As part of extending his peacetime emergency 30 days, Gov. Walz called the Minnesota Legislature into its seventh special session of the year on Monday. As has been customary in recent months, the Republican-controlled Senate voted to end the peacetime emergency declaration while the DFL-controlled House of Representatives did not take up the issue. Without an affirmative action in both chambers, the governor’s executive powers remain intact another thirty days.

In addition to debating the governor’s executive authority, the legislature took up and passed a $216.5 million COVID-19 relief package. The proposal sought to aide struggling businesses who have been partially or fully shutdown during the pandemic. The measure passed 62-4 in the Senate and 117-3 in the House. It includes the following appropriations:

• $114.8 million for counties to make grants to eligible struggling businesses and nonprofits. Each county would receive the greater of $200,000 or a per capita amount based on its 2019 population;
• $88 million to businesses that provide on-site food and beverages; including bars, restaurants, breweries and wineries; bowling alleys as well as fitness or sports recreation centers that have seen at least a 30 percent decline in revenues. Payments would be range from $10,000 to $45,000 based on the number of employees; and
• $14 million for movie theaters and multipurpose convention centers with a capacity of at least 1,500 people. A per screen formula would be used to help movie theaters and several factors would be considered for convention center allocations. Convention center awards would need to be used for direct operations and facility upkeep.
  

The bill also includes several regulatory changes, including: 

• Waiving certain liquor permit fees in 2021, including a permit for alcohol sales after 1 a.m. and caterer licensing. The Metropolitan Council would refund;
• Refunding of wastewater permit fees to brewers that produce fewer than 20,000 barrels per year; and
• Waiving of certain late license renewal penalties for food retailers, food manufacturers, food wholesalers.

Much to the frustration of Minnesota breweries and restaurants, the bill did not contain temporary approval to sell curbside growlers for all breweries (including those over the current 20,000 barrels cap) and takeaway cocktails.

Unemployment Insurance Extension

Finally, the relief package extended state unemployment benefits to Minnesota workers for 13 weeks (December 27, 2020 to April 10, 2021) to support the more than 100,000 Minnesota workers who will lose federal unemployment benefits on December 26, 2020. The extension is estimated to cost the state $500 million. Any money Minnesota receives in a federal relief bill will reimburse the state for the costs of this extension.