tools to allow the city’s dozens of boards and commissions to resume their regular meeting schedule.
Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, who will attend Thursday’s meeting remotely, said the temporary change to online meetings is necessary for city business to move forward. He said Council and staff will need to figure out questions about equity and digital access for residents and some board members, and how to handle the possibility that hundreds of people watching online may overwhelm the public comment portions of meetings… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin-area districts prepare to close for remainder of school year amid coronavirus pandemic (Austin American-Statesman)
A handful of Austin-area school districts have announced they are extending closures until mid-April or later, but behind the scenes, many are preparing to be out the remainder of the school year amid the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr. Mark Escott, interim health authority for Austin and Travis County, earlier on Tuesday called on districts to remain shuttered for the rest of the semester, a scenario for which area school leaders have been preparing.
Likewise, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said longer school closures — up to 20 weeks — can have better mitigation effects than school closures for shorter periods.
While no decisions have been made, district leaders recognize the cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, are rising daily. The number of cases in Travis County hit nearly 100 by Tuesday night. In Texas, that number exceeds 1,200.
Area teachers and district employees say they expect it’s just a matter of time before their districts pull the trigger… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin's construction shutdown order appears to be an outlier in Texas (Austin Business Journal)
Austin's prohibition of most residential and commercial construction to slow the coronavirus appears to be one of the farther-reaching measures in the Lone Star State.
With no statewide shelter-in-place order in effect, cities and counties are deciding what measures they need to take to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Austin, as well as Travis and Williamson counties, issued their shelter-in-place orders on March 24. Austin clarified later on the night of March 24 that residential and commercial construction is generally prohibited — with a few narrow exceptions.
Builders and developers have been left scrambling trying to figure out whether they are allowed to continue operating or how to shut down operations by a March 27 deadline set by the city… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Trump declares ‘major disaster’ in Texas because of coronavirus (Dallas Morning News)
Two days after Gov. Greg Abbott requested it, President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that a major disaster exists in Texas because of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Trump ordered federal monetary assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in areas affected by COVID-19 beginning on Jan. 20 “and continuing,” said a White House release. The money will help the state and Texas’ local governments and nonprofits take “emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, for all areas” affected by the disease, it said. As Abbott requested, the declaration also freed up federal funds for crisis counseling.
On Monday, the Republican governor asked for the declaration, saying Texas’ response to the virus requires immediate infusions of tens of millions of federal dollars. In a letter to Trump, Abbott said the current virus-spread “incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments.” Abbott, perhaps preparing rural residents for more aggressive state actions, highlighted how a lack of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves for health care workers forced Shackelford County to close its one medical clinic. More closures of rural clinics could come soon, he warned… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Construction to be considered 'essential' under Harris County's 'stay home, work smart' order (Houston Business Journal)
Construction projects in Harris County will be able to proceed despite the March 24 “stay home, work smart” order issued by County Judge Lina Hidalgo to stem the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
While the final written order is not yet available, Hidalgo’s press secretary confirmed Tuesday, March 24, that both residential and commercial construction “have been classified as essential” services under the order.
The order will remain in place from 11:59 p.m. March 24 through April 3. Individuals whose work is essential to the health and safety of the public are exempt.
The order will remain in place from 11:59 p.m. March 24 through April 3. Individuals whose work is essential to the health and safety of the public are exempt.
That confirmation likely comes as a relief to developers, contractors and construction workers across the county, as many had been holding their breath to see whether their multimillion-dollar projects would be allowed to move forward.
Local trade associations across greater Houston have been lobbying for construction to be deemed an essential service.
As late as March 23, Russell Hamley, president of the Houston chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, said he had been speaking with city and county officials about the importance of construction to both the security of the local infrastructure and, potentially, to the ongoing effort to combat COVID-19… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Construction continues as San Antonio shelters in place — But not in Austin (San Antonio Business Journal)
When it became clear last week that local governments were moving toward orders for residents to stay at home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, construction associations across the state spoke out against measures that would halt construction projects.
As these shelter-in-place measures were handled by cities and counties rather than as part of a statewide order, local lawmakers had differing takes on which businesses would be exempt or have to close as a result of their actions.
Luckily for San Antonio’s general contractors, the order from San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, which took effect Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., exempted public works, commercial and residential construction meaning they can continue as planned if crews maintain social distancing… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas hospitals plan to add beds, eye vacated buildings as they prepare for a possible influx in coronavirus cases (Texas Tribune)
Some Texas hospitals are erecting tents, planning to add beds and eyeing vacated buildings as overflow facilities while they prepare for what may be a deluge of COVID-19 patients.
The efforts to quickly add capacity come after Gov. Greg Abbott waived hospitals’ occupancy restrictions Sunday and ordered health care providers to postpone surgeries that are not “immediately, medically necessary” — directives he suggested could free up half of some hospitals' beds for patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The steps are early preparation in Texas, which has not seen the level of crisis that countries like Italy or states like New York are now experiencing over the outbreak.
Texas was reporting almost 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases Wednesday, though the number is almost certainly an underestimate due to community spread and lack of testing.
In an East Texas region that’s seen four rural hospitals shuttered since 2014, local officials and medical personnel have mapped out space for cots in a local civic center and are considering reopening a hospital that closed five years ago to handle a potential influx in patients… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Senate unanimously passes $2T coronavirus stimulus package (The Hill)
The Senate unanimously passed an approximately $2.2 trillion stimulus package late Wednesday night in an effort to jumpstart an economy decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill provides aid for workers, small business and industries impacted in recent weeks by the virus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) compared the efforts by Congress to combat the coronavirus to being on a “war-time footing.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Study behind updated FDA guidance shows self-swab tests are as effective as those done by clinicians (Tech Crunch)
Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would be updating its guidance to allow self-swab tests for COVID-19, in which a patient collects a sample from their own nose for a health professional to test. On Wednesday, UnitedHealth Group revealed the results of a peer-reviewed large-scale study that provided the science behind the decision to switch to the less-invasive sample collection method.
The self-swab process doesn’t change where FDA-approved testing can happen — this expanded guidance only applies to the method of collection, meaning at-home swab-based PCR tests that many startups had hoped to bring to market are still on hold. But even though people still have to go to either clinics or drive-through testing sites to get a COVID-19 test done, the ability to self-swab offers more comfort, as well as real advantages when it comes to the health and safety of the clinicians and front-line healthcare workers staffing the sites… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin-based full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on municipal, legislative, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
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