The Minnesota Senate yesterday approved bipartisan legislation creating a formula to fairly distribute the share federal COVID-19 assistance funds that can be used to help local governments. Gov. Tim Walz currently has the sole authority over the federal coronavirus aid, and concerns have been raised about both transparency and accountability in how the aid is distributed.
“Local governments throughout the state reacted quickly to prepare for a potentially severe outbreak of COVID-19, and our local communities should be reimbursed for some of these costs regardless of zip code,” said Senator Jeremy Miller (R-Winona). “I am proud that we worked together to pass this bipartisan legislation to provide funding to counties, cities, and towns across the state, including southeastern Minnesota.”
Minnesota received more than $2 billion from the federal government to help local governments, health professionals, and businesses fight COVID-19. That money went into an account called the Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, so it could be quickly deployed to places it is needed most.
The bipartisan agreement distributes the local government portion of that funding – about $841 million – fairly to Minnesota counties, cities, and towns based on a formula using their population.
Communities throughout Senate District 28 stand to benefit from the bill, including:
- Houston County: $2.26 million
- Fillmore County: $2.57 million
- Winona County: $6.18 million
In addition, you can find the funding levels for cities and small towns.