On Monday, the Minnesota Senate passed legislation that would allow many small businesses to safely resume operations. The bill, Senate File 4511, provides a framework for businesses to return to the workplace and safely resume operations if they follow Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines.

“Since March, nearly 700,000 Minnesotans have applied for unemployment benefits as the jobless rate in America spikes to the highest rate since the Great Depression. The only way to mitigate these effects is by getting people back to work – and I believe we can do that in a manner that prioritizes the health and safety of employees and consumers alike,” said Senator Bill Weber (R-Luverne). “These small businesses still have expenses, even when they’re closed. If Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store or the big box retailers can operate safely, so can the Main Street businesses of Minnesota. Let the shoppers of Minnesota have a safer option of going to smaller stores with fewer people in those stores, rather than being herded into larger stores – actually creating the very problem the governor says he is trying to avoid.”

The legislation would allow businesses that are “closed to ingress, egress, use, and occupancy by members of the public” due to recent executive orders to resume operations if the business abides by workplace safety recommendations and guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The bill would take effect the day following its enactment.

The legislation awaits a hearing by the House of Representatives.

“I believe we can trust businesses to resume operations in a way that prioritizes the health and safety of its employees and customers. The only way to begin a recovery is by starting our economic engines again,” said Senator Weber. “These businesses need to open; otherwise, we will have even more vacant buildings, further economic issues, and greater future problems in our communities.”

Senator Bill Weber, of Luverne, represents Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone Redwood, and Rock counties in the Minnesota Senate. He serves as chair of the Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, and Housing Policy Committee.