Legislative Update
Last Thursday, the Minnesota Legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill meant to help Minnesotans deal with this COVID-19 pandemic. Since this crisis began, legislators have been working together to respond.
Legislators worked around the clock for days to find language that everyone could agree to. Any legislation that did not get support from all four leaders did not move forward. I worked on a provision regarding the Department of Corrections, allowing the medical director to make health care decisions for an inmate who requires hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic, who is unable to make his or her own healthcare decisions when there is no directive or emergency contact. I am proud of the bipartisan work we did, and the nearly unanimous support it earned in the final vote.
This bill helps out every Minnesotan in some way, and in particular helps small businesses and their employees, childcare providers, farmers, veterans, and many others. If you would like to see everything that is included in the bill, you can read it here.
Stay at Home Order
Governor Walz's "Stay at Home" order began on Friday night and runs until April 10th. As a reminder, this means that Minnesotans should only leave their homes for things like buying groceries, picking up medication, caring for others, or outdoor activities, while still practicing social distancing. This is not a comprehensive list of activities - you can see all the details in the Governor's full order.
If you provide critical services like health care, law enforcement, child care, food and agriculture, or other areas also listed in the Governor's order, you are still able to go to work. You can find information on critical businesses here.
If you have questions, please contact me and I will work to get answers to you as quickly as possible.
Emergency Child Care Grants
Last week the Minnesota Initiative Foundations launched the Emergency Child Care Grant Program to provide immediate support to providers in Greater Minnesota who serve the children (birth to age five) of first responders, health care workers, or other workers deemed essential during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency. Grants of $500 to $3000 will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, or to submit an application, you can contact your local Minnesota Initiative Foundation.
Additional Resources
We have put together a list of resources including general information, business and unemployment resources, information on utilities and more. If you are looking for information, I would encourage you to check out this page.
If you are looking for the latest COVID-19 numbers from the Minnesota Department of Health, click here.
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