SAINT PAUL, Minn. – This afternoon, the Minnesota House of Representatives enacted a package of legislation to assist Minnesotans coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and its related disruptions. The text of the legislation can be found here.
“The COVID-19 crisis is impacting nearly every facet of our lives as Minnesotans, and the solutions contained in this legislation are crucial to our state’s response efforts,” said Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL – Rochester). “I’m particularly proud of our work to assist Minnesotans who are homeless and to maintain safe and stable housing for people with disabilities, the elderly, and many income Minnesotans who depend on the Minnesota Housing Support program. These investments will help all of us stay safer during this public health emergency by giving more of us the opportunity to #stayhomeMN.”
The legislation approved today includes, among other things, $200 million toward the newly created state COVID-19 Fund, $9 million to the Department of Human Services for food security, $26.5 million for the Emergency Service Grants program to provide safe shelter for Minnesota’s homeless population, $30 million in one-time grants to child care providers, $10 million for small business loans, financial relief for Minnesota’s displaced workers, and the necessary flexibility for state agencies to respond to the pandemic.
As a result of Senate Republican opposition, a proposal supported by House DFLers to guarantee payment for hourly school workers during the pandemic was not included in the legislation.
“This is an uncertain time for all of us, and our hardworking bus drivers, support staff, food workers and other hourly school employees deserve to be compensated fairly during this crisis,” Rep. Liebling added. “I’m deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans, especially Senator Carla Nelson, who was negotiating this issue on behalf of the Senate, made the deliberate choice to leave these Minnesotans out of today’s legislation. I’ll keep working to ensure they can be made financially whole.”
Additional information on the Minnesota House’s efforts to address COVID-19 can be found here.