(St. Paul) – Today, Democrats in the Minnesota House of Representatives will break a compromise to fairly distribute federal COVID aid to communities across Minnesota. That compromise had previously been agreed to by all four legislative leaders after comprehensive negotiations and was based on a population formula. It passed the Senate 62-4 on Tuesday, but House Democrats approved a last-minute amendment adding the governor’s supplemental budget to the bill on Thursday morning.
Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake) issued the following statement in response:
“The House is not only backing out of a bipartisan agreement, but they are putting the recovery of Minnesota’s cities and towns at stake. My local officials have made it clear that even preparing for the COVID-19 pandemic set them back significantly, not to mention the continued months of work.
The deadline for local governments to submit certifications to receive funds is June 22nd and we could get these funds out the door by June 30th. If the House continues in this vein, we could see the vast majority of this aid siphoned away from Greater Minnesota and into Hennepin and Ramsey Counties.”