ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota House and Senate have both voted unanimously to approve nearly $21 million in emergency public health funding for the state's COVID-19 coronavirus response.
Gov. Tim Walz is expected to sign the bill Tuesday.
The plan would transfer $20.8 million from the general fund to the public health response contingency account, according to the text of the bill.
The emergency fund would pay for investigating the disease, monitoring outbreaks, conducting lab analysis, coordinating a statewide response and informing the public.
"We're talking about a public health crisis that is on the verge of becoming a worldwide pandemic. We must be prepared," said Senator Jerry Relph, of St. Cloud, when the bill passed the Senate Finance Committee last week.
FROM LAST WEEK: MN Senate Committee passes $20 million coronavirus fund
The funding bill passed the Republican-controlled Senate in a 64-0 vote on Monday afternoon. The Democratic-controlled House passed the bill soon afterward, 133-0, sending it back to the Senate for a quick concurrence with a technical language change, which also passed unanimously.
As of Monday morning, the state of Minnesota has two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in the state.
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