2020 LEGISLATIVE REVIEW
Oakly A., 3rd Grade
Distance Legislating COVID-19, state budget deficit casts shadow over 2020 session By Denise Dittrich and Kimberley Dunn Lewis, MSBA Government Relations Staff
The 2020 Minnesota legislative session adjourned at midnight May 18. This session will go down in history as the “COVID-19 session” — one that was suddenly turned upside down by the outbreak of a worldwide pandemic and a statewide executive stay-at-home order that made conducting legislative business challenging. Within days, remote committee hearings replaced face-to-face meetings — and floor sessions were marked with social distancing, some members wearing masks and others voting remotely.
Denise Dittrich
Kimberley Dunn Lewis
As the session began on February 11, there was a positive budget balance of $1.5 billion and an optimistic economic outlook. By mid-March, legislators realized the COVID19 pandemic had impacted the state’s economic forecast and called on Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) to provide an updated budget projection. Minnesota’s initial positive budget outlook plummeted to a $2.4 billion projected budget deficit. What began as a typical legislative session now became focused on measures to address legislation related to COVID-19 in a bipartisan manner.
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JULY–AUGUST 2020
MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION | JOURNAL
