Ewald at the Capitol/May 1

Stay at Home Continuation, with Modifications

Gov. Walz has announced a continuation of stay at home orders until May 18. This includes extending the closure of bars, restaurants and other places of accommodation. The new stay at home language now specifically states that funerals and weddings are allowed, provided there are no more than 10 attendees and social distancing guidelines are followed.

As part of a strategy to slowly reopen business, Gov. Walz is allowing retail and other non-essential businesses that were previously prohibited from operating to offer curbside pick-up and delivery services for their goods. It is estimated that this change will allow 30,000 Minnesotans to begin working again.

The next major change Gov. Walz plans to make is adjustments to which surgeries and procedures have been labeled as "elective." Following that, he wants to figure out how to allow additional customer-facing businesses to open.

The governor is still strongly encouraging that all Minnesotans who can work from home continue to do so.

Legislative Activity: Broadband

The Legislature had another robust schedule of remote hearings and floor sessions this week. The Senate and House each heard legislation on expanding broadband access for the purposes of telemedicine and distance learning. SF4494 and HF3029 both advanced in their respective bodies. Both bills appropriate a total of $20 million for the purposes of establishing distance learning broadband grants, telemedicine equipment reimbursement grants and to provide broadband service in unserved areas.

"Working, learning or receiving health care remotely is impossible without it. There is considerable need for broadband in Greater Minnesota where thousands of households are still unserved," said Rep. Rob Ecklund, the author of HF3029.

End of Session Plans

Only two more full weeks are left in the 2020 regular Legislative session. Even though COVID-19 will continue to weigh heavily on every budgetary decision made for the foreseeable future, each body still has its own punch list of legislation they would like to see go through before campaign season begins.

The House will prioritize pay for hourly school employees, resources necessary for distance learning, housing assistance, bonding, a pay increase for personal care attendants, election reform in relation to COVID-19 concerns, ratification of previously negotiated state employee contracts and assistance to small and minority-owned business owners.

The Senate will have an end of session focus on bonding, legislative oversight related to COVID-19 and an omnibus tax bill, which was passed this week. Titled "Omnibus Tax and Economic Relief Bill", SF3843 includes numerous tax policy changes including delays in tax payments for some businesses, continuation in funding for the Angel Investment Tax Credit and exemption of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans from state taxes.

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Executive Orders Update

The latest Executive Orders from the office of Gov. Walz:

20-42 says that emergency economic relief in the form of the Federal CARES Act, as well as any state, local or tribal government payments are not counted as income when determining eligibility for human services public assistance programs.
20-43 allows shareholders to hold remote meetings during the peacetime emergency.
20-44 allows relief from some regulations to motor carriers and drivers operating in Minnesota that are transporting livestock and animal carcasses. This is in response to farmers having to put down their animals due to the emergency closure of nearby processing plants.
20-45 is similar to 20-44. It allows relief from regulations for those transporting wood products used exclusively for the composting process of farm animals that have been put down.
20-46 authorizes out-of-state health care professionals to practice in Minnesota. Any out-of-state health care professionals coming to Minnesota to provide care must hold active and relevant licenses or certificates issued by a state of the United States or the District of Columbia.
20-47 is a clarification of how the stay at home order impacts homeless encampments. It clarifies that new homeless encampments are allowed to be established and state and local governments are allowed to restrict or close encampments if they grow too large to comply with COVID-19 health and safety standards.
20-48 is the extension of the stay at home order, effective until May 18.