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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho lawmakers concerned that Republican Gov. Brad Little has too much power following his emergency declaration because of the coronavirus pandemic want a way to reconvene after the regular legislative session has ended. Draft legislation pitched Monday to the State Affairs Working Group would require the governor to call the Legislature back into session whenever the governor makes an emergency declaration. Lawmakers are also considering a constitutional amendment allowing lawmakers to call themselves back into session if that's what a majority of lawmakers want. Johns Hopkins University says the state has had nearly 15,000 infections and 119 deaths due to the virus through Sunday.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A Washington judge has upheld coronavirus-related housing rules for farmworkers, rejecting claims by a union that the state bowed to the agricultural industry and adopted unsafe standards. The Capital Press reports the Department of Labor and Industries and Department of Health strove to protect workers from a disease about which little was known, according to Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinder. A farmworker union based in northwest Washington Familias Unidas por la Justicia, had filed the suit, saying Washington should have followed Oregon and completely banned bunk beds. Several farm groups intervened in the lawsuit, saying a complete ban would force out of work about 10,000 foreign farmworkers, far more than in Oregon.
UNDATED (AP) — A comprehensive study of American homes finds that on average rich people produce nearly 25% more heat-trapping gases than poorer residents. Monday's study looked at 93 million U.S. housing units, calculating that the average rich person produces nearly 6,500 pounds of greenhouse gases per year from residential use. For the average poor person, the amount is more than 5,200 pounds. In tony Beverly Hills, the average resident produces four times more than the average resident of poorer South Central Los Angeles. Scientists say while the rich emit more carbon pollution per person, the poor bear the brunt of global warming impacts such as heat waves.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic that's sweeping through major U.S. cities is now wreaking havoc on rural communities. In Oregon's Umatilla County, infections are overwhelming limited resources in a place where farmers grow potatoes, onions and grains. The county has Oregon’s highest number of confirmed infections per capita. Across rural America, the virus is swamping health care systems and piling responsibility on government workers who often perform multiple jobs they never signed up for. Officials attribute much of the spread to outbreaks in workplaces, living facilities and social gatherings. Food processing plants and farms that typically have people working in cramped quarters have proven to be hot spots.
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