News Release
Kiel urges Walz admin to stop harassing local businesses
ST. PAUL, MN — Rep. Deb Kiel, R-Crookston, and more than 50 other Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz Monday in response to a letter sent last week by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) informing hospitality industry leaders of stepped-up compliance checks that could result in fines, forced closure loss of liquor license, workplace investigations, and more. Previously Gov. Walz has stated that enforcement of state mandates and regulations were to be "educational" in nature rather than punitive.
“Our local restaurants have been working incredibly hard to respond to the current public health and economic conditions,” said Kiel. “That work should be celebrated, not punished. These harsh penalties do not match the low number of cases that have been traced back to restaurants, and are out of step with the aims that the Governor stated as the reason for these regulations. In this challenging time, state agencies should be helping our local businesses operate more safely instead of making it more difficult to keep a business afloat.”
According to estimates from Hospitality Minnesota, just 2.3% of total state cases have been traced back to restaurants and bars, and there have been just over two dozen restaurants specifically identified as sources of outbreaks.
The letter urges Gov. Walz to "reassess the tone and approach your agencies are taking" with restaurants and bars, and urges state agencies to be partners rather than adversaries in efforts to combat COVID-19. A copy of the letter can be found here.
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