Responding to Rising COVID Cases

Dear Neighbors, 

Thank you for the continued honor of representing our community in the Minnesota House of Representatives. These are trying times, and there are many challenges ahead, but I’m confident there’s nothing we cannot accomplish when working together. In January, I’ll be returning to a Minnesota Legislature controlled by different parties, just as it is now. As the only divided legislature in the nation, to me this shows that Minnesotans want us to come together and find common ground for the solutions our state needs to weather these times. 

Today was the November Special Session, and as we see COVID-19 cases dangerously increasing throughout our state, we again made the decision to keep Governor Walz’s emergency orders in place. We are all tired of this pandemic, but as my legislative colleague Dr. Alice Mann so effectively put it, we cannot afford to get complacent. You can listen to Dr. Mann’s comments here.

New COVID-19 Restrictions

Though the news of a promising vaccine gives us hope, we are still a ways off from being in the clear with COVID. As Minnesota sees our deadliest days yet, this week Governor Walz announced new restrictions on bars, restaurants, and gatherings.

Bars and restaurants will have new capacity regulations, as well as a curfew starting this Friday, and there will be a 10-person limit for indoor and outdoor social gatherings. For larger events, such as weddings and funerals, there is a 50-person limit starting on November 27, and a 25-person limit starting December 11. These new restrictions are far from ideal, especially for our local businesses that have been struggling since the onset of COVID-19 in our state. These measures will help to ensure Minnesotans remain safe and healthy. It’s critical that we all do our part to follow guidelines, including wearing masks in all indoor public settings and getting tested when sick.

Additional locations and different forms of COVID testing are now available in Minnesota. You can find your closest testing site here, and you can find more information on the recent safety restrictions here. 

The Latest on Bonding Projects

Last month, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bipartisan Jobs & Local Projects and Critical Economic Development bill with investments in infrastructure and economic stimulus to help communities bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other items, the legislation contains $1.879 billion toward public assets such as higher education institutions, clean water infrastructure, transportation, parks, trails, and funding for underserved communities.

Projects like the realignment of 60th Street and the interchange at Highway 36 and County Road 15 were included in the bill, and are the culmination of countless public servants working together to improve our community. With the passing of this bipartisan legislation, we are a major step closer in bringing these updates to our area.

It was an honor to host the House Capital Investment Division when they toured these projects last year.

It was a long time coming, and while it’s certainly not usual for this legislation to be passed during the fall, the opportunity to assist in Minnesota’s economic recovery was too important to put off. I want to thank the members of the House Capital Investment Division, Mayor Kozlowski, and the bipartisan group of representatives from Washington County who joined me in showcasing the need for these projects last year, and for joining me in this process of fighting for these improvements. I eagerly look forward to their completion.

Keep Connected

With the election over, I can now return to regularly sending out these legislative updates, which you can subscribe to here is you haven’t already. You can also “like” my official Facebook Page to stay up to date. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at rep.shelly.christensen@house.mn, or leave a voicemail at (651) 296-4244. I look forward to hearing from you, and I look forward to another two years of working together. 

Sincerely, 

Representative Shelly Christensen