SAINT PAUL – Today, House Speaker Melissa Hortman announced the formation of the Select Committee on Minnesota’s Pandemic Response and Rebuilding. The select committee will review Minnesota’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and assess policy options to foster recovery.
“It’s imperative that regions like ours – with unique economic conditions – have a seat at the table when conversations take place about our next steps in addressing this pandemic, and when we examine the actions taken so far by Governor Walz and the Legislature,” said Rep. Dave Lislegard (DFL – Aurora). “The select committee will give us the opportunity to dive deeply into issues surrounding the pandemic, review the challenges Minnesotans are facing, and provide meaningful input as we strive to get Minnesotans back to work, keep everybody safe, and lead our way out of this crisis.”
Rep. Lislegard advocated for the development of the select committee to ensure legislators and impacted Minnesotans have a forum to be engaged in review of executive actions taken in response to the crisis and identify issues requiring executive or legislative action. The select committee will take a closer look at the pandemic’s impact on Minnesota, what the state has done so far to respond, possible future responses, including workplace safety and workers’ rights, and broader societal changes — for example, ways education might be changed in the fall due to COVID-19.
The committee’s standing membership will include Speaker Hortman, Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, Ways & Means Chair Lyndon Carlson, Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, and Ways & Means Minority Lead Pat Garofalo — or their designees. The committee will have five rotating members: three majority members and two minority members, depending upon the issue area.
The Select Committee will meet on an as-needed basis. The committee’s first meeting will be the week of May 18th and will focus on workplace safety for Minnesota’s nurses.