Agenda - Council - 04/14/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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STATE OF M I N N ESOTA Executive Department &mice uu k ' • '4i •v.+F3 Governor Tim Walz Emergency Executive Order 20-15 Providing Immediate Relief to Small Businesses During the COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency I, Tim Walz, Governor of the State of Minnesota, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and applicable statutes, issue the following Executive Order: The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to our State. Minnesota has taken proactive steps to ensure that we are ahead of the curve on COVID-19 prevention and response. On March 13, 2020, I issued Executive Order 20-01 and declared a peacetime emergency because this pandemic, an act of nature, threatens the lives of Minnesotans, and local resources are inadequate to address the threat. In Executive Order 20-01, I directed all state agencies to submit proposed orders and rules to protect and preserve public health and safety. In Minnesota Statutes 2019, section 12.02, the Minnesota Legislature conferred upon the Governor emergency powers "in order to (1) ensure that preparations of this state will be adequate to deal with disasters, (2) generally protect the public peace, health, and safety, and (3) preserve the lives and property of the people of the state." Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 2019, section 12.21, subdivision 1, the Governor has general authority to control the state's emergency management as well as carry out the provisions of Minnesota's Emergency Management Act. Pursuant to subdivision 3 of that same section, the Governor may "make, amend, and rescind the necessary orders and rules to carry out the provisions" of Minnesota Statutes 2019, Chapter 12. When approved by the Executive Council and filed in the Office of the Secretary of State, such orders and rules have the force and effect of law during the pendency of a peacetime emergency. Any inconsistent rules or ordinances of any agency or political subdivision of the state are suspended during the pendency of the emergency. Small businesses are vital economic engines in Minnesota. But certain public accommodations, especially small businesses, where Minnesotans congregate pose a threat to the public health by providing environments for the spread of COVID-19. On March 15, 2020, Minnesota detected the first confirmed cases caused by "community spread" —infections not epidemiologically linked to overseas travel. This development required Minnesota to take additional proactive measures. As such, thousands of small businesses were closed directly or indirectly by Executive Orders 20-04 and 20-08, which were issued as proactive measures to slow the spread of the 1