ST PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Tim Walz announced on Wednesday he would convene a special session on Monday, Dec. 14 to urge the Minnesota Legislature to pass a COVID-19 relief package for those struggling from the pandemic.
The move also comes as the Minnesota governor aims to extend his peacetime emergency powers by an additional 30 days as Minnesota enters a troubling new phase of the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor's office says the Walz Administration sent a letter to legislative leaders on Nov. 23, urging action to combat the economic toll the pandemic has taken on Minnesotans abroad.
“Minnesota’s small businesses and workers are bearing a large burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to protect their entire community amid restrictions that are saving lives,” Governor Walz said. “I call upon our state legislature to come together and ensure our businesses stay afloat, our workers are supported, and our families can put food on the table.”
As outlined in a previous release issued on Nov. 24, the governor's COVID-19 stimulus package aims to help small businesses, workers and families. The proposed measures include the following:
Small business aid
- Provide direct aid to businesses through Business Assistance Program
- Waive state and regulatory fees for bars, restaurants, event centers, craft breweries, and more
- Establish an eviction moratorium so small businesses can stay in their locations
Support for workers
- Extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks, helping as many as 100,000 workers whose benefits currently end in late December
- Provide a $500 one-time emergency payment to struggling families
Help Minnesota families
- Establish a one-time grant to restaurants to provide food for health care workers, homeless shelters, and long-term care facilities
- Provide a tax credit for businesses that donate food that would otherwise spoil or be thrown away
“COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges to all Minnesotans, but we know that those impacts have disproportionately affected our small business community, working families, and children,” Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan said. “As we continue to battle a surge in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to this virus, this pandemic is at its most serious. With the holiday season around the corner, we must come together to provide relief to those who need it most.”
The Walz Administration's push for local aid remedies comes at a time when it says it is also urging leaders in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to provide federal assistance as well.
The administration says that an extension of its COVID-19 peacetime emergency powers is a necessary step in meeting the logistical needs to rollout any forthcoming array of COVID-19 vaccines across the Minnesota population.
"As the COVID-19 vaccine begins to provide a light at the end of the pandemic, powers from the peacetime emergency are critical in state preparations for quick, equitable and safe distribution of the vaccine to Minnesotans in every corner of the state," the administration says. "Emergency powers remain essential for the timely acquisition of supplies and technology to support the vaccination effort."
