St. Paul, MN - Today, the House Subcommittee on Legislative Process Reform held its first hearing, where members began the process of reviewing the Executive Orders issued by Governor Walz during the Peacetime Emergency. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Gene Pelowski (DFL - Winona), began with a presentation on Minnesota Statute Chapter 12: Emergency Management.
“The charge of this committee is to review those essential Executive Orders that need to be codified into law and consider those changes to Chapter 12 that would allow the Legislature to be a part of any future extended disaster declarations,” said Rep. Pelowski. “Today the committee reviewed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our state, the scope of the governor’s powers, and the path forward for Chapter 12.”
Following a presentation from House Research on Chapter 12, the members heard testimony from Dan Huff, Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health; Joe Kelly, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response; who spoke to the impact of COVID-19 on Minnesota.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 29, which will focus on two of Governor Walz’s Executive Orders: Executive Order 21-01, ensuring businesses provide safe environments to protect public health; and Executive Order 20-81, requiring face coverings in indoor public spaces.
Video of today’s hearing will be made available on the House Information Youtube page, and supporting documents and materials from testifiers are available on the committee’s website.