On Friday, Governor Walz announced he would distribute the full $841 million in federal CARES funding to local entities. The distribution follows the approved compromise legislation passed by Senate and House during the recent special session.

Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R- Alexandria) issued the following statement:

“The equitable release of CARES dollars will go a long way towards supporting our local economies who have been crushed by the COVID crisis. By following our legislative agreement, Governor Walz is helping us push Minnesota in the right direction to rebuild our state by ensuring that these funds will be put to the best use possible. Our communities have been through a lot over the last few months, now is our chance to ensure that we help them set a path for the future.

The compromise agreement distributed the local government funding fairly to Minnesota counties, cities, and towns based on a formula using their population. The Senate passed the agreed-upon legislation with nearly unanimous support during the special session. The legislation brought transparency and fairness to the distribution since the federal funds were not subject to legislative approval and could be spent unilaterally by Walz.

Minnesota received more than$2billion from the federal government to help local governments, health professionals, and businesses fight COVID. That money went into an account called the Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, so it could be quickly deployed to places it is needed most.