Governor Tim Walz during the week signed an executive order related to a new case of avian flu and also announced that Minnesota is one of five states to be named a Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by the CDC. In addition, Walz met with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
On Sep. 26, Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan met with Chairman Norman Deschampe and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for a government-to-government meeting.
On Sep. 27, Walz announced that Minnesota is one of five states to be named a Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence by the CDC, earning an $18 million award to enhance Minnesota’s ability to prevent, control and respond to microbial public health threats. According to the administration, the five-year award will go to the Minnesota Department of Health, the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic to develop cutting-edge laboratory technology and other innovative scientific methods. Through the award, the partnership aims to help Minnesota detect more pathogens, and detect them sooner, by developing new sequencing tools, improved workflows and other technologies.
“Public-private partnerships have positioned Minnesota as a national leader in the fight against COVID-19 and other public health threats,” said Walz. “Through this award, we will continue to bolster our state’s ability to combat public health threats, keeping Minnesotans safe and our economy strong.”
According to the CDC, a core criterion of the awards and a core principle of the network is partnership between academia and public health. The Minnesota Department of Health partnered with several schools or centers at the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology to propose a breadth of projects that will explore novel ways to detect and respond to future infectious disease threats and emergencies. These could include such things as developing new laboratory tools to identify novel viruses, antibiotic-resistant bacteria or fungus or using novel approaches such as wastewater, animal, or community-based testing to expand public health surveillance to under-represented populations.
The other states sharing in the $90 million program include Georgia, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington.
On Sep. 28, the Commission on Judicial Selection announced a new vacancy in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. The vacancy will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable David L. Piper. This seat will be chambered in Minneapolis in Hennepin County.
Also on Sep. 28, Walz signed Executive Order 22-21, waiving trucking regulations to help fight the spread of avian influenza and mitigate the risk to Minnesota’s poultry industry. The Executive Order is part of the continued efforts to control and contain H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Minnesota.
According to the executive order, while experts from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Board of Animal Health were working with poultry growers to keep the highly pathogenic H5N1 at bay, the month of May brought additional challenges to farmers across the state. A prolonged cold and wet spring with significant flooding delayed many farming operations. Powerful storms destroyed farm structures and damaged roads and bridges used by farmers to move commodities and supplies.
On August 30, 2022, only three months since the last known outbreak, state animal health officials confirmed a new outbreak of HPAI at a commercial turkey farm in Meeker County.
Following that diagnosis, outbreaks have been confirmed at almost 20 additional sites, impacting over 500,000 birds. While HPAI typically diminishes during the hotter, drier months of summer and the outbreak ends, the virus has continued to circulate in wild populations and is once again threatening domestic flocks as wild birds migrate south. The current resurgence of cases is considered part of the same outbreak that started in late March in Minnesota.
The HPAI outbreak in Minnesota poses a high risk to poultry but a low risk to the public, and there is no food safety concern for consumers.
The order also states, “Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 221.0314, subdivision 9, adopts federal safety regulations, including hours of service requirements for drivers.” Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 221.0269, provides: “The governor may declare an emergency and grant relief from any of the regulations incorporated in section 221.0314 to carriers and drivers operating motor vehicles in Minnesota to provide emergency relief during the emergency.”
Poultry growers, industry associations, and animal health experts have requested immediate help to support the safe and efficient movement of commodities used in emergency response efforts. Temporary relief is needed to help mitigate the impacts and limit the spread of HPAI in Minnesota. Strict enforcement of certain hours of service requirements would prevent or hinder the efficient transportation of these important commodities.
On Sep. 29, Walz announced that the state had received the top grade for its use of digital technology from the Center for Digital Government (CDG). Minnesota received an overall grade of A in the 2022 Digital States Survey and ranked third in the nation for exemplary work in workforce planning. Six states received an “A” designation. Under the Digital States criteria, an “A” grade reflects a state whose technology leaders are using strong innovation and high-performing solutions and applying excellent practices in all aspects of operations, governance, and administration. Minnesota was also recognized as the third state in the nation for exemplary work in workforce planning. This recognizes how Minnesota has developed processes and plans to address the need for a skilled information technology workforce today and into the future. Minnesota will be recognized during the National Association of State Chief Information Officers Annual Conference in Louisville on Oct. 9.
Also on Sep. 29, Walz announced that the Minnesota Office of Higher Education is launching Direct Admissions, a new program designed to promote college access. Driven by the belief that every student is “college material,” the program ensures that graduating high school students know they qualify for admission to a variety of Minnesota colleges and universities.
