Minnesota State Wire

May 18 is a big day for the state of Minnesota. It is the final 24 hours of the legislative session and the day that Gov. Tim Walz’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order expires.

“After much pressure from the citizens, and there were several protests, the governor said he's lifting non-essential travel, which means you don't need a permission slip to travel outside and you can definitely go to a park but he does want us to limit any interactions to a group of 10,” said Alex Kharam, executive director of the Freedom Club, a group of concerned citizens.

Nearly 15,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus statewide and 17 have died, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

“We believe that the safest place we can be is at home but we know we can't continue like this forever,” said Gov. Walz at a virtual news briefing on May 13. “We're making turns on both the business and social dials in order to slowly and safely reopen our society and that situation is fluid.”

Although there is some easing of restrictions in Gov. Walz’s March 25 order, churches are not allowed to have regular church service, restaurants are limited to curbside pickup, delivery and drive-thru while barbershops and beauty salons remain closed.

Gov. Walz said this is due to a great amount of uncertainty around the coronavirus outbreak.

“We must be prepared to dial back if needed,” he said. “We will continue to follow the guidance of public health experts and make data-driven decisions. We'll monitor the rate of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. If there's a sudden rate of increase or a potential spike on the horizon, we’ll move the dial back quickly and strategically.”

The Republican state House minority voted to limit Walz’s executive powers last week and the Republican Senate voted to open the Minnesota economy but neither measure is not expected to pass or be signed by the governor, according to Kharam who worked as a legislative assistant for the Minnesota Senate from 2011 to 2013.

“The complaint has been that they don't feel like the governor has been working with the statehouse,” Kharam told the Minnesota State Wire. “It seems like every week that goes by people are getting more and more frustrated. Target and Walmart are open but local boutiques like hairdressers are not.”

If the two proposed bills do pass the Democratic House on May 18, they would allow all businesses to open up safely and quickly. 

“The shutdown has taken a dramatic toll on the state’s economy, which has gone from a projected multi-million dollar surplus to a multi-billion dollar deficit, which means the longer the state is shut down, the bigger of a hole it’s putting in the budget,” Kharam said. “The legislature will have to either cut essential services and spending or raise taxes and both of those are typically unpopular.”

In addition to educating people about voting dates and where to vote, The Freedom Club maintains an action center where people can write letters to lawmakers and contact them. 

“We meet once a month where we hear from elected officials, policymakers and political candidates,” Kharam said. “We raise money from our membership dues. We do take positions that we believe are helpful to individuals in Minnesota to live a better life. We have been described as conservative.”