As it begins its second month, the Minnesota Legislature seems to have kicked into high gear. Bills are being introduced and moving through committees at a faster rate, and both the House and Senate are highlighting priorities.

Senate Transition?

The Senate, which had said prior to the start of the legislative session that they would like to return to in-person legislating as soon as it was safe, will transition to hybrid hearings next week. When the hybrid hearings begin, some committee members, some staff, and a small number of viewers will be allowed to participate in person. Some committees will continue operating in a fully virtual format. Senate offices remain closed, except for scheduled appointments.

Responding to Events

Many of the bills being heard are directly responding to events that have occurred in the past year. Both the House and Senate have spent significant time debating how best to financially help communities that see civil unrest. Additionally, many hearings continue to focus on issues raised by the pandemic, such as a Senate hearing this week on a bill from Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester), S.F. 2, which would prevent the Governor from closing schools through the use of peacetime emergency powers.

Earned Safe and Sick Time

On Tuesday, the House Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy committee held a hearing on H.F. 7, Rep. Liz Olson (DFL-Duluth). Dubbed the Earned Sick and Safe Time bill, it would require employers to provide at least one hour of paid time off for every 30 hours an employee works. Nearly a dozen people testified at the hearing, some expressing support, and others voicing concerns that the legislation was overly prescriptive and would lead to closure of some businesses. Because the committee was still awaiting the fiscal note, the bill was laid over and will be heard again when the fiscal note is completed.

Senate Committee Backs “Seniors First” Vaccination

The Senate committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, chaired by Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point), this week released its recommendation that seniors be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine. The committee’s recommendation is based on the fact that seniors are most at risk of dying due to the virus. During the same hearing, the Minnesota Department of Health explained that approximately 80,000 of the 500,000 Minnesotans in Phase 1a (health care workers and long-term care residents) remain to be vaccinated. Minnesota is currently vaccinating those aged 65 and over and educators. That pool of people is 1.1 million, and at the current rate of vaccination, it will take about 16 weeks to finish that group.

Dr. Michael Osterholm Warning

In the same week that Minnesota saw both its professional men’s and women’s hockey teams, the Wild and Whitecaps, sidelined by COVID, Dr. Michael Osterholm testified in a House committee. Dr. Osterholm is the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and a member of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board. He was asked by House Health Finance and Policy committee Chair Tina Liebling to provide an update on the pandemic, during which he stated that he believes “the darkest days of the pandemic are yet to come” due to the variants that are beginning to spread.

February 5, 2021