NW Twin Cities

A bill that will allow small businesses to begin reopening was passed by the Minnesota Senate on May 18 and will set a framework for businesses to follow in order to ensure safe openings. 

Senate File 4511 follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), according to a press release from Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus. Small businesses will have to follow these guidelines in order to reopen and operate. 

Sen. Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) said the Minnesota communities are ready to reopen, according to the press release. 

“In conversations that I’ve had with hospitals, mayors and businesses across Northwestern Minnesota what I’ve consistently heard is that our communities are ready to open,” Johnson said in the press release. “Our region has the proper procedures, equipment and common-sense policies in play to take on the challenge of protecting our health and rebooting our economy, yet we’re still told to shelter. As our neighbors to the east and west reopen and our big-box chains continue to operate, many of Minnesota’s small businesses have been shuttered. We need to end this strategy immediately, and move to alternative rules that safely and quickly getting our economy running again.”

Any businesses closed from executive orders are allowed to reopen the say after the bill's enactment, but must maintain safety by following recommendations and guidelines from the CDC and MDH, according to the press release. 

The Minnesota House of Representatives still needs to vote on the legislation, according to the press release. 

The Senate also approved an extension to the COVID-19 fund, according to the press release. The fund would have expired on May 11. Minnesota's coronavirus fund can now be used until Dec. 31 and as of May 11, has a balance of $36.9 million.