By Bobby Joe Champion, Minnesota Senate President and Chair of the Jobs and Economic Development Committee, St. Paul Minnesota

I want to thank the Alexandria businesses that hosted my staff and my Senate colleague, Torrey Westrom, R-Alexandria, recently to discuss how a law enacted in 2023 has helped them overcome economic obstacles and not only survive, but to thrive. The meetings were nothing short of inspiring.

These businesses have been directly impacted by the Promise Act, which I introduced in 2023 and saw it signed into law a few months later.

The law provides grants and loans to businesses across Minnesota who have been hindered by lack of access to capital, or if their communities lack economic diversification, population loss or have aging populations. The Act provides a neede

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