Webinar | August 2020

New and Expanded Revenue Streams

Cody Allen

SLC Fiscal Affairs & Government Operations Committee Virtual Program

Presiding Officer: Representative Penny Houston, Georgia; Chair, SLC Fiscal Affairs & Government Operations Committee

As advances in technology both create new and reshape existing markets, states are looking to regulate and tax these emerging business models. These include digital streaming services, electronic goods, ridesharing services and short-term rentals, among others. With consumers shifting to embrace this new economy, and the market for digital goods and services growing exponentially, these emerging markets are replacing prior, and broadening existing, sources of state revenue. This program highlights how states' efforts to tax these new revenue sources and the economic impact these emerging markets could have on the Southern region. With the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to a significant economic downturn, supplementing existing revenues will be a necessary tool for policymakers facing possible budget reductions in fiscal year 2021 and beyond.

Presentation:

Brian Sigritz, Director of State Fiscal Studies, National Association of State Budget Officers, Washington, D.C.

SLC Regional Resource | July 2020

The State of the South: Examining Fiscal Impacts from the Covid-19 Pandemic

Cody Allen

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Health Regulations Emergency Committee declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency after it had spread to 18 countries. After reported cases continued to spread resulting in a new total of 114 afflicted countries, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus officially declared the outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.

The SLC region saw its first cases of COVID-19 in March 2020, leading every state in the region — apart from Arkansas and Oklahoma — to declare a stay-at-home order by April 7. Public health experts advised policymakers across the country to move quickly to enact social distancing precautions as a best practice response, based on concurrent international responses to the crisis. Facing a looming economic downturn and rising unemployment figures due to the pandemic and resulting shutdowns, state budget and revenue offices reported a steady decline in general fund collections beginning as early as April. As the source of more than 75 percent of revenue for most states, the decreases in income and sales taxes collected will impact budgets in FY20 and beyond. With the federal income tax filing date moved to July 15, most states had no choice but to follow suit — thereby shifting a significant portion of their fiscal year 2020 revenue to the beginning of fiscal year 2021 (FY21).

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Webinar | July 2020

School-Based Health Centers: Ensuring Student Access to Care – During the Pandemic and Beyond

Cody Allen

SLC Education Committee Virtual Program

Presiding Member: Senator Greg Hembree, South Carolina

Primary care clinics, operating on elementary and secondary school campuses, known as school-based health centers (SBHCs), provide students with access to vital preventative and early interventional health resources. In addition to primary care, the panoply of services a SBHC can provide includes dental care, behavioral and mental health counseling, and health and nutrition counseling. Typically funded by a combination of federal, state and local grants, Medicaid or private insurance, as well as private sector grants, SBHCs serve as cost-effective resources for schools and communities. By providing healthcare access to children in rural and low-income areas, SBHCs may reduce school absences, boost academic success, reduce healthcare costs for families, and improve student physical and mental health. This program demonstrates how SBHCs improve student outcomes and play an important role in both schools and communities. Discussions also will include how the ongoing pandemic likely will influence school-based care – such as the shift to telehealth – and what innovations will become integral to SBHCs beyond this crisis.

Presentations:

Suzanne Mackey, MPH, Policy Director, School-Based Health Alliance, Washington, D.C.
Katy Stinchfield, MS, LPC, Senior Program Manager, School-Based Health Alliance, Washington, D.C.