Minnesota State Wire

The Minnesota Senate voted to approve an emergency funding bill that will provide relief to small businesses in Minnesota, the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus reported.

The bill includes $216 million of funding that will go toward direct relief, business grants and relief distributed at the county level. All funds received must go toward payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility bills and similar expenses.

"I get calls every day from small business owners, asking for any help they can get. I wish the governor would have chosen a course of action that allowed these businesses to continue operating as normally as possible with strict safety measures in place, like big box stores are. But since he chose to close them down, this relief is a critical bridge to help them survive the next few months," Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer said.

The relief is expected to be disbursed to businesses and local governments over the course of the next few months.