Ewald at the Capitol/May 15

Stay-at-Home Order Lifted

Gov. Walz has announced that the current Stay-at-Home order will expire as scheduled on May 18. However, he expressed that Minnesota may have to return to closures if there is a spike in cases or deaths. He strongly encourages at-risk populations to continue to stay home, and that all Minnesotans wear face coverings when they choose to go out in public.

Retail will be able to open at 50 percent capacity, and gatherings of 10 or fewer people will be allowed, including at places of worship. Restaurants, bars, barbershops, salons, gyms, and campgrounds will all continue to remain closed until further notice. The governor said that he hopes to have a clearer picture of how some of these businesses can open, with a goal of reopening some on June 1.

As always, Gov. Walz is still encouraging those who can work from home continue to do so.

End of Session Approaching

This weekend is the final push for the 2020 legislative session, which ends on May 18. The session was derailed early by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing legislators to stall normal business and focus much of their time on emergency response. As both bodies acclimated to the new way of conducting business, more bills came up on the floor and there has been an increased appetite for omnibus bills that are seemingly being pre-negotiated and do not contain highly controversial provisions. There have been no conference committees, which are usually used to work out differences between House and Senate versions of the same bill.

Numerous omnibus bills are being worked on by one or both bodies, with topics such as higher education, agriculture, taxes, transportation, health and human services as well as bonding. None have made it across the finish line so far, but some are very close. There has been no opportunity for the public to see or provide input during any of the negotiation process, which is usually at least partially conducted via public conference committee.

Despite all the work, it is increasingly likely that another special session is on the horizon. With less than 80 hours before the constitutional deadline for adjournment, it will be difficult to reach agreements on bonding, taxes and myriad other provisions. Technically, the budget is balanced, and nothing must be passed. However, the looming budget deficit makes it likely that the governor will recall the Legislature to assist in further work dealing with the pandemic and an ever-increasing budget problem.

Select Pandemic Committee

The Minnesota House of Representatives has established a Select Committee on Minnesota's Pandemic Response and Rebuilding. The committee will focus on reviewing the federal and state response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will assess policy changes needed moving forward. Committee membership will include leadership from both major caucuses and five rotating members.

“COVID-19 may reshape Minnesota for years to come, and the public policy challenges it presents are enormous. We are forming this Select Committee to take a deep-dive on these policy challenges as we work to respond to this pandemic and to rebuild Minnesota as a better and stronger state,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman.

Bills Signed into Law

COVID-19 has provided many roadblocks to the legislative process; however, 16 bills have been agreed upon by both bodies and signed into law so far this session. Most recently, Gov. Walz signed bills on drug transparency, banning the marriage of minors, and a package of provisions related to safe and secure elections. A bill that awaits signature is referred to as “Tobacco 21”, which bans the sale of tobacco for those under age 21.

Both bodies have been hearing multiple bills each day this week, so it is possible there may still be many new laws to come.

Executive Orders Update

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

20-52 authorizes higher education students whose field of study is in a Critical Sector and who are in their final term to return to campus if they must participate in in-person or on-site activities in order to complete their program.
20-53 extends the peacetime emergency through June 12, 2020.
20-54 says that employers must not discriminate or retaliate against a worker for asking questions, formally expressing concerns or informally expressing concerns about unsafe working conditions related to COVID-19.
20-55 urges at-risk populations to continue to stay home and says that homeless encampments are still protected from sweeps and disbandment.
20-56 is the Executive Order outlining the start of safely reopening Minnesota.
20-57 allows schools to offer summer learning programs with distance learning or with a hybrid model of distance learning and in-person learning.