Dear Neighbors,

The Legislature recently met in special session to tackle some important unresolved work from the regular session. Lawmakers came together to approve $62.5 million for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the smallest businesses, with 50 or fewer employees, were largely left behind by federal aid.

Other items still remain outstanding, including a Jobs and Local Projects bill and other key economic security measures, like raises for PCAs, housing assistance for veterans, and financial help for low-income Minnesotans. Another special session is likely soon, and I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensure all Minnesotans can have the health and economic wellbeing they deserve.

CARES Act Funding for Local Governments

Last week, Governor Tim Walz announced a plan to deliver $841 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to Minnesota’s cities, counties, and towns. Under the plan, Carlton county will receive $4.4 million, Pine county will receive $3.6 million, and St. Louis county will receive $24.5 million. For cities – as examples – Cloquet will receive $930,226 and Moose Lake will receive $210,501.

This funding is absolutely critical for our local units of government. Their budgets have been impacted harshly by the current pandemic, and they’ve been working diligently to continue delivering the quality public services residents count on every day. I’m glad Governor Walz is taking the action necessary to get this money out to our communities.

New Laws

Tomorrow, July 1, several new laws will take effect. Among these is the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act, which is landmark legislation lawmakers approved this year to help ensure people with diabetes can access the insulin they need to live in an emergency situation, and to create a long-term path to access affordable insulin. The bill is named after Alec Smith, a 26-year-old from Richfield who tragically died when he was forced to ration his insulin because he couldn’t afford to refill his prescription. It’s inexcusable that this could happen to anyone in this country, and this legislation is needed to ensure it never happens to anyone in Minnesota again.

Also going on the books tomorrow is the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act. It will require drug makers to report the reasons for price increases and provide other detailed information about the cost of manufacturing, marketing and distributing drugs. It would require price transparency for existing drugs, new drugs and newly acquired drugs. This is a major step forward in our efforts to shine a light on high drug prices, and we will keep working on solutions to ensure all Minnesotans can access the medications they need. You can read more about these and other new laws here.

Testing Milestone

Yesterday, Governor Walz announced that our state has reached a major COVID-19 testing milestone: 500,000 tests (592,955 tests, to be exact). Additionally, we’ve developed a daily capacity of 20,000 COVID-19 molecular tests, the “moonshot” Governor Walz sought out to reach when the pandemic emerged. As part of the state’s testing command center, the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota are now able to provide additional testing capacity to more than 265 health care organizations across the state.

The federal CARES Act requires that COVID-19 testing is covered without cost-sharing. Learn more about getting tested here. We all have to do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Continue to be vigilant by practicing social distancing, wearing a mask in public, staying home when you’re feeling sick, and frequently washing your hands.

Free Courses Available

Many Minnesotans’ jobs have unfortunately been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and may be looking to explore a new career as part of their job search. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has teamed up with Coursera to offer 3,800 courses from the U of M and other institutions to Minnesotans free of charge. If you’re looking to strengthen your skills or perhaps earn a certification in a new field, visit CareerForceMN.com/Coursera to find out more.

I hope you and your family have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day holiday. As always, feel free to reach out to me if I can be of help at 651-296-4308 or rep.mike.sundin@house.mn.

It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Mike Sundin