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Dear Neighbors,
I want to start by thanking you for the honor of representing our community for the past eight years. This month, I spent my last day on the House Floor as your state representative, doing my part to help pass assistance for our small businesses and working families, and it was certainly a bittersweet moment. I also had the opportunity to give a final floor speech, which you can watch here.
This will be my final legislative update as your state representative. It’s been a busy month, and there are some important resources and information you should be aware of before the new legislative session begins on January 5.
Minnesota’s Vaccine Plan
This month, Minnesota received its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine. Since we’ll have a limited supply for the time being, we’ll be following a strict plan that has been put in place in partnership with the federal government to make sure we’re making the most of this vaccine. You can view Minnesota’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan here, which was formulated with the goal of making the process as quick, equitable, and safe as possible.
The first to receive the vaccine in Minnesota will be health care workers and long-term care residents, followed by essential workers, seniors, and people with preexisting conditions that are more likely to become seriously ill with this virus. While the arrival of the vaccine is incredibly good news, we’re still a long way from it becoming available to all who want one. In the meantime, it’s important that we continue adhering to the public health guidelines that have kept our communities safe - social distancing, hand washing, wearing a mask, and getting tested when we feel sick.
Assistance for Small Businesses and Working Families
The measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 are saving lives, but we need to make sure that those measures are balanced with assistance for the small businesses and working families they impact. To that end, my colleagues and I in the Minnesota Legislature have been spending the past month putting together a bipartisan package of economic assistance legislation, which has now been signed into law. It’s not perfect, but while the federal government has more resources to more fully address the issues facing our community, they were simply moving too slow in their response for Minnesotans.
The package of COVID-19 assistance legislation we passed isn’t a fix-all solution, but it does provide a lifeline for those struggling to get by until federal relief can arrive. The bill includes a 13-week extension of unemployment insurance and direct financial support for businesses. The Department of Revenue estimates that 5,800 small businesses will receive $82-88 million beginning before the end of the year. Another $114.5 million will be distributed to counties to provide grants to impacted businesses, and movie theaters and convention centers will receive $14 million. In this bill, Hennepin County would receive just over $25.2 million for small business grants.
You can find more information on applying for unemployment here, and you can find specifics on eligible businesses, program requirements, and payment amounts here.
Updated Rules for Restaurants, Bars, Gyms, and Other Venues
While the trend of cases are going down, they still remain at dangerously high levels. In response to this, Governor Walz provided an update on the measures for bars, restaurants, gyms, and other venues:
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Bars, restaurants, and breweries: Will remain closed for indoor dining, but they may open for outdoor service at 50 percent capacity or up to 100 people.
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Gyms and fitness studios: May open for individual exercise at 25 percent capacity, or 100 people maximum,.
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Youth and adult sports: Practices can resume January 4.
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Outdoor entertainment venues: Open at 25 percent capacity, up to 100 people maximum
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Social Gatherings: Minnesotans may gather inside with one other household up to 10 people. If outside, social gatherings may include up to two additional households (three total) with a maximum of 15 people. Masking and social distancing is strongly encouraged.
You can find information on these updates and more at StaySafe.MN.
Thank You
Again, thank you for the immense honor of serving our community. Minnesota has some tough times ahead, and I wish the best of luck to Representative-Elect Esther Agbaje as she traverses them at the State Capitol.
I will remain your state representative until January 5. Feel free to reach out to me with any legislative questions you may have.
Wishing you all safe holidays and a joyous New Year,
Raymond Dehn
State Representative
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