BG Reads | News You Need to Know (May 1, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
BG Podcast Episode 84: Tech, Policy, and Labor with René Lara, Legislative Director, AFL-CIO
Today's episode features a discussion with René Lara, Legislative Director with the Texas AFL-CIO. The two discuss the unionization of Kickstarter employees (on February 18), a first for a major tech firm, and implications for the sector particularly consumer facing businesses.
COVID-19 RESOURCE PAGE
Bingham Group is compiling the most important Federal, State, and City COVID-19 related announcements, policy and regulatory changes each week. Click here to find the most up-to-date information.
[AUSTIN METRO]
City Of Austin 'Continues To Work Through' Governor's Order To Slowly Reopen Texas (KUT)
Texas’ statewide stay-at-home order expires Friday, but the City of Austin has yet to clarify how this might affect local residents, how it will enforce the governor’s new order and what, if any, additional requirements the city will enact.
“The City of Austin continues to work through the implications of the Governor’s Executive Order,” a city spokesperson wrote in an email Thursday morning, later adding that it may be Monday before the city clarifies what the state action means locally. “We will share information with media partners and the general public once we have more information to share.”
Beginning Friday, restaurants, malls and retail shops will be allowed to open in the state, following an announcement by Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday. Establishments that open will be required to limit occupancy to 25%; the governor said enforcement of this rule would be up to municipalities. While he also encouraged people to wear face masks, he said cities could no longer enforce the rule… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Council looks to assemble blueprint for federal Covid-19 assistance dollars (Austin Monitor)
City Council is expected to lay down the guidelines next week for how to use money handed over from the federal government to assist with prevention and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Council Member Ann Kitchen is among the city leaders working to assemble the blueprint for how to deploy money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and other federal programs allocating resources to state and local governments.
To date, the city has used existing local programs and emergency budget reserves to address public health needs and provide assistance to residents and small businesses, but the federal dollars will soon be available to reimburse those costs and spin up new programs.
Kitchen said the city has responded to immediate needs on a case-by-case basis to provide resources where most needed. With the buffet of smaller programs contained within the CARES Act offering more options for assistance and public health needs, she said it is important to look at the “whole universe” of options for how to best use the federal aid… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
$3.4 Billion Approved For I-35 Revamp In Austin, As Economic Uncertainty Leads To New Questions (KUT)
A funding gap for the I-35 Capital Express project in Austin got a lot smaller Thursday, as the Texas Transportation Commission voted to allocate $3.4 billion as part of TxDOT’s 10-year transportation plan.
Commissioners acknowledged concerns from the public and elected officials in other parts of the state about whether the time is right for changes to the state’s Unified Transportation Program, or UTP. Revenues that fund TxDOT, including oil and gas taxes, are expected to drop as a result of the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commission Chairman Bruce Bugg pointed out that the UTP is a guide rather than a “budget or a guarantee.”
“It is the responsibility of this commission to look ahead to the future needs of Texas,” Bugg said. “Gov. Greg Abbott and I both believe the I-35 Capital Express project is a statewide strategic priority.”
Bugg said the project will help the state’s economy and ease congestion on a highway that has a number of the state’s worst traffic bottlenecks… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
New poll from Texas Restaurant Association shows near-even split about reopening Friday (KXAN)
The Texas Restaurant Association released a poll showing that eateries across the state are almost evenly split about whether they will reopen Friday. The poll in question received 401 responses and asked people if they plan to open their restaurants on May 1. Of those who responded, 47.38% said they would not reopen. However, 43.39% said they would welcome back diners into their restaurants Friday, while 9.23% said they were unsure about doing so.
The Texas Restaurant Association shared these poll results shortly before holding a virtual conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon. Dr. Emily Williams Knight, the organization’s president and CEO, as well as Kelsey Erickson Streufert, the vice president of government affairs and advocacy, answered questions for more than 30 minutes. The video conference covered topics such as safety, privacy concerns, occupancy confusion and the Texas Restaurant Promise. In a press conference at the Texas Capitol on Monday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas’ next steps for reopening business during the COVID-19 pandemic, this includes allowing restaurants to operate at 25% capacity… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas' front-line workers in the pandemic are predominantly women and people of color, analysis finds (Texas Tribune)
When the coronavirus pandemic began, school custodian Crystal Watts was working five days a week, mopping floors, wiping desks and disinfecting every surface that was touched. She didn’t get a mask.
Olivia Hill, a day care teacher, was given the choice to stop working when a child at the facility tested positive for the new coronavirus. She didn’t quit. She couldn’t afford to.
Watts and Hill, both from San Antonio, are among millions of front-line workers who have continued to work — cleaning buildings, stocking grocery shelves and filling prescriptions — even as COVID-19 has driven most businesses to shutter and residents to stay home.
In Texas and across the country, these front-line employees are predominantly women and are more likely to be people of color than other workers, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, released Friday… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas won’t cut off unemployment for over-65 workers who refuse to return to jobs due to coronavirus (Dallas Morning News)
Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday announced new guidance to allow workers who cannot return to work because of certain health-related concerns to continue receiving unemployment benefits from the state. “As the Lone Star State begins the process of safely and strategically opening the economy, our top priority is protecting the health and safety of all Texans—especially those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19,” Abbott said in a statement. "
This flexibility in the unemployment benefit process will help ensure that Texans with certain health and safety concerns will not be penalized for choosing not to return to work.” Previously, workers could be taken off unemployment if they received an offer of “suitable work” and refused it. But Abbott’s new guidance to the Texas Workforce Commission, gave a list of reasons that would allow Texans with health concerns to continue receiving unemployment.
That list includes: At High Risk: People 65 years or older are at a higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19. Household member at high risk: People 65 years or older are at a higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.
Diagnosed with COVID: The individual has tested positive for COVID-19 by a source authorized by the State of Texas and is not recovered. Family member with COVID: Anybody in the household has tested positive for COVID-19 by a source authorized by the State of Texas and is not recovered and 14 days have not yet passed. Quarantined: Individual is currently in 14-day quarantine due to close contact exposure to COVID-19. Child care: Child’s school or daycare closed and no alternatives are available. All other situations would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, Abbott said. On Wednesday, labor advocates led by the Center for Public Policy Priorities had urged the Texas Workforce Commission to make similar changes to continue providing unemployment to those affected by COVID-19… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Passengers must wear masks on major airlines to cut spread of coronavirus (NPR)
The three largest U.S. airlines will begin to require passengers to wear face coverings or masks on flights to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. American, Delta and United Airlines join JetBlue and Frontier in taking the action amid growing pressure from Congress and their own employees.
Flight attendants having been calling on their airlines and the federal government to require face coverings or masks on passengers since the pandemic began, and in recent weeks, some Democratic lawmakers have been urging the same, ramping up pressure on the Trump administration and the airlines to do more to protect travelers and employees from COVID-19… (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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