States are playing a major role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, from expanding health care access to unemployment insurance...

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** Supporting Workers and Small Businesses
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Given the economic ramifications of COVID-19, states and localities are supporting small businesses by opening up access to disaster loans, ([link removed]) providing tax deferments, ([link removed]) waiving fees and interest, and relaxing other administrative requirements. ([link removed]) Seattle ([link removed]) is offering grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses while Florida ([link removed]) activated the Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to provide short-term, interest-free loans. States have been quick to step up and offer
unemployment insurance ([link removed]) to the growing number of unemployed, due to closed businesses. Guidance on unemployment insurance provisions ([link removed]) from the National Employment Law Project can help if your state is looking at expanding unemployment insurance.


** States Will Have to Address the Unique Challenges of Rural Communities
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By all accounts, COVID-19 will hit more isolated and rural areas later in the progression of the disease. ([link removed]) The economic impacts of mandatory restaurant closures are hurting small- and medium-size farms ([link removed]) , affecting the income of farmers, but also causing a negative ripple effect for all of the small businesses that are a part of the farm direct supply chain. Further, with health care access in rural communities being woefully underfunded, there is concern that people living in our rural areas could be some of the hardest hit by COVID-19 ([link removed]) due to inadequate access to hospitals and public health services.


** The Coronavirus’s Threat to Democracy
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Just this week, voters in Illinois, Arizona and Florida went to the polls amidst the pandemic while Ohio canceled in-person voting at the last minute. Not only has COVID-19 upended our daily lives, but it has threatened the health of our democracy. ([link removed]) Voters should not have to choose between their health and their right to vote. States can step up by implementing democracy reforms ([link removed]) that keep voters safe and maintain opportunities for engagement ([link removed]) .


** Global Pandemic Sparks Renewed Demand for Paid Leave
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Progressives have been beating the paid leave drum long before the coronavirus changed daily life in the U.S., but the arrival of COVID-19 has given new life to paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave. ([link removed]) Colorado implemented paid sick days by executive order ([link removed]) and New York’s bill was signed into law ([link removed]) this week. Does your state offer paid sick time ([link removed]) ? If not, the National Women’s Law Center has recommendations specific to COVID-19 ([link removed]) , and check out SiX’s newly released Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy
Playbook ([link removed]) .


** States Scrambling to Fill In Health Care Gaps
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The arrival of COVID-19 has amplified the drastic inadequacies of the United States health care system. States are scrambling to provide coverage for the uninsured, require insurance to pay for tests, and encourage innovative health care options like telemedicine ([link removed]) . Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada ([link removed]) , and Washington have announced special enrollment periods ([link removed]) for the state-run health insurance exchanges. States are implementing drive-thru testing sites ([link removed]) , some are waiving licensing requirements
([link removed]) to increase the number of health care workers available, and others are working to expand Medicaid ([link removed]) .


** Legislators Try to Govern While Staying Away
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State legislatures are grappling with how to conduct session while not congregating in large groups. A growing list of legislatures ([link removed]) have postponed their sessions and state legislators themselves have started testing positive for the virus. Some states have started remote sessions ([link removed]) while others grapple with constitutions or state laws that prohibit ([link removed]) remote voting. Common Cause has guidance for how to make legislative session transparent ([link removed]) to the public, even when the public is prohibited from the Capitol.


** COVID-19's Effect on Reproductive Health
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In an already stretched health care system, reproductive health care is likely to face additional challenges in the age of COVID-19. ([link removed]) From extended wait times and supply shortages, to difficulty filling prescriptions for oral contraceptives, to childcare issues, to difficulty traveling to states with greater access, those seeking reproductive care face even greater obstacles than before.


** Using the Pandemic to Pass Abortion Bans
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While most of the world is focused on practicing social distancing or sheltering in place, conservative lawmakers are taking the opportunity to pass partial or total abortion bills while no one is looking ([link removed]) . And in Idaho, conservative lawmakers exploited the world’s distraction by passing a bill that will prohibit transgender student athletes ([link removed]) from playing sports.

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The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) is a national resource and strategy center that supports state legislators who seek to strengthen our democracy, fight for working families, defend civil rights and liberties, and protect the environment. We do this by providing training, emphasizing leadership development, amplifying legislators’ voices, and forging strategic alliances between our legislative network and grassroots movements.

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