Dear Neighbor,
The 2021 session got underway on Tuesday with the 92nd Legislature performing the oath of office at the Capitol.
As a COVID-19 precaution, the swearing-in ceremony was conducted with many House members participating remotely from their legislative offices instead of in the chamber as is tradition. Starting out with the session conducted virtually instead of in person will itself be a challenge on top of the numerous issues we face such as setting a new two-year budget amid the economic setback we’ve experienced in recent months due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the response to it.
Working to safely re-open our businesses that have been devastated by restrictions placed upon them would not only help people get back to work, it would improve the state’s bottom line.
Also, I will be advocating to increase the ethanol blend in our state’s gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent. And I remain in opposition to bringing California’s auto standards to Minnesota, an unnecessary move which likely would cause the price of vehicles to increase. I will take a closer look at these and other issues as the session unfolds.
Another newsworthy item from St. Paul this week is Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday relaxed some of the restrictions he has placed on businesses, including allowing indoor dining at bars and restaurants, up to 50-percent capacity or a maximum of 150 people. Other changes were made to expand capacity for gyms and to allow indoor events and entertainment facilities such as bowling alleys and movie theaters to re-open at 25 percent.
Also, youth sports resumed practice on Monday and games may resume Jan.14 with spectators allowed, following the appropriate capacity limits for indoor or outdoor venues. Churches remain open at 50 percent capacity, but without a cap on the maximum.
This is better than being totally shut down, but we’re still just pretty much back to where we were before the holidays. The COVID-19 numbers are trending down, vaccines are being implemented and I hope we’ll soon see larger steps toward re-opening our state.
Watch for more news from St. Paul as committees get up and running and, as always, I welcome your feedback.
Sincerely,
Paul