Following nearly two months of a mandated shutdown by Governor Walz, many rural businesses are now facing permanent closure while waiting for the governor’s decision allowing them to return to work.

Many rural business owners have stated they can no longer wait for this decision and have announced they will re-open, with safety precautions in place, before June 1. Because of this, some business owners have been threatened with a fine by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office if they follow through with this plan.

“By picking winners and losers, the governor is forcing many Main Street business owners into bankruptcy,” said State Senator Howe (R-Rockville). “It’s truly a shame that these folks are now receiving threats from the Attorney General’s Office when all they want to do is safely serve their neighbors, earn a living, and keep their community afloat.”

Because of this, dozens of Minnesota House GOP lawmakers have penned a letter to Attorney General Keith Ellison asking if his office is indeed threatening “non-essential” business owners with fines if they re-open prior to June 1. A potential fine could cost up to $25,000.

The letter notes: “at a time when the federal government is trying desperately to help our businesses, it appears our Attorney General’s office is threatening to keep them down. If true, that is certainly within your jurisdiction. And as state lawmakers, it is also within our jurisdiction to keep tabs on the fines you place on the rural business owners who are facing bankruptcy, and to remember that amount the next time we are setting a budget for the Attorney General’s Office.”

The lawmakers also reference that many Minnesota’s rural counties have reported 10 COVID-19 cases or fewer since the pandemic began, yet are being forced to operate under the same guidelines as Hennepin County with its more than 4,000 reported cases.