(St. Paul) – The Minnesota Senate approved compromise legislation on Tuesday, creating a formula to fairly distribute federal COVID-19 assistance to help local governments. Gov. Tim Walz currently has the sole authority over the federal coronavirus aid, and concerns have been raised about both transparency and accountability in how the aid is distributed.
Senator Rarick (R-Pine City) praised the contents of the bill, saying “This distribution formula is in line with the input from legislators across Minnesota. It’s vital that every area is accounted for while relief is available and our communities are recovering.”
Minnesota received more than $2 billion from the federal government to help local governments, health professionals, and businesses fight COVID. That money went into an account called the Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, so it could be quickly deployed to places it is needed most.
The compromise agreement, authored by Senate Finance Chair Julie Rosen (R-Vernon Center), distributes the local government portion of that funding – about $841 million – fairly to Minnesota counties, cities, and towns based on a formula using their population.
Senate District 11 will benefit greatly from the bill if it is signed into law. The counties in our area would receive the following funds with Senate File 47:
Carlton County- $ 4,356,657
Kanabec County – $1,966,274
Pine County- $3,576,478
St. Louis County – $24,287,183
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