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Letter – Gruenhagen supports leadership’s plan on bonding bill

To the editor,
On Saturday, House Republican Leader Kurt Daudt announced that our caucus will oppose the passage of a bonding bill while the governor's emergency powers remain in effect. A bonding bill requires a three-fifths majority, or 81 votes, and must originate in the House.
I support this decision.
Over the last few weeks, it's become increasingly clear that Gov. Walz should be working with the state legislature on future decisions and actions regarding handling the Coronavirus and keeping people safe. While I have not agreed with every decision Gov. Walz has made, I do believe that ultimately he is doing what he thinks will best keep Minnesotans safe.
The legislature is a co-equal branch of government, is closest to the people, and must have a role in charting our path forward. The governor may have needed his emergency powers to quickly respond to this crisis early on, now it's time for collaboration and working together — not unilateral decision-making.
About 80 percent of coronavirus deaths in Minnesota are in nursing homes and 19 percent are with individuals having underlying immune and serious health problems. Only 1 percent are from flu-like causes. The governor’s own scenarios show the same amount of deaths if we reopen businesses or not while still securing the most vulnerable.
There are also medical experts who indicated the shut- in order for healthy individuals weaken their immune system along with serious illegal drug use and suicides. In addition, hospitals in rural areas are mostly empty and on verge of financial collapse. They are prohibited from doing so-called nonessential surgeries. I received an email from a lady today whose husband’s heart surgery is postponed indefinitely.
Remember no one will force any one to go patronize businesses or for business to even reopen but opening up the economy along with nonessential surgeries will give them at least a chance of survival. My mom is 90 and in poor health and Emily’s mom is 94 with health problems. We need to keep them secure but leave the rest of economy open up.
I am ready to work with the governor on our response to this pandemic to keep people safe and help get our economy back on track.
Together, we can work to support continued efforts to combat and respond to this pandemic to keep people safe and get Minnesota working again.

Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen,
Glencoe

Gruenhagen’s district includes most of McLeod County and all of Sibley County.