Leaders say the Minnesota House and Senate could pass an emergency state aid package for hospitals later today. Hospitals are asking for 100 million dollars to deal with COVID-19, and House Speaker Melissa Hortman says Representative Tina Liebling and Senator Michelle Benson have been working through the weekend, around-the-clock at times, with the Walz administration. “They’re working very hard to get an agreement,” Hortman says. “It is my hope that we’ll have an agreement… that we can pass mid-afternoon to early evening.”
The Capitol building is open, but public seating for House floor sessions is extremely limited. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says, “We’re putting the people of Minnesota first and their health, but we’re also saying that we are available. We’re gonna continue to work. We have to continue to work.”