(St. Paul, MN) A bill to re-open all businesses in Minnesota passed today in the Senate. According to the legislation, businesses closed to the public may begin operations as soon as they can follow COVID-related workplace safety guidance provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the CDC, despite Executive Orders. 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 will include health and wellness for employees, sanitation practices, and social distancing.
These measures to re-open all businesses were due yesterday. Small and medium-size businesses are perfectly able to create safe environments for their employees and customers. Arguably, they are better equipped for social distancing than stores like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot.
As we near the end of the legislative session, it is imperative that the legislature is able to act. I am happy to see this bill pass in the Senate, though it will still have to be taken up in the House of Representatives for a vote. The Governor still holds executive authority, but he must hear the people. The entire state is facing fears, whether it’s the elderly and at-risk or the parents who do not know if they will be able to support and feed their families. If we continue in the vein of our current budget deficit, we will be forced to make cuts in areas that will hurt. Some of the only places in our budget that could come to the rescue over the next biennium are healthcare and K-12 funding. This is about more than just sickness – families, mental health, essential government services, and our liberties are at risk.
Our hospitals have the resources for a surge but remain half-empty in many areas of the state. Meanwhile, people’s livelihoods, support system, and the food supply are suffering. It is time to let people make choices. We have to provide support for at-risk groups to stay home while allowing those who choose and are able to return to their lives.
The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 39 – 28.