Member Update
May 4, 2020
What's Inside:
Rammer at COVID-19 Daily Briefing
Treasury Guidance Released
In the News
Rammer at COVID-19 Daily Briefing
At Governor Walz’ invitation today, Liz Rammer participated in the COVID-19 Daily Briefing . Commissioner Steve Grove, in his introduction, referred to Hospitality Minnesota as “an incredibly important trade association who has given the Governor, myself, and many of the leaders in state government, lots of advice on how to get this right moving forward," In her remarks, Liz told reporters and the listening audience, “We're confident that our hospitality businesses are ready to open now; our businesses and the public, they're ready to approach this new normal.”
 
During a phone call this morning and again during the briefing, the Governor acknowledged our industry’s importance to the Minnesota economy and that it has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. The Governor, Commissioner Grove and their team affirmed their commitment to work with our association to finalize the guidelines for safely reopening, target a date certain, and provide ample notice to allow businesses enough time to prepare.  
 
Watch the  video  highlights: 
 
28:00-32:00 Liz Rammer’s remarks 
50:00-51:15 Liz Rammer answering question on need for adequate notice 
15:35-25:00 Commissioner Grove on business engagement process 
 
The Governor also agreed that conversations about how to address the economic hardship caused by the crisis and the inadequacy of the federal programs to address the specific needs of our industry need to continue. We’ll pick that conversation back up following the state’s budget assessment tomorrow morning.
Treasury Guidance Released
We continue to advocate for additional improvements in the PPP so that it will work better for hospitality businesses, including extending the “covered period” timeline and modifying the forgiveness triggers. On May 3, the Treasury Department released new guidance on PPP loan forgiveness provisions. Citing their “de minimis” exemption authority, they advise that an employer will not be penalized with reduced PPP loan forgiveness if an employee rejects an offer to return to their job.
In the News
Our Member Updates are generally sent to members only. In the interest of public health and the health of our industry, we encourage you to share this update widely. Additional resources can be found on our  website  and through our social media posts on   Facebook , LinkedIn  and  Twitter .