Ewald at the Capitol

Update to COVID-19 Restrictions

On Thursday, Gov. Walz announced a three-step timeline to end nearly all state COVID-19 restrictions by May 28 — and to end the statewide masking requirement once 70 percent of Minnesotans age 16 years and older get their vaccine, or by July 1. More than 2.6 million Minnesotans have gotten their shot and the state is on track to vaccinate 70 percent of Minnesotans by the end of June. The most at-risk Minnesotans — seniors, long-term care residents, assisted living residents, educators, and front-line workers — have gotten their vaccines. Nearly 90 percent of Minnesotans over the age of 65 have gotten at least one dose.

Fourth Judicial District Appointment

On April 28, Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan announced the appointment of Julia Dayton Klein as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Ms. Dayton Klein will replace the Honorable Thomas S. Fraser and will be chambered in Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

Ms. Dayton Klein earned her BA, cum laude, in Finance and Business Economics with a concentration in the Hesburgh Program of Public Service from the University of Notre Dame, and JD, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Currently, Ms. Dayton Klein is a partner and trial lawyer at Lathrop GPM; she represents clients in matters involving asylum, election and voting rights, employment, food safety and labeling, government investigations, housing, intellectual property, international arbitration, products liability, and regulatory issues. She also serves as the co-lead of Lathrop GPM’s Women’s Initiative Network and on its Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Previously, Ms. Dayton Klein served as General Counsel for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and as an associate at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi and Moss & Barnett. She also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Charles A. Porter, Jr.

Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District encompasses Hennepin County.

Gov. Walz Signs Bills into Law

On April 26, Gov. Walz signed Chapter 12, HF 2253 into law, extending workers’ compensation eligibility for emergency first responders and front-line workers, which was set to expire May 1, 2021.

HF 2253 adopts the recommendations made to the legislature by the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council, which includes the extension of the presumption that a COVID-19 infection is work-related unless the employer can prove that infection happened elsewhere and new penalty provisions for improper collection of payment for medical services from an employee.

On April 27, the governor signed Chapter 13, HF 729 into law as passed by the Minnesota Legislature.

HF 729 provides emergency deficiency funding to the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Safety for the unanticipated costs of responding to protests and public safety concerns in Brooklyn Center and surrounding communities following the death of Daunte Wright on April 11, 2021. This bill also funds the obligation to the States of Ohio and Nebraska under the federal Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). The EMAC support was part of the state’s response to requests for public safety assistance from local governments.