March 27, 2020
Friends and Neighbors,
As I am sure you have heard often over the past few weeks – these are unprecedented times. Governor Walz issued an Executive Order on March 26, 2020 that will last from March 27th– April 10th. Our economy, small business, and families are being impacted in ways we never expected. In the fight to suppress COVID-19, great sacrifices are being made. As we move forward, we face difficult decisions. We must weigh the cost of our actions and find the cure for this pandemic while keeping damage to our health and economy to a minimum.
Senator Scott Jensen from Carver County summarized it well:
“We must protect our seniors, those with significant illnesses, and the vulnerable. We can do that successfully without playing into a rhetoric of fear.
“My concern is that we may be unnecessarily causing harm in an effort to do good when we actually could be more laser focused on what is going to help us get through this terrible time. Endangering businesses, compromising supply chains, and generating extraordinary stress in people around the world may be unavoidable, but let’s be attentive to the voices of all Minnesotans.
“Not everyone who dies during this pandemic will be counted. We readily see numbers on a dashboard identifying confirmed cases and deaths. But we won’t see those who die because their support structure, medications, surgeries, and basic needs are interrupted. We have to be aware of the collateral damage that may come from our initiatives.
“I ask myself these questions: What are we doing to ourselves, to our economy, and to the next generation? Are we overreaching? Will the social and financial consequences be catastrophic?
“I urge our leaders to continue to be thoughtful. As much as is possible, mitigation and suppression efforts should be driven by reproducible data and demonstrated effectiveness, not a smattering of potentially hoped-for outcomes. In short order – if not already – we will be feeling the tsunami impact of unintended consequences. We need to be judicious and careful.”
Please rest assured that we are doing all we can to protect the physical and economic health of our state. As our President said, “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.” We will continue to be vigilant and I will remain vocal in the legislature throughout this process.
Stay at Home Order
I have heard questions from many of you about what the recent stay at home order will mean for your families and your businesses. Fortunately, there are many resources:
- Email address for critical industry questions – directed to the Governor’s administration: criticalsectors@state.mn.us
- Make an appeal if your business is not considered “essential” under the order (exemption application)
- COVID-19 site for frequently asked questions
- If you are wondering what kinds of businesses are still functioning, this is an exhaustive list of critical industries
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.
COVID-19 Funding
We passed a third COVID-19 response bill on March 26, 2020, allocating an additional $331 million to help Minnesotans withstand the effects of this global pandemic.
This action establishes a dedicated COVID-19 Minnesota Fund that will be used by the Walz administration to keep Minnesotans safe during this emergency. The package also includes funding for childcare providers, college students, small businesses, veterans, homeless shelters and food shelves. Previous COVID-19 bills passed by the legislature allocated $221 million in funding for medical needs, bringing the total to $552 million this year to address the Coronavirus pandemic in Minnesota.
There is additional funding for homeless shelters, food shelves, and the State Soldier Assistance Program for veterans who are affected by COVID-19.
Veterans and their families are an integral part of our communities. This is an especially important time to support them as they face changes in their work and family life during this battle against COVID-19. Many of them may be working to re-integrate back into civilian life and are now being impacted by unemployment or other unforeseen circumstances. In difficult times, we will always be here to provide assistance in any way possible. Veterans are our heroes and we will never forget that they committed their lives to protecting our freedom. Our support for them will never waver.
The COVID-19 Minnesota Fund can only be used for expenses incurred during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency as declared by Executive Order 20-01 to maintain operations of government. Examples of increased costs would be additional healthcare and staffing needs in prison facilities, staffing and overtime for direct care and treatment, and resources for activities by the national guard in response to COVID-19, among other expenses incurred by state government.
Veterans
One of my focuses has been to ensure veterans are still getting the care and support they need. As the status of their resources may change, I will keep you updated.
Here are a few links that may be helpful. Please share them with veterans you know!
- Find your CVSO (some have changed recently)
- MDVA site with information on programs impacted by recent changes
- MDVA Press Releases for updates
If you have additional questions, visit the sites below. They are updating their sites as capacity for services change.
- Area VA Medical Centers:
- Fargo VA Health Care System
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System
- St. Cloud VA Health Care System:
- Sioux Falls VA Health Care System
- VBA Regional Offices:
If I can do anything to help, please continue to reach out with your questions and concerns to sen.bruce.anderson@senate.mn.
I wish you all the best health and I will continue to do everything I can at the Capitol to protect the people of our state from the devastating effects of this pandemic. You and your families are in my prayers. God bless you.
Bruce