Dear Neighbor,
Good to see area bars and restaurants back open for indoor service after the governor loosened restrictions on them starting last week. I have stopped by a number of area establishments in recent days to support them during this challenging time.
The Dept. of Revenue has begun sending relief checks to businesses that suffered a reduction in sales of 30 percent or more during the governor’s last shutdown order and I hope those payments prove helpful. It is my sincere hope that we can soon begin to re-open our state in earnest so businesses may more fully begin the processes of recovery and regrowth and the health of our overall economy can improve.
On a side note to that subject, House Republicans once again made a move this week to bring up the governor’s emergency powers for a full discussion and vote of the body. The majority once again blocked those efforts so the governor’s unilateral rule will now continue, already having reached 10 months in the longest peacetime emergency declaration in state history.
In the meantime, I joined a number of fellow House members in writing a letter to the governor, urging him to reconcile an inconsistency in Executive Order 21-01 by applying uniformity between indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants and wedding and entertainment venues. The way it stands now, if food and drink are served at an event, then they are limited to two households or 10 people indoors and 3 households or 15 people outdoors. If there is no food or drink, they are covered by event venue guidelines. We are simply asking the governor for more consistency and the full text of the letter we sent him is at this link.
Finally, good luck to student-athletes who, as of today, may resume competition with some restrictions in place. I am somewhat concerned about the dangers facemasks could pose athletes but it is good to see kids are able to get back out participating in activities they’ve sorely missed.
Look for more news and notes from the House soon, especially now that committees are getting through their introductory hearings and soon will begin discussing bills as they make their way into the legislative process.
Until next time, have a good weekend and please be careful shoveling this fresh snowfall. Be sure to take a break if you need one and lend a hand to someone in need if you are able.
Sincerely,
Paul