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Dear Neighbors,
The 2020 Minnesota Legislative session adjourned for the year Sunday night. With the onset of COVID-19 midway through the session, our focus quickly shifted to directly addressing the public health and economic impacts of the virus. While some beneficial measures were passed into law, there’s still more to do to help Minnesotans adapt to and recover during the pandemic.
My House and Senate colleagues and I delivered funding for public health, resources for health care workers, support for child care, housing and food security, small business assistance and more. We also worked together quickly to deliver a package of legislation providing flexibility and resources in a variety of areas during the crisis, including approval of wills and marriage licenses, expanded telemedicine, remote local government meetings, and alternative health care facilities. Frontline responders will be now covered under workers’ compensation, should they contract the virus.
The governor also signed into law the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act, the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act, Tobacco 21 legislation to prevent youth smoking, and a bipartisan measure to protect the safety and security of our state’s elections.
Unfortunately, key priorities important to our communities did not make it across the finish line, including a robust jobs and local projects or “bonding” plan, a measure to ensure hourly school employees receive compensation during the peacetime emergency, the ratification of state worker contracts, and a COVID-19 Economic Security Plan. I remain committed to enacting these important solutions to protect our families’ health, wellbeing, and economic security.
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