Special Session Update
On June 12, we began a special session as required when the Governor extended his emergency powers.
The four caucuses agreed to distribute $841 million in federal CARES Act funding to local counties, cities, and townships. The Senate passed the bipartisan compromise bill on Tuesday, June 16, with overwhelming support on a vote of 62-4. Unfortunately, the governor then insisted on adding over $150 million in unrelated spending to the bill, even though we already have a deficit in our state budget.
The governor announced today that he will release the federal funding our communities are counting on as agreed to previously. I am extremely disappointed that House Democrats and Governor Walz prioritized increasing state spending over ensuring local governments receive the funding they need as soon as possible. Many of our local cities and counties plan to use the CARES Act dollars to set up grant programs for local businesses that have suffered as a result of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Our communities could have received this funding over a week ago, and instead the governor waited until now.
Frontier Settlement
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has ordered rebates and bill credits for current and former Frontier Communication customers for inadequate services. The deadline to apply for those is July 20, 2020. If you would like to file a claim, you can find all the information on the Commerce Department's website here.
Small Business Grant Program
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has announced that the Minnesota Small Business Relief Grants Program has begun accepting applications. The application period began Tuesday, June 23, and will run until Thursday, July 2 at 5pm. Eligibility requirements and application information can be found on DEED’s Small Business Relief Grants page.
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