On Thursday, the Minnesota Senate, with tri-partisan (GOP, DFL and Independent votes), passed SF 1 on the Senate Floor, which gives businesses individual authority to create and implement safety preparedness plans so they can open safely. With each business having different needs and wants for their customers and staff, it is important to allow them the opportunity to do what works for them.
“The Governor has stopped listening to the Legislature and the people he represents, only to let many small, Minnesota businesses struggle or close their doors for good after losing so much from the shutdowns,” Senator Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) said Thursday. “The livelihoods of our people are not something to toy with. Instead of leading by example and providing recommendations, Governor Walz, turned Emperor or Dictator, has unilaterally decided what each individual community needs. So much for “checks and balances,’” Westrom said. That is not what leaders do. I am glad this bill passed today, with support from all three parties, but I can only hope Walz sees that this is the right move and allows it to become law by working with the legislature.”
Small businesses are a vital part of peoples’ livelihoods, Minnesota’s economy, and our communities. They are run by our friends, family members and neighbors, and they have been crushed over the past year.
“Because of Governor Walz’s heavy-handed lockdown style of governing, the losses in small businesses across the state will have irreparable damage to not only our economy, but the livelihood of many families and hardworking Minnesotans. SF 1 brings power back to where it belongs, to the people,” Westrom said.
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. Unemployment also remains above pre-pandemic levels at 4.4% in December 20 vs. 3.3% in December 19.
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. Additionally, nearly 100 restaurants closed in the Twin Cities metro in 2020. More than half of restaurants report they face insolvency in the next few months if things don’t improve in Minnesota.