Today Governor Walz announced he would distribute the full $841 million in federal CARES funding to local entities. The distribution is according to the approved compromise legislation the Senate and House agreed to in the special session.

“We led this initiative during special session and while the House DFL and Governor did not allow the bill to proceed, the Governor’s actions today ensures that our cities and counties will receive the support they need to recuperate from the economic impact of COVID,” said Senator Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point). “While I wish we could have accomplished this together through the legislative process, the funds will be fairly and evenly distributed.”

The compromise agreement distributed the local government funding fairly to Minnesota counties, cities, and towns based on a formula using their population. The Senate passed the agreed-upon legislation with nearly unanimous support during the special session. The legislation brought transparency and fairness to the distribution since the federal funds were not subject to legislative approval and could be spent unilaterally by Walz.

Minnesota received more than $2 billion from the federal government to help local governments, health professionals, and businesses fight COVID. That money went into an account called the Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, so it could be quickly deployed to places it is needed most.