While President Trump presides over the longest federal government shutdown in history, Democratic governors are showing real leadership and introducing bold new agendas for their states. From plans to implement universal pre-K and affordable housing, to fighting climate change and voter suppression, Democratic governors are bringing bold visions and sensible solutions currently missing from the White House. See below:<\/p>\n
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CALIFORNIA: It\u2019s a big deal: Newsom\u2019s housing budget explained<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFrom major funding increases for affordable housing to his threat to take away any city\u2019s transportation dollars if it doesn\u2019t meet its housing quota, Newsom\u2019s plans match the audacious ambitions he outlined in the campaign. \u2018We are not playing small ball with housing,\u2019 said Newsom. \u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n COLORADO: In first State of the State speech, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis outlines ambitious policy agenda<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe called his plan to offer free, full-day kindergarten across the state his top priority in the 2019 session and said his plan included expanding preschool to underserved communities. He called his plan the \u2018single biggest expansion\u2019 of early childhood education in state history. And he outlined his goal to follow: full-day preschool for every child in Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n CONNECTICUT: Lamont plan would provide state-backed bank loans to unpaid federal workers <\/p>\n DELAWARE: Governor Carney Announces $60 Million Opportunity Funding Initiative for Disadvantaged Students <\/p>\n HAWAII: Gov. Ige released budget proposal for next two fiscal years<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Governor says part of that money would go towards building girls locker rooms on campuses as a way to close the gender equity gap in athletics. The State’s pre-kindergarten program would get 22 more classes and additional staff to operate. Ige’s budget also puts more than $160 million towards higher education programs in Hawaii. \u2018Education has always been the foundation of our community and quality education in our public schools has always been one of my top priorities,\u2019 Ige said.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ILLINOIS: Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs law requiring state licensing of Illinois gun dealers<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe proposal Pritzker signed into law requires gun stores to get state licenses, a move that supporters contend could reduce gun violence because federal regulators are stretched too thin to adequately handle all the shops operating in Illinois. Pritzker called it \u2018a long-overdue step to do more to prevent gun violence, to make sure guns don\u2019t fall into the wrong hands, to make sure that we license gun shops just like restaurants and other businesses, and deter straw purchases, so that we can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone who is not legally allowed to own a gun.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n KANSAS: Kansas governor expands ban on anti-LGBT bias to contractors<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cKansas\u2019 new Democratic governor on Tuesday reinstated a ban on anti-LGBT bias in state agencies\u2019 employment decisions that a Republican predecessor had repealed, and she also expanded the policy to cover government contractors. Gov. Laura Kelly\u2019s executive order was her first official action since taking office Monday and fulfilled a promise she made repeatedly during her successful campaign last year. It bars state agencies from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when hiring workers or deciding whether to promote, discipline or fire them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LOUISIANA: Governor Edwards releases 2019 agenda<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLouisiana governor John Bel Edwards recently released his 2019 agenda and he’s got big plans this election year. Edwards has his sites set on teacher pay raises. In the 2015-2016 school year, Louisiana teachers averaged $49,745; that’s compared to $50,955-the average of southern states. \u2018We can’t afford not to give a raise to our teachers and I’ve targeted $1000 per teacher and $500 per support person,\u2019 says Edwards.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MAINE: Mills: Maine’s Medicaid Expansion Now Underway, As More Than 500 New Recipients Enrolled<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMore than 500 Mainers now have coverage under Medicaid expansion. Gov. Janet Mills made the announcement Thursday morning, a week after she officially took office and pledged to expand the health care program that voters approved by referendum more than a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MICHIGAN: Gretchen Whitmer Becomes Michigan\u2019s 49th Governor<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhitmer renewed her call for \u2018building bridges\u2019 at a time when \u2018too many people want to separate and divide us by building walls.\u2019 Without mentioning President Donald Trump or the partial federal government shutdown, she said Michigan must not be \u201cparalyzed by partisanship\u201d and its leaders should work together to provide a national blueprint for rebuilding infrastructure and addressing America\u2019s literacy crisis.<\/p>\n \u2018None of us can afford to compromise Michigan\u2019s economic future because we won\u2019t compromise with one another,\u2019 she said after being sworn in by state Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement, a fellow East Lansing resident.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MINNESOTA: Gov. Tim Walz\u2019s first official action: creating a \u2018Diversity, Inclusion and Equity\u2019 council <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe first official action of Gov. Tim Walz\u2019s administration was to renew a promise the state will strive to be more equitable and inclusive and for the first time making geography a focus of those efforts. \u2018In Minnesota, we all know we are better off when we are in it together,\u2019 Walz said. \u2018The state must be a leader in ensuring everyone has an opportunity to thrive.\u2019 Walz signed an executive order creating the \u201cOne Minnesota Council on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity\u201d on Wednesday at the Capitol.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MONTANA: Gov. Bullock Says Medicaid Expansion Good For Montana Businesses<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe governor says Medicaid expansion gives employers the benefit of having a healthier workforce enter their insurance pool. It can save them the expense of providing health coverage or paying a federal tax penalty. Businesses with 50 or more employees which don\u2019t provide health insurance must pay the penalty. […] Bullock, and the Democratic minority of both chambers of the Legislature, are pushing for public support for the program as some Republican leaders are calling for big changes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NEVADA: Governor Sisolak Calls For More Education Funds, Gun Control In Address<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe speech, which lasted about 45 minutes, laid out a legislative agenda that called for increased spending for public education as well as healthcare. The new governor\u2019s proposals call for lawmakers to increase the state\u2019s minimum wage, increase pay for state employees and teachers by three percent while at the same time putting more money into the state\u2019s rainy day fund, all without raising taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NEW JERSEY: NJ governor calls for expansion of voting rights<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNew Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Tuesday used his State of the State address to call for expanding voting rights to younger residents and felons. […] \u2018Let\u2019s open the doors to our democracy even wider,\u2019 he said. \u2018Let\u2019s work together to allow residents to register to vote online and at the polls on Election Day. Let\u2019s enact true early, in-person voting for our residents. Let\u2019s allow 17-year olds to register and vote in our June primaries if they will turn 18 by the November general election.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NEW MEXICO: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham gives first State of the State address<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLujan Grisham wants to invest $500 million more dollars in education. The money would go toward teacher pay raises, a school supply fund and adding pre-k slots. \u2018We need our educators, who are truly the best in the nation, to know this state will support them and treat them with the respect they deserve and have always deserved,\u2019 Lujan Grisham said. \u2018This is the session, this is the year, this is the moment we put New Mexico on the path to universal pre-k for every New Mexico child.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NEW YORK: New York lawmakers approve election reforms, including early voting<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe bills are expected to be signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who commended the legislature for taking \u2018quick action\u2019 on the issue, soon. […] \u2018At a time when the federal government is doing everything it can to disenfranchise voters, we are taking action to make it easier for New Yorkers to participate in the democratic process and crack down on corporate influences in our election,\u2019 Cuomo said in a statement on Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NORTH CAROLINA: Teacher diversity among Cooper’s top education priorities<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018I strongly believe our state government, our law enforcement, our education system ought to look like the people that it serves and protects. Each one of you at this table has been a role model for many kids, and it is important for us to have a diversity of teachers to reflect the diversity of students we have at our public schools.\u2019 said Governor Roy Cooper.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n OREGON: Gov. Kate Brown Demands Big Educational And Environmental Changes<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHer inauguration speech urged lawmakers to move quickly to address the state\u2019s housing crisis. She mentioned her proposal to spend $400 million on housing. She\u2019s also pushing a $20 million bonding package to speed up the construction of 200 units of permanent housing to target people who are currently homeless. […] The governor also hopes this legislative session, which begins in full next week, is an opportunity for lawmakers to make broad, systemic changes to the state\u2019s often-failing public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PENNSYLVANIA: Wolf starts term with call to work on challenges <\/p>\n RHODE ISLAND: Raimondo makes her case for pre-K investment <\/p>\n VIRGINIA: Ralph Northam column: Improving the quality of life for state employees<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBehind these many tangible expressions of my commitment to our state workforce resides an even greater commitment: to honor and improve the lives of those who protect us, educate our children, preserve our natural resources, grow our economy, build and maintain our transportation systems, develop our workforce, and ensure that our most vulnerable citizens have access to the best services and benefits available to them. My administration will continue to identify opportunities to enrich the lives of those who choose careers in public service. The commonwealth was founded on public service, and our state employees work together each day to make Virginia a better place for all of us to work and live.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>\u201cGov. Ned Lamont announced a plan Tuesday that would provide interest-free bank loans to federal workers who aren\u2019t eligible for unemployment checks during the government shutdown. Details of the plan, which requires legislative approval, have not been worked out, but Lamont said the public-private partnership with Webster Bank will provide loans guaranteed by the state. The Connecticut Bankers Association supports the proposal, which may add more banks in coming days. Lamont said he would work closely with the General Assembly to win approval for his plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>\u201cGovernor John Carney, Delaware Education Secretary Susan Bunting, and education advocates on Tuesday announced a three-year, $60 million Opportunity Funding initiative to target resources toward Delaware\u2019s most disadvantaged students. This program, for the first time in Delaware, will provide weighted funding for low-income and English learner students in schools across Delaware. Every Delaware school district and charter will receive a per-pupil appropriation for each English learner and low-income student they educate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>\u201cGov. Tom Wolf is starting his second term by asking the state’s residents to work together to make Pennsylvania a better place\u2026 Wolf plans to push for policies to fight climate change, improve public education, fix inequities in Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system and make voting easier and more secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>\u201cIf school can start for 4-year-olds in the year before kindergarten, Gov. Gina Raimondo said the benefits will be valuable. \u2018It is a fact, proven over and over again, that investment in pre-K means kids do better in school. They graduate high school at a higher rate. They get good jobs and and they commit fewer crimes,\u2019 she said Wednesday during a news conference at the Nathanael Greene Elementary School in Pawtucket.\u201d<\/p>\n