Minnesota Legislature passes $330 million COVID-19 aid bill

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Legislature has passed a $330 million package to aid in the fight against COVID-19 on a day when the state recorded its second death from the outbreak.

The House passed the bill 99-4 and sent it to the Senate, which approved it 67-0.

Leading lawmakers negotiated the bill via private conference calls to minimize the risk of transmission.

Officials say the latest death from the virus in Minnesota was a Ramsey County resident in their 80’s.

Gov. Tim Walz used his daily conference call with reporters on the pandemic to decry an upsurge in hate speech directed against Asian-Pacific Islanders in the state.