The Minnesota Senate today passed legislation that will give businesses still restricted by executive orders the authority to use safety preparedness plans for fully re-opening their doors safely. This legislation also seeks to make a statutory change that requires any future executive order issued by the Governor that attempts to close or partially close businesses to give a 14-day lead time and to be approved by the Legislature with a simple majority vote from both the House and Senate prior to implementation. Senator Eric Pratt (R-Prior Lake) is a co-author of the bill.

“Our small businesses have suffered immeasurable losses, especially our local establishments in the hospitality industry. They are motivated to reopen in the safest manner possible—that should not even be up for debate,” said Senator Pratt. “Our businesses have had their hands tied for an entire year and, sadly, many will never reopen. Our businesses WANT to keep their customers and staff safe because no one wants their place of work to be the source of an outbreak. Businesses have already prepared safety measures to reopen so they can meet the needs of their staff and customers. There is no reason businesses should not be able to reopen with these plans in place.”

“We need to get our business open again, but this legislation isn’t just about reopening our businesses—it’s about rebalancing the relationship between the Governor and the legislature, and ensuring those who will be affected have a voice,” continued Senator Pratt. “The 14-day requirement is necessary because every closure of restaurants has been with less than two days’ notice, and owners have told the Governor the short notice is causing employees to unexpectedly lose their wages and owners stuck with huge inventories.”

Minnesota’s economy has suffered dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic and resulting lockdowns. The Minneapolis Federal Reserve reports that Employment is down 8% from the previous year and that Labor force participation down from pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic has been particularly severe for small businesses and Minnesota’s hospitality industry. The National Federation of Independent Businesses reported that 1 in 5 small business owners was at risk of closing due to economic conditions. More than half of Minnesota restaurants report they face insolvency in the next few months if improvements are not made.