Session Update April 24, 2020
Weekly Video
A weekly message from your Senator
Dear Constituents and Friends,
The Senate met this week at the Capitol and passed the Prescription Drug Pricing Transparency Act along with additional technical bills addressing amusement ride operators and county family child care licensing. The legislature is meeting more regularly as we near the end of the legislative session.
We celebrated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this week. Minnesota is home to rich ecosystems that inhabit our 10,000 lakes, the Boundary Waters, Northwoods, rich farmable land, and much more. Our state truly has so much to offer, but with the ever-growing threat of climate change around every corner, it’s more important now than ever that we do our part to take care of our beautiful state.
Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan launched a statewide homemade mask drive to encourage Minnesotans to sew masks for donation and highlight the importance of workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesotans can deliver homemade masks to their local fire department on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fire departments will then deliver the masks to local congregate living facilities for their employees and residents to wear.
Although there is no current timeline set in place, the Governor in partnership with the legislature continues to be in discussions with experts on how to safely open their economies in a way that protects citizens from the virus while also working towards recovering the economy.
Please continue to be in touch during this time! A reminder that you can email me anytime at melisaf@senate.mn.
Sincerely,
Melisa
Executive order allows more businesses to reopen
Governor Walz signed a new executive order on Thursday to begin reopening businesses that are focused on non-customer-facing businesses. This new order will mainly affect manufacturing, industrial, and office settings. A list of conditions and further information about the order is available here.
Under the order, businesses will need to create a plan that demonstrates employee hygiene processes and cleaning and disinfecting practices. Businesses will still be encouraged to allow those employees who can work from home to do so, and sick employees will still be required to stay at home.
Executive Order 20-40 makes no changes to the definitions of Critical Workers/Sectors from Governor Walz’s Executive Order 20-33. Critical Workers/Sectors can be open as they were before this order. This order allows non-Critical Sector Workers in industrial and office settings to go back to work, with certain conditions.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has introduced a template for businesses to use in creating plans that adhere to health guidelines that would allow them to re-open.
The template for businesses is available online here: www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/COVID_19_business_plan_template.pdf.
Once a business has a plan developed, they should email it to DLICovidPlan@state.mn.us. Under the peacetime emergency, Governor Walz has the authority to add further exemptions to the state’s stay-at-home order, including the industries and businesses that would be classified as essential.
Thousands of Minnesota businesses have submitted ideas for how to follow CDC and MDH guidelines at work.
More updates for workers and businesses are available at: www.dli.mn.gov/updates.
Since the COVID-19 emergency began, Governor Walz and public health experts have said a plan to increase and expand testing would be a critical piece of reopening parts of society. This week, state leaders announced a partnership between two entities that have been developing tests – Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota – that will provide testing capacity to health systems across the state.
The coordination among health plans will help ensure every person in the state with symptoms of COVID-19 receives a test. The goal is to have the structure fully established in the next three to four weeks, at which point the state would have capacity to provide 20,000 molecular tests and 15,000 serology (antibody) tests per day.
The plan is partly funded by $36 million from the COVID-19 Minnesota Fund that the Legislature approved in late March. In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health, the Mayo Clinic and the U of M will create a central lab to accommodate the expanded testing and a virtual command center in coordination with the health systems to monitor daily testing needs and coordinate rapid responses to outbreaks.
Governor Walz announced this new capacity should allow Minnesota to be testing at a rate higher than the rest of the country and perhaps the world. However, he warned it is not a guarantee that everything will reopen quickly. It gives the state more power to identify hotspots and provide rapid response when outbreaks occur, but social distancing is still critically important until a vaccine or other therapeutics can be secured.
State leaders said every Minnesotan who needs a test will receive one, regardless of health insurance status or finances. The Department of Health is working on a website that will allow Minnesotans to identify where tests are available on any given day. In the meantime, health leaders recommend that those experiencing systems still call their provider before leaving their homes so proper instructions can be provided.
Minnesota schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year, and districts will continue to provide distance learning to students.
Governor Walz announced on March 15 that Minnesota schools would close, requiring the Minnesota Department of Education to assist schools in distance learning – a requirement that began on March 30. Districts have been providing childcare options for essential workers and meals for students during the school closures, with local districts providing direction on the administration of these services. Until This week’s change, schools had been ordered closed until May 4.
Minnesota K-12 students will not be required to take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) in 2020 due to school closures. The test waiver was received from the federal government after the Minnesota Department of Education requested the waiver. The testing window normally runs from March 8-May 8.
The Minnesota Department of Education continues to provide guidance to school districts on how to provide online resources for schools. Local school websites will carry information for distance learning, so parents should consult those for up-to-date information and lessons.
Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program can help newly unemployed
The Minnesota Department of Commerce has adjusted program policies for Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program to assist the newly unemployed. The result of these changes – such as income eligibility and a deadline extension – will allow even more Minnesotans to receive help.
The Minnesota Energy Assistance Program can help those behind on their energy bills or help pay for home heating and furnace repairs for income-qualified households. This is especially important information for those that have just become unemployed under the pandemic.
The deadline for applying has been extended until July 1, meaning that there is still time for those who have not already received help this heating season. It is important that those who have newly become unemployed, those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and households with young children, people with disabilities, veterans, and seniors apply.
The Energy Assistance Program has adjusted program policies to make it easier for households to apply and get additional help. Some of these policy adjustments that will result in more access to help include:
- Income eligibility to be based on the past one month
- The application deadline is extended to July 1
- The annual crisis benefit maximum is increased to $1,200 (up from $600). Crisis benefits are for past due bills, emergency fuel deliveries
- Allowing crisis benefits to pay a household’s past due bill, even without a disconnection notice
It’s important to note that both renters and homeowners are eligible. Assets such as the value of your home are not considered in determining eligibility. The grants range from $200 to $1,400, based on household size, income, and fuel cost, with the average grant being about $500. In addition to the initial grant, additional funds are available to help pay a past due bill, get an emergency fuel delivery, or even help homeowners get their broken furnace repaired or replaced.
Households can find their Energy Assistance Program provider by calling 1-800-657-3710 and following the prompts to enter their zip code, or use this link to find a list of service providers by county or tribe.
Please find general Energy Assistance Program information at mn.gov/commerce/eap.jsp
Hennepin County Small Business Relief Program
Eligibility for for-profit businesses that are:
- Locally owned and operated
- Have a physical establishment in Hennepin County
- Have 1-20 employees
- Have under $1 million in annual revenue
- Have been financially impacted by COVID-19
The board approved an agreement with the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability to provide small business outreach in partnership with culturally specific, community-based organizations. This funding will support small businesses access state and federal aid programs. Focus will be on helping them meet the near-term application deadlines.
Hennepin County emergency housing assistance
The board approved a plan to work with Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army to move people experiencing homelessness who are at high-risk of COVID-19 out of two shelters and into a new hotel to allow them to safely self-isolate. Approximately 200 people, including seniors and people with underlying health conditions, will move out of Higher Ground and Harbor Light Center (both emergency shelters for persons experiencing homelessness) into a hotel leased by Hennepin County. Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army will jointly operate and staff the facility. The county is also working with People Serving People and other partners to explore leasing an additional 50-bed hotel for families staying in shelter that have symptoms of COVID-19 in a similar arrangement. The county is already operating three additional hotel sites for high-risk people who cannot self-isolate, including one for people with suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of Tuesday, there were 272 residents staying in these hotels.