(St. Paul, MN) A bill to re-open all businesses in Minnesota passed on Monday in the Senate. The legislation is simple; despite Executive Orders, businesses closed to the public may resume operations while following COVID-related workplace safety guidance provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the CDC. The bill would take effect the day following enactment.

“We have reached so many milestones – many of them put in place by the governor,” said Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake), Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. “Our hospitals have ventilators, PPE, and ICU beds. Forcing small businesses to remain closed will continue to kill the dreams of Minnesota entrepreneurs and our state economy while reducing our chances of creating herd immunity. This bill to re-open business is fundamental to the overall health of our state, and we are doing it in a thoughtful, responsible way.”

MDH will provide oversight of safety plans to all businesses, including big box stores that have been open for the entirety of the COVID-19 peacetime emergency. The business’ plans must include health and wellness for employees, sanitation practices, and social distancing.

“Since March, almost 700,000 Minnesotans have applied for unemployment benefits, representing approximately 20 percent of the state’s workforce. The jobless rate in the United States is 14.7 percent – the highest since the Great Depression. We need to get people back to work and our economy moving again,” Senator Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson), chair of the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee and a co-author of the bill. “We all want to make sure people are safe and healthy. These small businesses have been working for two months on plans for enhanced sanitation and safety in accordance with CDC and MDH guidelines. We need to give them a plan for moving forward.”

The bill passed with a bipartisan 39- 28 vote and awaits a hearing in the House of Representatives.