ALASKA Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared October Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the state, encouraging Alaskans to educate themselves on safe cyber-use strategies. “All Alaskans share in the responsibility to maintain cyberspace security,” Gov. Dunleavy said. “By learning internet safety essentials, we can all improve personal security and protect our information infrastructure and economy.”

AMERICAN SAMOA Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga received $240,000 from the U.S. Department of Interior to help combat invasive species. According to RNZ, the money will be used “…to remove large populations of the African tulip (Spathodea campanulate) and the Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica)” from the territory’s main island of Tutuila.

ARIZONA Gov. Doug Ducey signed S.B. 1468, also known as the “Mitch Warnock Act,” which seeks to expand suicide awareness and prevention training in the state’s public schools. “Sadly, we know that suicide is on the rise among Arizona and America’s youth, which is why Arizona is taking aggressive steps to raise awareness to save lives,” Gov. Ducey said.

CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom named the recipients of the first two contracts under the state’s Wildfire Innovation Sprint program. “The use of innovative and groundbreaking technology to bolster response to wildfires will help our firefighters and first responders tremendously, and if we can predict the patterns of a fire, we will be able to save lives and property,” Gov. Newsom said.

COLORADO Gov. Jared Polis announced that he will establish Fisher’s Peak – the highest peak in the country east of Interstate 25 – as a new state park. “Opening this as a new State Park not only provides a new recreational opportunity for hiking, camping, and fun, but also helps grow our economy in southern Colorado, supports our thriving outdoor recreation industry, and ensures the land and wildlife habitat will be protected for generations to come,” Gov. Polis said.

GUAM Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, in partnership with the Guam Department of Education, directed $1.98 million in Department of Interior grant funding towards outfitting 31 schools with an intercom system that can instantly relay information to and from classrooms. “This award is a direct result of the School Safety Partnership Initiative that we established early in our Administration,” Gov. Guerrero said. “The concerns raised by our educators, parents, and students during these meetings helped frame our priorities to provide a safe educational environment.”

HAWAII Gov. David Ige signed legislation to allow “rental units, multi-family houses and kupuna housing to be built on Hawaiian homelands,” the Honolulu Civil Beat reports. Gov. Ige called the new rule change “absolutely an essential part of addressing affordable housing for [Native Hawaiian] beneficiaries.”

IDAHO Gov. Brad Little, along with the First Lady and state officials, went on a six-day diplomatic mission to the Basque Country, the Netherlands, and Ireland to promote economic relations. “A strong economy in Idaho depends on positive relationships between our state and international companies that do business here or are looking to expand in Idaho,” Gov. Little said.

KANSAS Gov. Laura Kelly is working with the Kansas Department of Commerce and a private consultancy firm to create a formal strategy to foster economic development in the state. According to the Associated Press, the plan, which is the first of its kind in three decades in Kansas, is expected to be complete by March of 2020. 

MONTANA Gov. Steve Bullock visited a middle school to celebrate the progress made in bringing high-speed broadband internet connections to rural classrooms. “As a father and as governor, a top priority of mine is making sure that when students walk through their classroom doors, in rural or urban communities, they are receiving the best education possible to prepare for success in the modern economy,” Gov. Bullock said.

NEVADA Gov. Steve Sisolak visited the Northern Nevada State Veterans Home, a 102,000 square-foot, $47 million facility, to celebrate its grand opening. Gov. Sisolak, who has signed 20 veteran-related bills over the course of the last legislative session, also acknowledged a variety of other elected officials and community leaders who helped make the project a reality, reported the Elko Daily Free Press.

NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently pitched her plan to provide all residents of the state with a free college education by establishing the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Gov. Grisham’s plan would “cover the tuition gap left after a student receives financial aid, grants and scholarships, including the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship.”

NORTH DAKOTA Gov. Doug Burgum, in conjunction with the North Dakota Department of Human Services’ Vocational Rehabilitation Division, federal and state partners, will be observing National Disability Employment Awareness Month during October. “North Dakota leads the nation in the employment rate of people with disabilities, and we can do even better. Our state still has significant unmet workforce needs, and we need to continue to break down stigma and barriers to employment to create more opportunities for all North Dakotans who want to work,” Gov. Burgum said.

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS Gov. Ralph Torres will form the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors to bolster the region’s private sector. “We are still dealing with the repercussions of the loss of our economy those long weeks of November 2018 when our airport was closed,” Gov. Torres told the Saipan Tribune. “We must do a better job in ensuring your success so we all can succeed.”

OKLAHOMA Gov. Kevin Stitt announced that special advisor Tom Bates will lead the “Front Porch” initiative to streamline how state residents interact with health and human services agencies. “Tom has done a tremendous job stabilizing and improving performance in the Health Department, and his prior experience in DHS and the AG’s office uniquely qualifies him to help us better coordinate across our major health and human services agencies,” Gov. Stitt said.

OREGON Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Department of Forestry signed a shared stewardship memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service, establishing a framework for collaboration. "The decades-long partnership between our state and federal forestry departments have focused on shared priorities, such as improving forest health and reducing wildfire risks,” Brown said. “We now build on that partnership to create a statewide view of overall needs and shared priorities."

SOUTH DAKOTA Gov. Kristi Noem announced that South Dakota’s Hazard Mitigation Plan received FEMA approval, allowing the State to receive additional funds in the event of future presidential disaster declarations. “It's been a difficult year for South Dakota. As a state, we need to make sure we’re doing everything possible to help communities recover, but we also need to better prepare for extreme weather in the future,” Gov. Noem said.

UTAH Gov. Gary Herbert, along with 22 local businesses and organizations, embarked on a trade mission to Japan, where the group participated in more than 60 meetings with key figures in business and government, UtahPolicy.com reports. The trip was part of a partnership with World Trade Center Utah, and discussions included “ways for Utah to increase its participation in Trans-Pacific Trade via Utah’s Inland Port.”

WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee, as a part of his five-year plan to transform the state’s mental health system, announced a program to build new behavioral health treatment facilities, supported by approximately $69 million in grants available to local communities. “This funding will help build up our network of community-based care so we can provide the right kinds of treatment and recovery options that patients and their families need,” Gov. Inslee said.

WYOMING Gov. Mark Gordon unveiled an initiative to address terrestrial invasive plants in the state, reflecting his goal of making the state a national leader in the battle against invasive species. “Wyoming is faced with threats from multiple invasive species, both on land and in our waters,” Gov. Gordon said. “Our best efforts should begin close to home.”

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