New Executive Action; Financial Support for Small Businesses

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this finds you and yours well and staying healthy.

I am honored to continue to represent the people of district 33B for another two-year term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you as we continue to find strategies and solutions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to balance our state budget when we gavel in on January 5.

Budget forecasts have traditionally taken place in early December to give the Legislature a more clear financial outlook in order to best inform the upcoming legislative session. We know that we will face a budget deficit given the economic fallout from the pandemic. Thanks in large part to former Governor Dayton’s leadership and persistence, Minnesota has a “Rainy Day” fund, or budget reserve. Because of that budget reserve, Minnesota is expected to fare much better economically than our neighboring states. Even so, our work is cut out for us, and I welcome your input as we craft a budget that prioritizes what we need to help us weather our economic and public health challenges during the pandemic.

New Executive Action

We are experiencing a significant surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Minnesota. Hospitals have expressed concerns about the critically low capacity of beds to treat Minnesotans who need care for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related health challenges.

As a result of these concerns, new tracing data, and the spike in new cases, Governor Walz today announced new safety restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 set to begin on Friday.

These include:

• Bars and restaurants must end dine-in service at 10pm. Seating and service will not be available at the bar.
• A 10-person limit for indoor and outdoor gatherings and all social gatherings will be limited to members of three households or less.
• Capacity limits for receptions related to weddings, funerals, and similar events will be phased in, but will eventually have a 25-person cap. Receptions and similar events also must not take place between 10pm-4am.

Financial Support for Small Businesses 

Coupled with today’s executive action, the Governor also announced $10 million in grant funding to provide financial support for our small businesses affected by the pandemic. Businesses that were wait-listed in the lottery grant application process this summer will have the first opportunity this time around. I will keep you posted on the updated process as soon as it becomes available.

You can find more information on these announcements here: https://staysafe.mn.gov/.

Each of us has a critical role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Please continue to wear a mask, wash your hands, social distance by at least six feet, stay home if you are sick and avoid large groups. 

Veterans Day

Tomorrow we celebrate and honor the brave women and men who have served our country. No matter which branch they served in or where they were stationed, our veterans deserve to be recognized. However, it’s not enough to thank them once a year. We all have a responsibility to ensure that service members have opportunities to thrive and can return to supportive and caring communities once their missions are finished.

The annual State of Minnesota Veterans Day event will be held virtually this year. Starting at 8 a.m. on Veterans Day tomorrow, you’ll be able to watch the program at MinnesotaVeteran.org/VeteransDay2020.

Keep in Touch

Please continue to reach out anytime with questions, or to let me know how I can be of assistance at rep.kelly.morrison@house.mn. For additional updates, follow me on my official Facebook page.  

Also, feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends or neighbors who may be interested in receiving news from the Capitol. Anyone is welcome to subscribe to these updates in the future here.

Take good care,

Kelly