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Policy and Legislative Updates
7.15.2020
The Policy and Legislative Advisory Network (PLAN) is committed to keeping the larger network abreast of policies, legislation, regulations, and rules being implemented across the state and nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Updates below include information through 7.15.2020 and were provided by:

Please note: This information is subject to change. In addition, some updates may be sourced from organizations that have read limits or limits on how many articles you can access in a given time period.
Local Policy Updates
Coronavirus In Colorado; The Numbers
According to today's data release, in Colorado there have been 413,187 people tested, 38,155 positive cases, 5,950 hospitalized, 1,744 deaths among cases (1,601 deaths due to COVID), 414 outbreaks at residential and non- hospital health care facilities, 62 of 64 counties with positive cases. In Adams County we have 4,916 cases and 159 deaths. Read More from CDPHE HERE
Governor Polis Provides Update On State Response To COVID-19 Pandemic
Governor Jared Polis provided an update yesterday to Coloradans on the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Now is not the time to let our guard down and this pandemic is far from over. We have to do a better job of wearing masks, social distancing and washing our hands,” said Governor Jared Polis. “Colorado is seeing a slow, but steady rise in cases and hospitalizations. We are not seeing the same scenarios in other states like Texas and Florida, but here in Colorado we are only as good as our ability to take the necessary measures to protect ourselves and others.” Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE
Colorado’s Weekly COVID-19 Count Hits Highest Level Since May As Upward Trend Continues
Colorado recorded 2,743 new cases of the coronavirus in the second week of July, reaching a level not seen since early May. Sunday capped the fourth week of rising infection numbers in the state following a decline since April, reaching a level of new COVID-19 cases not seen since the week ending May 10. While Colorado is still below the late-April peak of 3,761 new infections in one week, it’s much closer than it was in early June, when the state recorded 1,135 new cases. Read More from The Denver Post HERE
Upward Trend In COVID-19 Cases In Colorado Troubles Gov. Jared Polis
The upward trend of COVID-19 cases in Colorado over the past several weeks is a troubling indication of where the state might be heading if residents continue to be “complacent,” Gov. Jared Polis said during a briefing Tuesday. Tuesday’s hospital data showed 378 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, up 45 from Monday. Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment also shows 444 new cases of the virus have been reported Tuesday. Read More from Denver7 HERE
As Coronavirus Cases Rise, Colorado Officials Say Contact-Tracing Efforts Are Keeping Up, So Far
As cases of COVID-19 rise in Colorado, contact-tracing efforts are ramping up statewide to meet the demand. So far, public health agencies across the state say they are keeping up. But they are also planning for how to handle the higher and more complex caseloads they expect will be coming in the future. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE
Gov. Jared Polis Again Asks For Coloradans To Wear Masks And Social Distance But Holds Off On Mandatory Mask Order
Despite a growing chorus of calls for a statewide mask mandate, Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday continued to encourage people to wear masks but not to mandate it. "It's your decision to wear a mask around others," and to stay 6 feet away from others, Polis said during a press conference update. "It's your decision to protect" the most vulnerable to COVID-19. he said. So far, the state has been relatively successful in its efforts to combat the virus, both from an economic and public health perspective, he said. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE
Polis Extended His Order Requiring 30-Day Notice Before Evictions. Housing Advocates Worry It Only Delays The Inevitable
Gov. Jared Polis extended his order Sunday that requires landlords to give a month’s notice to tenants who are late on their rent before beginning the eviction process. This is supposed to be an extra protection for people who are still struggling to keep an income while the pandemic continues to disrupt Colorado’s economy. This executive order is extended until Aug. 11. It does not outlaw evictions. Read More from CPR HERE
Colorado Becomes 11th State To Ban LGBTQ “Panic Defense”
Colorado on Monday became the 11th U.S. state to ban the LGBTQ “panic defense,” meaning defendants can no longer blame their own violent actions on a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Gov. Jared Polis, the first openly gay man in the country to be elected governor, signed the new law at the LGBTQ Center in Denver, flanked by advocates and lawmakers who carried a bill at the statehouse this spring. Read More from The Denver Post HERE
Polis Signs Colorado's Paid Sick Leave Program Into Law
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed Colorado's paid sick leave program into law Tuesday afternoon, the latest step in a long journey for advocates. Senate Bill 205 passed in the second half this year's legislative session, after a two-month break because of the coronavirus pandemic. The paid sick leave bill is for shorter illnesses, continuing the federal pandemic allowance that lasts until the end of the year. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE, The Denver Post HERE , and The Colorado Sun HERE
Polis Signs Bills To Expand Paid Sick Leave, Access To Unemployment Insurance
Here are the four new bills signed on Tuesday: 1) Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, SB20-205: The bill allows Colorado workers, including part-time workers, to earn one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours of work, up to six days per year. The bill also provides leave during a public health emergency like COVID-19. 2) Unemployment Insurance, SB20-207: Increases the amount of wages a person may earn before having their unemployment insurance benefits reduced, expands the state’s Work Share Program. 3) Update Colorado Employment Security Act, SB20-170: Makes it easier for domestic violence victims and siblings who are primary caretakers to receive unemployment insurance benefits. And 4) Prohibit Housing Discrimination Source Of Income, HB20-1332: Makes discrimination in housing based on a person’s source of income an unfair housing practice. Read More from Fox31 HERE
King Soopers Will Require Customers To Wear Masks Starting July 22, Kroger Announces
Kroger, which owns Colorado's King Soopers grocery chain, announced on Wednesday that it will begin requiring all customers to wear masks on July 22. Store employees have been required to wear masks for months amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More from Denver7 HERE
Hundreds Of Colorado Oil And Gas Companies Won Approval For PPP Loans
Hundreds of Colorado oil and gas companies qualified for Paycheck Protection Program loans, including one of the state’s biggest producers, which credits the money with helping avoid layoffs that swept the industry. At least 419 companies in oil and natural gas in Colorado qualified for PPP loans, according to U.S. Small Business Administration data, and those companies employed more than 7,400 people. Read More from Denver Business Journal HERE
Colorado Signs Multi-State Agreement To Boost Electric Truck, Bus And Big Rig Market
Colorado has joined a group of states announcing plans to get more electric trucks, buses and big rigs on the road. Gov. Jared Polis signed an agreement, along with the District of Columbia and 14 states, to have 100 percent of all new medium and heavy-duty vehicle sales sold within their borders be zero-emission by 2050. The interim goal is to have 30 percent of sales be electric by 2030. Read More from CPR HERE
Colorado Universities Respond To ICE Reversal On International Student Deportations
After U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement decided on Tuesday to rescind its order preventing international students from remaining in the United States if they were taking classes solely online, reactions from Colorado's higher education community were supportive. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE
Colorado Supreme Court Updates Bar Exam Guidelines In Response To Law Students’ Petition
The Colorado Supreme Court announced updated protocols to the upcoming bar exam in response to a group of law students advocating to cancel the test due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under the new guidelines, law students will be able to transfer their applications for the July exam to the February test date and apply to be eligible for limited, supervised practice. Recent grads have been specifically advocating for diploma privilege, which would allow prospective lawyers to fully practice law in Colorado without taking an exam. Read More from CPR HERE
Only Three Coal-Fired Power Plants In Colorado Are Set To Operate Past 2030
All three units of Craig Station, one of Colorado’s largest coal-fired power plants, will shut down by 2030. The five co-owners of Unit 2 at the facility in northwest Colorado last week unanimously voted to close the 410-megawatt plant by Sept. 20, 2028. It’s the latest blow to the coal economy in the area, but good news for environmental advocacy groups like the Sierra Club as they push Xcel Energy to advance the closure dates for its two remaining coal-generated power plants in the state. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE
Colorado Water Officials Create First-Ever Regulations For ‘Forever Chemical’ PFAS
Colorado has its first policy to regulate so-called “forever chemicals.” The state’s Water Quality Control Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to enact a policy to put new limits on per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. The class of chemicals is a common ingredient in everything from nonstick pans to foam used to smother flames from jet fuel. A growing body of scientific evidence has linked the chemicals to a range of health problems, including cancer and pregnancy issues. Read More from CPR HERE
Oil And Gas Drilling Moratorium Extended In Boulder County
Boulder County has extended its moratorium preventing new oil and gas development through end of 2020, which will make the county’s run without new well drilling surpass eight years. The county’s board of commissioners Tuesday afternoon unanimously approved a moratorium through Dec. 31 that bars approving new oil and gas well sites and prohibits seismic testing done in exploration for new wells. No new oil well has been drilled in Boulder County since 2012. Read More from Denver Business Journal HERE
With Cases Rising, Denver Pauses New Requests To Ease State’s COVID-19 Rules
Denver will pause requests for exemptions from state rules meant to slow the spread of the new coronavirus as cases continue to rise in the city. Anything that’s allowed now will continue to be allowed for the time being, but changes like allowing larger gatherings won’t move forward, Mayor Michael Hancock said in a news conference Wednesday morning. The goal is to avoid allowing cases to rise so high that Denver has to close businesses or go back to a stay-at-home order, Hancock said. Read More from The Denver Post HERE
Jeffco Issues Mandatory Mask Order
Jefferson County Public Health announced it issued an emergency public health order which requires all residents in the county to wear a face covering in public. The order took effect at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Residents will need to wear a face covering when social distancing is not maintainable. The county sites a large increase in coronavirus cases since mid-June, specifically 230 new cases the week of July 5. They compared it to their lowest number of cases (76) during the week of June 14. Read More from CBS 4 Denver HERE
Douglas County Commissioners Hear Pushback From Residents Over Split From Tri-County Over Masks
Douglas County commissioners heard pushback from residents Tuesday afternoon about their plan to separate from the Tri-County Health Department over its mask mandate. It’s still unclear how much it might cost Douglas County to set up its own health department, or what the next steps are in separating. The county has been part of Tri-County for more than 50 years. Read More from The Denver Post HERE
Broomfield Mask Ordinance Draws Debate; Ultimately Passes
Broomfield joined surrounding municipalities Tuesday night by approving an indoor mask ordinance. Exceptions will be made for people with health issues, while consuming food or drinks, while engaged in sports or exercise and as needed for identification. Also children 12 and younger are not required to wear masks. Broomfield City Council, acting as the Board of Health, approved the public health order by a 9 to 1 vote at Tuesday night’s council meeting. Ward 4 Councilwoman Kimberly Groom voted against. Read More from Broomfield Enterprise HERE
Denver Puts More Money Toward Helping Renters, Owners Stay In Homes During Pandemic
Denver’s overloaded rent-assistance program for lower-income households will receive a $4.3 million boost to keep up with surging demand for help during the coronavirus pandemic. The city also is setting aside $1 million for mortgage assistance. More than 1,000 households are expected to receive help from the extra money approved by the Denver City Council in a vote Monday night, with most of it coming from the city’s share of federal coronavirus relief funds. Read More from The Denver Post HERE
Denver Will Vote On Council Approval For Mayoral Appointees
Come November, Denver voters will get to weigh in on whether Denver City Council should have approval authority over key mayoral appointees, such as the police chief and sheriff. If the measure passes then, the appointment of key department heads will require council approval. Currently, the mayor has sole discretion over those appointments. Read More from Westword HERE
Denver Health Department Orders RTD To Comply With Coronavirus Screening Requirements
A Denver health investigator discovered on Monday that one of the Regional Transportation District’s bus facilities is not following portions of the state’s COVID-19 health guidance for temperature and symptom screenings. The finding caught RTD by surprise, as the agency had the impression there was no obligation to do so. Under the state’s “Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors” order, such protocols are mandatory, unless the employer delegates the responsibility to workers. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE
DPS Working On COVID-19 Quarantine Scenarios That Could Make Your Head Spin
Denver Public Schools (DPS) is working on a word problem. It starts with 93,000 students. You add in 15,000 employees. Of those, 5,600 are educators. What happens if even one tests positive for COVID-19 during in-school learning this upcoming school year? DPS is working on different "quarantine scenarios." Read More from 9News HERE
Aurora School Staff Will Have Access To Regular Free Testing This Fall
The Aurora school district has signed a COVID-19 testing and tracing partnership that promises teachers who return to their classrooms this fall can be tested for the virus every two weeks. Danette Lippman, the district’s director of health services, said Tuesday in a virtual webinar to Aurora staff that “the gold standard” to safely reopen would be “having the capacity to aggressively and regularly test staff.” Read More from Chalkbeat Colorado HERE
National Policy Updates
Lander's One Shot Antelope Hunt Faces Mounting Pressure To "Re-Write The Script"
For decades, artificial Shoshone "ceremonies" and an Indian costume pageant have been a hallmark of Lander's annual One Shot Antelope Hunt. The all-male hunting competition has faced pressure in recent weeks, mostly from outside Wyoming, to retire those traditions. Now, Gov. Mark Gordon and Vice-Chairwoman of the Eastern Shoshone Business Council Karen Snyder are joining calls for the hunt to make significant changes. Read More from Wyoming Public Media HERE
Cash Or Card?- Coronavirus Further Shifted Society Away From Currency, Toward Digital Payments
Not long ago, when the coronavirus shutdown hamstrung businesses and made many uncomfortable with handling paper money and coins, the gradual move away from cash accelerated in Colorado and across the country. That means a trend toward ever-greater convenience for many consumers. But for lower-income people who work in cash-dominated businesses and can’t access a bank account — or for those who simply don’t trust the nation’s financial system — it can mean a lifetime of added expense and an inability to access credit for anything from retail purchases to cars and homes. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE and CityLab HERE
65,000 New Cases Were Reported On Tuesday In The United States
July is starting to feel more like March. Businesses are closing. Hospitals are filling. Test results are taking days to process. And officials are warning that the worst may still lie ahead. The outlook is bleak, and compared to March, when the Northeast was the center of the outbreak, surges have spread across more of the country. Read More from The New York Times HERE
Trump Administration Announces Initiative For More And Faster COVID-19 Testing In Nursing Homes
Yesterday the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing a large-scale procurement of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -authorized rapid point-of-care diagnostic test instruments and tests to be distributed to nursing homes in COVID-19 hotspot geographic areas with the United States. Through this crucial action, nursing homes will be able to augment their current capacity for coronavirus testing, bolstering their response and helping to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Read More from HHS HERE
HHS Announce $4 Billion In Additional Relief Payments To Healthcare Providers
HHS announces an additional relief package to healthcare providers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals serving a large percentage of vulnerable populations on thin margins is set to receive $3 billion and approximately $1 billion will go to specialty rural hospitals, urban hospitals with certain rural Medicare designations, and hospitals in small metropolitan areas. HHS expects to distribute over $3 billion across 215 acute care facilities, bringing the total payments for safety net hospitals from the Provider Relief Fund to $12.8 billion to 959 facilities. Read More from HHS HERE
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey Issues Statewide Mask Order To Curb Coronavirus Outbreak
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday ordered people to wear masks to try to curb the coronavirus outbreak. The order, which runs from Thursday through July 31, comes after Alabama reported a record 40 new deaths Tuesday. Ivey’s order requires people to wear a face covering outdoors or inside public places if they cannot maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other people. The order also applies on public transportation or for groups of 10 or more gathered outside. Read More from CNBC HERE
Florida's Coronavirus Outbreak Is Getting Worse
Florida is the new domestic epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and it's on track to keep getting worse. Of the 20 U.S. metro areas with the highest daily case growth, nine are in Florida, according to Nephron Research. The state health department announced 132 new deaths yesterday, the most the state has seen since the pandemic began. Deaths lag several weeks behind new cases, and cases are skyrocketing. The state on Sunday announced more than 15,000 new cases, shattering the single-day case records in New York and California. Read More from Axios HERE
Unprecedented Tax Filing Season Draws To A Close
Tax returns are due on Wednesday for millions of Americans who still haven’t filed, capping an unprecedented tax season upended by the coronavirus pandemic.The deadline is three months later than usual and arrives just as thousands of IRS employees are getting re-acclimated to their offices after an extended mass closure. Read More from Politico Pro HERE
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Discharged From Hospital
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Wednesday after being hospitalized Tuesday morning for a possible infection, according to the Supreme Court. Why it matters: The 87-year-old liberal justice has battled health complications for years, including a cancer diagnosis that she beat in January of this year. In May, Ginsburg was hospitalized and received nonsurgical treatment for a gallbladder condition. Read More from Axios HERE
Trump Administration Rescinds Foreign Students Rule
The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a policy that would have stripped visas from international students whose courses move exclusively online amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes after the policy announcement last week sparked a flurry of litigation, beginning with a suit brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), followed by California's public colleges and later a coalition of 17 states, among other challenges. Read More from The Hill HERE and The New York Times HERE
Despite Stress Of Closures, Most Parents Wary Of Rush To Return To School Buildings, Polls Show
State and national polls show that many parents and caregivers share concerns about heading back to school, despite the difficulty remote learning has posed for many families and children’s lower risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. Black and Hispanic parents appear particularly concerned about the idea of reopening school buildings, which may reflect the way the coronavirus has disproportionately affected those groups. Read More from Chalkbeat HERE
The Key Lesson From School Openings Abroad- Contain The Virus
Cities and states across the United States are grappling with how — or even whether — to reopen schools this fall amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But the experiences of other countries around the world suggest an uncomfortable reality: While there are some best practices that can help reduce the risk of spreading the virus, there’s still no surefire way to bring children back into classrooms safely. Read More from Vox HERE
Trump Signs Bill Sanctioning China Over Hong Kong Security Law
President Trump announced Tuesday that he has signed a new bill sanctioning Chinese officials in response to Beijing's national security law for Hong Kong, which dramatically curbs the city's political freedoms. He also signed an executive order ending preferential treatment for Hong Kong. The bill, which will sanction both Chinese individuals interfering in Hong Kong's affairs and the banks that support them, has broad bipartisan support in Congress. Read More from Axios HERE
$600 Weekly Jobless Benefit Will Likely Lapse Before More Aid Is Passed
Congress will likely allow the $600-a-week boost in unemployment benefits to expire at the end of this month if lawmakers follow Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's proposed timeline for the next round of pandemic aid. When the Senate returns to Washington from recess next Monday, McConnell said he will begin "socializing" the GOP's next rescue package and start the legislative process with Democrats. Read More from Politico HERE and CNBC HERE
New Stimulus Package Expected To Be Introduced Next Week
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is expected to present draft stimulus legislation next week when Congress returns from recess. Senate Republicans, with input from the White House, drafted the stimulus proposal. Since Republicans control only 53 seats in the U.S. Senate, McConnell will need bipartisan support for his stimulus proposal. Given this bipartisan construct, the new stimulus is likely to contain “wish list” items from both Republicans and Democrats, particularly on issues of mutual importance. Read More from Forbes HERE
House Panel Approves Amendment Barring DACA Deportations
The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved an amendment that would block the Department of Homeland Security from detaining or deporting people covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs. The DACA program is meant to protect from deportation people who came to the United States illegally or overstayed visas as children. The TPS program is used to protect people from deportation when it would be dangerous for them to return to those countries. Read More from The Hill HERE
The I.R.S. Wants The Stimulus Money It Sent To Dead People Back
The Trump administration, which mistakenly sent $1.4 billion of stimulus money to dead people, has begun canceling checks that were delivered to the deceased. The Internal Revenue Service said in an update on its website that such checks should still be returned to the federal government but that it was taking action to ensure they cannot be cashed. Read More from The New York Times HERE
Wall Street Is Raking In Profits In The Stock Market
The economy is tanking across the country, with layoffs and bankruptcies as far as the eye can see. But the richest sliver of the country continues to do quite well, thank you. The latest evidence came Wednesday morning, as Goldman Sachs, the bluest of blue chip banks, said it's raking in money on Wall Street. While other banks are warning about rising loan losses during the recession, Goldman, which tends to serve a higher-end clientele, is sounding a pretty optimistic note. Read More from NPR HERE
Walmart Joins Big Retail Peers Requiring Masks For U.S. Shoppers
Walmart Inc. will require customers to wear masks in all of its U.S. stores to protect against the coronavirus, an admission that the nation’s pandemic has reached new heights and setting up potential confrontations with customers who refuse to don them. The measure will go into effect starting July 20, U.S. Chief Operating Officer Dacona Smith said in a blog post Wednesday. The retailer will place employees, dubbed “Health Ambassadors,” near the entrance to “remind those without a mask of the new requirements,” it said. Read More from Bloomberg HERE
Oil Industry, Accustomed To Booms And Busts, Is Rocked By Pandemic
Oil prices are low, and likely to stay that way for a while. And while low prices can be brutal for oil producers, they're also an opportunity: When the going gets tough, Big Oil often gets even bigger. But will the pandemic-induced price collapse lead to dramatic deal-making and companies scaling up? Some analysts aren't holding their breath. Read More from NPR HERE
Faulty Data Collection Raises Questions About Trump’s Claims On PPP Program
A trove of data on $517 billion in emergency small-business loans contains numerous errors that cast doubt on the Trump administration’s jobs claims and obscure the real economic impact of the program, according to a Washington Post analysis and interviews with bankers and borrowers. A Post analysis of data on 4.9 million loans released last week by the Small Business Administration shows that many companies are reported to have “retained” far more workers than they employ. Read More from The Washington Post HERE
White Borrowers Given Edge Over Black Applicants In Securing PPP Loans, Study Finds
As reported by Politico Pro, white applicants for Paycheck Protection Program loans were treated better than Black applicants, according to a study by an activist group that fights discrimination. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition sent Black and white testers with similar profiles to talk to banks about securing PPP loans to help their small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis. They found “different levels of encouragement to apply for loans, different products offered and different information provided by bank representatives.” Read More from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition HERE
Battle Brewing On Coronavirus Relief Oversight
A lack of oversight for more than $2 trillion in COVID-19 spending approved by Congress is creating uncertainty about whether relief programs are working as planned, adding a new layer of complications to the next coronavirus package. The three independent oversight panels set up by Congress in the bipartisan CARES Act almost four months ago have all encountered serious obstacles — sometimes because of resistance from the White House, other times due to drafting oversights in the authorizing legislation. Read More from The Hill HERE
The Existential Threat To Small Business
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the game for U.S. businesses, pushing forward years-long shifts in workplaces, technology and buying habits — and forcing small businesses to fight just to survive. These changes are providing an almost insurmountable advantage to big companies, which are positioned to come out of the recession stronger and with greater market share than ever. Read More from Axios HERE
‘This Is Not a Normal Recession’- Banks Ready for Wave of Coronavirus Defaults
The largest U.S. banks signaled that the worst of the coronavirus recession is yet to come, opting to stow away tens of billions of dollars to prepare for an expected wave of loan losses. JPMorgan, Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo said Tuesday they took large hits to their second-quarter profits to collectively stockpile $28 billion to cover losses as consumers and businesses start to default on their loans. Read More from The Wall Street Journal HERE
A Grim Future For Business Travel
Coronavirus lockdowns and the grand work-from-home experiment killed the business travel industry — and, just like everything else, it's not going back to normal anytime soon, if at all. Traveling for work is a $1.5 trillion industry that encompasses transportation, hospitality and much more, and this moratorium is threatening countless firms and jobs. Since March, the industry has lost around $518 billion. Read More from Axios HERE
How The Experts Are Measuring The Economic Recovery
In early June, the National Bureau of Economic Research made it official: The United States was in a full-blown recession. Ever since, the signs of recovery have been confusingly mixed — unemployment has improved more quickly than expected and the stock market has shown surprising resilience, but other indicators have looked much worse. So how can we know when the economy is truly recovering? Read More from FiveThirtyEight HERE
HUD Defies Calls To Withdraw Controversial Fair Housing Proposal
The Trump administration is resisting calls — even from political allies — to withdraw a proposal to make it more difficult to bring discrimination claims under the Fair Housing Act, even as the nation reckons with racial unrest. Deputy Housing and Urban Development Secretary Brian Montgomery reaffirmed HUD’s plans to issue a final rule later this year in a letter Tuesday to Bank of America Vice Chairman Anne Finucane, who had urged HUD to drop the effort in a letter last month, citing “recent protests and events.” Read More from Political HERE
The Growing Scientific Evidence For Masks To Fight COVID-19, Explained
Over the past couple of months, the world has received more evidence that face masks really can play a crucial role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a significant shift from earlier this year, when the evidence for mask-wearing was so weak that government authorities and public health experts publicly cast doubts on face coverings as a preventive measure against the coronavirus. Read More from Vox HERE
National Mask Mandate Could Save 5 Percent Of GDP, Economists Say
After a late-spring lull, daily coronavirus cases in the United States have again hit record highs, driven by resurgent outbreaks in states such as Florida, Arizona and California. Against this backdrop, a team of economists at Goldman Sachs has published an analysis suggesting more painful shutdowns could be averted if the United States implements a nationwide mask mandate. “A face mask mandate could potentially substitute for lockdowns that would otherwise subtract nearly 5% from GDP,” the team, led by the investment bank’s chief economist, Jan Hatzius, writes. Read More from The Washington Post HERE 
White House Tells Hospitals To Bypass CDC On Coronavirus Data
The Trump administration is cutting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention out of the process of collecting coronavirus data, The New York Times reports. The new database will not be open to the public, according to the Times, and comes amid repeated efforts by the Trump administration to sideline the CDC. The White House told hospitals to stop reporting key data about their patients to the CDC, and to instead feed it into a new system that will flow directly to the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees the CDC. Read More from Axios HERE
White House 'Very Confident' On Coronavirus Vaccine By Year's End. But Supply Questions Remain
The effort to produce a COVID-19 vaccine and better treatments by year’s end is on track, a White House senior official said Monday. Within weeks, Phase III clinical trials will begin for at least one of the several vaccine candidates developed by Operation Warp Speed,, a collaboration between the Defense Department, National Institutes of Health, and other agencies, the official told reporters. Read More from Government Executive HERE
Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Immune Response In Early Results
An experimental vaccine to treat COVID-19 manufactured by the biotech company Moderna was able to induce an immune response in all of the volunteers in an early-stage trial, according to data published online in a medical journal. The initial results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine Tuesday, showed the vaccine was generally safe and well-tolerated in 45 volunteers, with no serious adverse events. Read More from The Hill HERE and Axios HERE
Amid Rush For COVID-19 Vaccine, Preventable Childhood Disease Risks Grow
As scientists and medical professionals work relentlessly to identify effective treatments for those suffering from COVID-19 and rush to create a vaccine to suppress the pandemic, another alarming public health storm is gathering. One of the most worrisome health consequences of COVID-19 is a dramatic drop in the rate of childhood vaccinations. Without successful immunization programs, we face the resurgence of devastating diseases once thought to be left in the past. Read More from The Hill HERE
Why We’re Losing The Battle With COVID-19
In the past century, the largest gains in human health and life expectancy have come from public-health interventions, not medical ones. Clinical medicine — treating individual patients with medication and procedures — has registered enormous gains. Hepatitis C is now curable; so are many childhood cancers. Cutting-edge gene therapies are curing rare genetic disorders, and new technology is making surgeries of every kind safer. But even stacked against those triumphs, public health — the policies and programs that prevent entire communities from getting sick in the first place — is still the clear winner. Read More from The New York Times HERE
Public's Disconnect From COVID-19 Reality Worries Experts
The United States is being ravaged by a deadly pandemic that is growing exponentially. But the American public seems to be over the pandemic.The startling divergence between the brutal reality of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the fantasy land of a forthcoming return to normalcy has public health experts depressed and anxious about what is to come. The worst is not behind us, they say, by any stretch of the imagination. Read More from The Hill HERE
A Lot Of Americans Are About To Lose Their Homes
The COVID-19 pandemic is a historical accelerant. It has compressed 10 years of online-shopping growth into a few months, bankrupted chains that were in steady decline, hastened Democratic gains in the Sun Belt, sped up an urban exodus from America’s most expensive cities, and persuaded older adults to finally use Instacart. The coronavirus just mashed its big fat thumb on the fast-forward button. And now a housing problem years in the making is dangerously close to spiraling out of control. Read More from The Atlantic HERE
Western Outbreaks Threaten Tourist Season At National Parks
Glowing purple and scarlet in fading afternoon light, the geological marvel that is the Grand Canyon, the crown jewel of America’s national park system, draws more than six million global visitors in a normal year and fuels the economy of Arizona. But now, with Arizona leading the nation in coronavirus infections per capita, pressure is mounting to close Grand Canyon and other national parks in states across the South and the West that face spiking caseloads. Read More from The New York Times HERE
The Area Burned By Wildfire In America Has Quadrupled In 40 years
Summer marks the peak wildfire season in western America. Warmer temperatures and drier conditions create the perfect environment for flames to ravage plains and forests. Long nights of fireworks and toasting s’mores over campfires do not help either. A new working paper by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and Stanford University finds that the area burned by wildfires in America has almost quadrupled in the past 40 years. Read More from The Economist HERE
About Rocky Mountain Cradle to Career Partnership (RMC2C)
The Rocky Mountain Cradle to Career Partnership (RMC2C) Backbone team is working to support network partners in their efforts to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Backbone continues to be in a position to bring people together to work collectively, specifically around emergency response and recovery related to COVID-19.

Previously, RMC2C has exclusively focused on supporting youth from Cradle to Career. However, in light of the crisis our community currently faces, there is an immediate need to provide the Backbone's expertise, skills, and resources to the larger community.
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