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Emergency Executive Order 20-15 <br />Providing Immediate Relief to Small Businesses During the COVID-19 <br />Peacetime Emergency <br />I, Tim Walz, Governor of the State of Minnesota, by the authority vested in me by the <br />Constitution and applicable statutes, issue the following Executive Order: <br />The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to our State. Minnesota has taken <br />proactive steps to ensure that we are ahead of the curve on COVID-19 prevention and response. <br />On March 13, 2020, I issued Executive Order 20-01 and declared a peacetime emergency <br />because this pandemic, an act of nature, threatens the lives of Minnesotans, and local resources <br />are inadequate to address the threat. In Executive Order 20-01, I directed all state agencies to <br />submit proposed orders and rules to protect and preserve public health and safety. <br />InMinnesota Statutes 2019,section 12.02, the Minnesota Legislature conferred upon the <br />Governor emergency <br />adequate to deal with disasters, (2) generally protect the public peace, health, and safety, and (3) <br />preserve the lives and property of the people <br />section 12.21, subdivision <br />Pursuant to subdiv <br />2019, Chapter 12. <br />When approved by the Executive Council and filed in the Office of the Secretary ofState, such <br />orders and rules havethe force and effect of law during the pendency of a peacetime emergency. <br />Any inconsistent rules or ordinances of any agency or political subdivision of the state are <br />suspended during the pendency of the emergency. <br />Small businesses are vital economic engines in Minnesota. But certain public accommodations, <br />especially small businesses, where Minnesotans congregate pose a threat to the public health by <br />providingenvironments for the spread of COVID-19.On March 15, 2020, Minnesota detected <br />infections not epidemiologically <br />linked to overseas travel. This development required Minnesota to take additional proactive <br />measures. As such, thousands of small businesses were closed directly or indirectly by Executive <br />Orders 20-04and 20-08,which were issued as proactive measures to slow the spread of the <br />1 <br /> <br />