At Issue: April 12 — Lawmakers begin to criticize ‘stay at home’ order

In this week’s show, we look at Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to extend his "stay at home" order, which is starting to receive criticism from state lawmakers. The Walz administration finally released its "Minnesota model" for projecting how the coronavirus could impact Minnesotans, which they say could result in up to 36,000 deaths.

In response to the pandemic, Walz signed a bill passed by the Legislature in one day that expands workers’ compensation benefits to emergency first responders who test positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, there’s both a national and local push to expand mail-in ballot access to all voters. In Minnesota, the DFL is leading the charge, with Secretary of State Steve Simon offering a proposal. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who also talks about the speculation that she might be Joe Biden’s running mate, is pushing to have a nationwide no-excuses absentee ballot program.

Tom took time during the week to sit down with DEED Commissioner Steve Grove, who answered viewer questions surrounding unemployment. That entire interview is posted here on our website.