1. Coronavirus update: Seven states' stay-at-home orders expire May 15
2. Maryland voters to decide sports betting measure in November
3. Filing deadline roundup

Coronavirus update: Seven states' stay-at-home orders expire May 15

States and cities have begun to reopen after weeks of shutdown due to the coronavirus. We’ve been tracking and analyzing the plans to reopen put forth by states and localities. Today we’re revisiting states with stay-at-home orders that are set to expire this week.

Stay-at-home orders have expired in 16 states through May 12. Seven more states' stay-at-home orders expire on Friday, May 15:

States with Democratic governors

• Delaware
• Louisiana
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• New York

States with Republican governors

• Arizona
• Vermont

After Friday, 20 states will have orders still in place. Fifteen of those states have Democratic governors and five have Republican governors.

Although stay-at-home orders vary from state to state, they contain at least two common elements: requiring residents to stay home except for essential trips or outdoor exercise and closing or curtailing the activities of what the state deems nonessential businesses.

Governors in 43 states issued statewide stay-at-home orders.

Here’s some recent news from two of those states:

• Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) released the state's "Roadmap to a Resilient Louisiana" reopening plan on May 11 and announced he would not renew the state’s stay-at-home order. Edwards first issued the stay-at-home order March 22 and extended it twice since that date. 
  • Under Louisiana's plan, the following businesses will be permitted to reopen at 25% capacity: gyms and fitness centers; barbershops and hair/nail salons; gaming establishments; theaters; racetracks (no spectators); museums, zoos, and aquariums (no tactile exhibits); and bars and breweries with food permits.
  • Louisiana is currently under divided government since the governor is a Democrat and Republicans control both chambers of the state Legislature.
• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) announced May 11 that retail businesses will be able to reopen to in-person traffic on May 18. Although the detailed guidelines for re-opening are still being developed, Scott said employees would be required to wear face coverings and both customers and employees must maintain social distancing. Additionally, during the initial phase of reopening, businesses must limit occupancy to 25% of their legal capacity.
  • Vermont is currently under divided government since the governor is a Republican and Democrats control both chambers of the state Legislature.

The following chart displays the current expiration date of stay-at-home orders:

 

Here are some other notable coronavirus-related updates since Tuesday's Brew:

• Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced he would self-quarantine for 14 days after a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19.
• House Democrats unveiled a $3 trillion dollar coronavirus relief package.
• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) issued an executive order reducing petition signature requirements for all candidates by 30 percent. He also extended the filing deadlines for major-party and unaffiliated candidates by two days, to June 11 and August 7, respectively.
• Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera said in a state Senate committee hearing that he expected students to return to school in the fall. Rivera said his agency would work with the state’s health department to give districts a range of options to choose from in order to meet social distancing guidelines. 
• The Alaska Supreme Court extended restrictions on in-person proceedings through June 1. Jury trials were suspended through July 6.
• The Georgia Supreme Court extended restrictions on in-person proceedings and the suspension of jury trials through June 12.
• The Utah Supreme Court extended restrictions on in-person proceedings and the suspension of jury trials until further notice. The court further directed that all hearings, with an exception for urgent matters, should be conducted "on the papers," per the order, or remotely. 
• The North Dakota Parole Board granted parole to 120 inmates in the month of March related to the coronavirus pandemic. In the month of April, more than 100 inmates were granted parole, though there is no official statement as to whether these releases were due to the pandemic.
• Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced that he was allocating $10 million in federal relief funds to assist residents who have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic. The “COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program” would provide rental assistance to nearly 3,000 families in the city.

Learn more

       

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Maryland voters to decide sports betting measure in November

Maryland voters will decide in November whether the state will authorize sports and events wagering at certain licensed facilities. The ballot measure—The Maryland Sports Betting Expansion Measure—was placed before voters as a legislatively referred state statute. Betting revenue would be primarily dedicated to funding public education.

The Maryland Constitution requires that the General Assembly refer laws expanding commercial wagering to voters at a general election. A simple majority vote is needed in each chamber to refer a statute to the ballot. After that, the governor can sign or veto such measures. If the governor does not sign a bill by the deadline, it moves forward without his signature.

The Maryland House of Representatives voted 129-3 to refer the measure to the ballot. The state Senate approved the measure, 45-0. Governor Larry Hogan (R) did not sign or veto the bill by the May 7 deadline, meaning the measure was certified for the ballot without his signature.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in May 2018 in Murphy v. NCAA that the federal government couldn’t require states to ban sports betting. This overturned the federal ban on betting and allowed states to authorize sports betting. Sixteen states have active sports betting industries. In three of those states, statewide ballot measures were used to approve sports betting. South Dakota voters will vote on a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in November that would legalize sports betting within the city limits of Deadwood, South Dakota.

During the 2020 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly also referred to the ballot a measure that would authorize the legislature to increase, decrease, or add items to the state budget as long as such measures do not exceed the total proposed budget submitted by the governor.

Since 1996, Maryland voters approved 31 of the 34 statewide ballot measures placed before them. During that time, voters approved the only legislatively referred state statute that appeared on the ballot.

Filing deadline roundup

Three states have upcoming candidate filing deadlines in May, with Washington's taking place on Friday—May 15. The next statewide filing deadline is on May 28 in Vermont. Seven states have filing deadlines between May 28 and June 2.

The major-party candidate filing period has passed for all offices in 36 states. In Florida, the filing deadline for congressional and judicial offices was on April 24 while the deadline for state legislative candidates is June 12.

Washington

Candidates may file to run for all 10 of the state’s U.S. House seats, nine state executive offices (including governor), 25 of 49 state Senate seats, all 98 state House districts, four state Supreme Court justices, seven state Court of Appeals judges, and local judges.

The current filing fee for congressional candidates is $1,740 and for state legislative offices is $569. In lieu of paying a filing fee, candidates can submit what's known as a filing fee petition. The number of signatures needed equals the dollar amount of the filing fee for the office sought. Governor Jay Inslee (D) issued an executive order May 5 waiving the petition requirement for candidates who cannot afford to pay the filing fees associated with the offices being sought. Instead, such candidates will be required to sign a statement, under penalty of perjury, that they "lack sufficient assets or income at the time of filing to pay the filing fee."

Washington uses a top-two primary system for congressional and state-level elections in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation.

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