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Law360 (June 15, 2021, 2:49 PM EDT ) COVID-19 pandemic reopening plans over the past week focused on summer festivities, paving the way for the return of the New York State Fair at full capacity, a $95 million tourism comeback plan for California and the possibility of permanent to-go cocktails in Pennsylvania.
The upcoming season in New Jersey will bring a $15 million boost for summer camps to comply with coronavirus safety guidelines and the end of the utility shutoff moratorium, although some customer safety protections will remain in place.
Vaccine equity measures also made strides, with the $4 million LIVE PA program to spur immunization in Pennsylvania and $3.2 million in grants for community organizations in Massachusetts.
Here's a breakdown of some of the COVID-19-related state measures from the past week.
Click for state-by-state data on COVID-19 legislation and executive orders, powered by LexisNexis.
California
Ahead of the state's full reopening Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday promoted a coronavirus comeback plan to funnel $95 million into the state's tourism economy. He said the pandemic consumed nearly 1.2 million jobs in hospitality and tourism, and estimated that his comeback plan could revive 300,000 jobs within a year.
On Friday Newsom announced the termination of the stay-at-home order also as of Tuesday. The termination also ends social distancing, capacity limits and other coronavirus-prompted mandates.
New Jersey
Acting Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said Monday that $15 million in grants are available for summer youth camps to help them meet coronavirus health and safety protocols and provide financial assistance to eligible families.
On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order ending the moratorium on utility shutoffs as of July 1. The order allows customers to arrange for payment assistance plans.
Murphy on Friday signed legislation establishing a task force on racial and health disparities. Murphy's signature came after lawmakers followed his recommendation that the task force include members representing the state's civil rights and consumer affairs departments.
Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 8 vetoed a bill that would support an Emergency Preparedness and Response fund with $1 billion from the state's Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, saying it would not be an eligible use of the pandemic recovery funds and could trigger a repayment obligation to the federal government. The measure would present "unmanageable burdens" to the state's emergency response efforts at times like hurricane season, he argued.
Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday urged the state Senate to pass a bill that would make a pandemic-prompted law allowing bars, restaurants and hotels to serve cocktails to go a permanent measure.
On Friday, Wolf signed legislation to continue providing relief from the pandemic. H.B. 854 extends the emergency regulation suspensions under the coronavirus emergency until Sept. 30 and requires executive agencies to preserve all records related to the pandemic.
H.B. 464 expands the state's Family Caregiver Support Program to remove limits to available support for home modifications and assistive devices, and prohibits benefits for primary caregivers if they are a perpetrator in a substantiated abuse.
The state and the United Way of Pennsylvania on Thursday launched the Local Innovations in Vaccine Equity in Pennsylvania project, or LIVE PA, a $4 million grant program to help local organizations reduce vaccine hesitancy and ensure equitable vaccine distribution.
New York
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said that about $2.2 billion in federal assistance is available for children in the state who couldn't access free school meals due to the pandemic. Eligible students will receive $132 in food benefits for each month they fully participated in remote learning and $82 in food benefits for each month they participated in hybrid learning during the last school year.
In a measure aimed to spur residents to get vaccinated, Cuomo on Monday announced a partnership with six Upstate public transportation providers to give free seven-day passes to individuals who show proof that they received their first dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine between Tuesday and July 14.
Also on Monday, Cuomo said the New York State Fair will return Aug. 20 to Sept. 6 at full capacity. The fair had been scheduled to allow 50% capacity.
On Thursday Cuomo said applications are now being accepted for the $800 million COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. The grants reimburse businesses for up to $50,000 in pandemic-related expenses incurred between March 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021.
Massachusetts
State officials on June 8 said $3.2 million in grants and contracts were awarded to community-based organizations under the Massachusetts Vaccine Equity Initiative, which aims to help the 20 municipalities hit hardest by the pandemic.
--Editing by Brian Baresch.
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