Dear Neighbors,
I want to start by thanking the vast majority of our community that have been taking the “Stay at Home” order seriously. This measure continues to help buy incredibly valuable time for our health care professionals to plan for and treat those with COVID-19. The more we can flatten the curve, the more lives we will save.
Today, Governor Walz gave a transparent and data-driven update of where we currently are in Minnesota. There’s plenty of good news, but he also didn’t pull any punches of what’s at stake. It’s a very honest presentation of what Minnesota needs, and you can watch it here.
Governor Walz also launched a newly created website focused solely on consolidating the information and resources available to Minnesotans. The most recent data, best practices, FAQs, and more can be found at https://mn.gov/covid19/.
Be sure to tune in Sunday as Governor Walz delivers his State of the State Address. It’ll be broadcast on YouTube and local news at 7:00 PM, April 5.
The address will take place virtually this year, with Governor Walz speaking from the Governor’s Residence. Certainly a change from last year, when I was honored to be part of the governor’s legislative escort, but I’ll be watching nonetheless.
Our Latest Bill on COVID-19
Last week, the Minnesota Legislature passed our latest package of legislation to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Our new investments and polices would:
- Create a Minnesota COVID-19 Emergency Fund to keep our state operating
- Help businesses across the state secure emergency loans
- Award grants to licensed family and center-based child care providers who care for the children of health care and other emergency workers
- Ensure continued funding for food systems
- Provide needed help to local governments, tribal governments, and nonprofit partners
- Protect people experiencing homelessness from exposure to the coronavirus and to mitigate additional spread of the disease
There’s much more work to be done, especially to support the Minnesotans that continue to go to work and support our communities everyday, but this will not be the last bill we pass in response to this virus.
Stay Connected
For me, my work-from-home life has been fueled by Smith Coffee. If you can, try to support our local businesses!
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions on our work in the Minnesota House or the resources that are available in our community. You can reach me at rep.carlie.kotyza-witthuhn@house.mn or at (651) 296-7449. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn
State Representative