Governor Tim Walz has issued a proclamation calling a special session of the Minnesota State Legislature beginning on Monday June 14, 2021 to complete the two-year state budget. On Monday, he will also sign an executive order that extends Minnesota’s peacetime emergency for 30 days to allow Minnesota to maintain vaccination sites and the eviction moratorium and continue to receive federal hunger-relief funding.
The Governor is urging the Legislature to pass a budget that will continue to spur economic growth, find common ground on police accountability measures, and agree to an off-ramp for the eviction moratorium that ensures stability in the housing market while supporting renters and landlords.
“Minnesota is in a good place in our effort to end this pandemic,” said Governor Walz. “That is why we have begun to wind down our statewide response. We look forward to working with the Legislature to ensure that we can continue to keep Minnesotans safe and healthy, and pass a budget that supports Minnesota’s recovery.”
Extending the peacetime emergency is part of the Governor’s measured approach to winding down the state’s response to the pandemic. Last month, he rescinded nine executive orders and another 13 will end by the end of the month. The federal government and 42 other states remain in a state of emergency.
Minnesota’s peacetime emergency allows the state to continue distributing vaccines, including rolling out mobile vaccination sites and incentive programs.
The peacetime emergency also enables the state to receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to fight hunger. Just recently, the federal government approved the state’s request for an additional $45 million in funding based on the peacetime emergency. SNAP has helped over 500,000 Minnesotans put food on the table during the pandemic, while supporting Minnesota’s farmers and grocers. Ending Minnesota’s emergency now could deprive Minnesota’s neediest residents of an estimated $90 million in emergency SNAP benefits through September 30, 2021.
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