The Pew Charitable Trusts
09/23/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/23/2021 09:47
Top State Stories 9/23
Five school districts' challenge to a mask mandate rule came to a screeching halt after Florida's new surgeon general repealed the rule and replaced it with his own that gave parents even more choice over how to deal with COVID-19 in schools.
Indiana families in need are being evicted while mountains of federal dollars, earmarked specifically to help them, sit untouched in the state's coffers. About 83% of Indiana households behind on rent have not received rental assistance.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to take a case over the state's redistricting practices, a day after a federal court scheduled a January trial on the same issue. The state's high court agreed to take the case on a 4-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority and liberals in dissent.
Alaska has contracted 400 additional health care workers from the Lower 48 to aid the state's battle against COVID-19. The contract will cost $87 million, and the health care workers are scheduled to arrive next week.
A redistricting bill filed by a Republican legislator would put parts of Pulaski County, which contains Arkansas' capital of Little Rock, in the 1st, 2nd and 4th congressional districts. The state's most populous county has been in the 2nd Congressional District since the 1960s.
New Mexico faces a deadline at the end of September to distribute at least $104 million in federal rental assistance or risk forfeiting additional money. As of mid-September, the state had spent or assigned $51 million of that assistance.
South Dakota's labor department is looking to help formerly incarcerated individuals rejoin the workforce by offering federal bonds and tax incentives for employers who hire them.
The South Carolina House won't return when the Senate does in mid-October, making it unlikely for the full legislature to address or overturn its ban on masks in schools for the foreseeable future.
Maryland school districts are seeing COVID-19 cases rise, forcing hundreds of students into quarantine and prompting schools to alter plans and cancel events.
Texas Republicans are redrawing state Senate boundaries to protect three GOP incumbents targeted by Democrats. If Democrats win three additional seats they win control of the Senate.
Four North Carolina state lawmakers have now announced that they will not run for reelection in 2022, as the Republican-controlled General Assembly is preparing to redraw state legislative and congressional districts.
More than 18 months after COVID-19 began spreading throughout Connecticut, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont asked the state legislature for the sixth extension of his extraordinary powers to govern during the pandemic.
Four major state agencies in Missouri have received approval to allow some of their employees to work remotely. But Republican Gov. Mike Parson's administration is requiring a stricter accounting of how workers spend their time.
Oregon will spend $23.6 million on hazard payments of up to $1,550 for state employees who were required to work in-person during the first 16 months of the pandemic.
Michigan has a plan to add charging stations all along the Lake Michigan shoreline, covering communities, lighthouses and other tourist destinations as soon as next year.
California's COVID-19 deaths are skewing younger, with the average age dropping seven years during the past few months. And death rates are increasing for most racial groups, particularly Latinos.
Only 22% of Colorado's more than 2,000 K-12 schools have enrolled in the state's weekly COVID-19 testing program. Without routine testing, schools face a higher risk of transmission while following the state's more lax quarantine guidance for this school year.
Wyoming officials received and investigated 263 cyber tips about child pornography and other hazards in 2019. That number nearly doubled last year, and this year the office has already received 425 tips.
A new Minnesota program is designed to improve pay and benefits for child care workers, as well as cover expenses such as personal protective equipment and overhead costs. The legislature set up the $300 million program using federal COVID-19 stimulus money.