Congress has yet to come to a resolution on an economic stimulus package. Emergency orders were adopted yesterday rescheduling four special elections and a bill was sent to the Governor’s desk allowing municipalities across the state to change their local elections.

Meanwhile, economists and public health experts have drawn clear lines around when we should all leave our homes and get back to work. How has campaigning for candidates in the 4th Congressional district changed?  Finally, it’s official, the 2020 Tokyo summer Olympics will be held in 2021. All that and more below.

  1. Baker issued a Stay-At-Home advisory and also ordered all non-essential businesses to close their physical operations to workers and customers. The order and a list of essential services can be found here. It is important to note that highways, roads, bridges, tunnel and transportation systems are operational though please, avoid unnecessary travel.

 

  1. While the list of essential services includes everything from health providers to liquor stores, many are pushing back on the closure of recreational cannabis. Currently, under the Governor’s orders only medical cannabis is allowed to continue to operate.

 

  1. A compromise economic stimulus package could be announced this morning, ending a bitter partisan battle in the Senate. While details remain fluid, the bill is said to include direct payments of $1,200 to many American adults earning $75,000 and under and offering modest relief for those earning up to $99,000; and $500 for each child. Meanwhile, the House plan offered by Speaker Pelosi yesterday was comprised of a $2.5 trillion-plus package building on the Senate’s direct aide package and offering additional aide for the earned income tax credit, health care providers, higher education institutions and more. It’s unclear when Speaker Pelosi will act on the Senate bill.

 

  1. Yesterday the state Legislature adopted independent orders rescheduling all four March 31, 2020 special elections. Voters in the Second Hampden & Hampshire and Plymouth & Barnstable (former Sens. Donald Humason, Jr. and Viriato (Vinny) deMacedo, respectively) state Senate districts will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 while voters in both the 3rd Bristol & 37th Middlesex (formally Reps. Shauna O’Connell & Jennifer Benson, respectively) districts will cast their votes for their new state representative on Tuesday, June 2, 2002.

 

  1. While accommodations have been made to reschedule state special and local municipal elections, signature requirements for those seeking state and federal office have yet to be addressed. Several campaigns and, yesterday, Young Democrats and Young Republicans, have asked Secretary Galvin and state leaders to delay the signature deadline or reduce the amount of signatures needed so that volunteers and staff are not out collecting signatures at this time. At a time when everything has gone digital, how has this effected retail politics? Candidates running to replace Joe Kennedy in the 4th Congressional district share their thoughts here.

 

  1. The 2020 Summer Olympics have officially been postponed. Japan Prime Minster Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president have agreed to postpone until summer 2021. Story Developing…

 

  1. President Trump has made remarks in the last twenty-four hours about reopening the economy next week, stating the “stay-at-home” may be going to far which is against public health experts advice.