In an unprecedented move, the Minnesota Legislature officially recessed on March 17, but allowed themselves the capability to return upon agreement from legislative leaders.
Yesterday, both the House of Representatives and Senate gaveled back in for just the afternoon. Each body approved an additional $330.6 million package to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota.
“This is just the beginning, but it is an important first step,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley). “… It will be our job to help Minnesota recover, revive, and move on.”
Sponsored by Winkler and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-East Gull Lake), HF4531*/SF4451 was passed 99-4 by the House and 67-0 by the Senate Thursday. It awaits action by Gov. Tim Walz.
The Legislature has already appropriated about $221 million to support the Department of Health’s response and to help health care providers.
This new bill covers a much larger range of efforts, most notably a $200 million General Fund appropriation to create a COVID-19 Fund that Minnesota Management and Budget would draw upon to help state agencies respond to the outbreak.
A COVID-19 Response Commission, made up of legislative leaders and chairs of the House and Senate finance committees, would be created to review expenditures from the fund greater than $1 million.
Other budget items proposed in the bill include:
- $30 million to create an account for small business emergency loans at the Department of Employment and Economic Development, codifying provisions in an existing executive order;
- $29.96 million for a grant program to support licensed child care providers, who, in part, agree to care for the children of health care and other emergency workers;
- $26.54 million in emergency services grants, of which $15.21 million is intended to provide additional shelter space, $5 million is to purchase hygiene, sanitation, and cleaning supplies, and $6.33 million is for staffing;
- $11 million to help Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations address the crisis;
- $10 million to the small business emergency loan account to guarantee loans from private banks to small employers;
- $9 million in one-time funding for the state’s food shelf program, at least $3 million of which must be used to help regional food banks make specialized responses to community needs;
- $6.2 million to provide financial assistance to veterans and surviving spouses in need of assistance as a result of COVID-19;
- $5.53 million to provide housing support relief by increasing limits and rates for room and board and supplementary services; and
- $2.4 million to streamline Real ID applications.
Policy measures in the bill would:
- codify the March 16 Executive Order on Unemployment Insurance that provides protections for workers who are quarantined, told not to come into work, or are impacted by school and child care closures;
- authorize the Department of Commerce to make licensing exemptions, such as extending registration or licensing renewal deadlines;
- provide driver’s license expiration forgiveness;
- provide exemptions to the state’s standard purchasing process, allowing Minnesota to more quickly buy supplies and services from companies around the country that may not have previously done business in the state;
- include diapers and toilet paper as items eligible for purchase under the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program;
- align state and federal work-study guidelines to help students receive payments;
- temporarily suspend Student Educational Loan Fund rules to allow the Office of Higher Education flexibility in providing payment relief and allow students to complete coursework;
- hold state grant recipients harmless from changes due to COVID-19, temporarily suspending Office of Higher Education rules about repayment of aid;
- modify the state’s Disaster Recovery Loan Program to provide more flexibility; and
- require the Department of Public Safety to report to the Legislature about the department’s use of temporary powers during the COVID-19 emergency.
Legislative leaders maintained the capability to return to the Capitol in order to approve necessary legislation related to COVID-19 and its impacts to the economy. All other legislation unrelated to the pandemic has been temporarily put on the sidelines.
Credit: House of Representatives Public Information Services Further details can be found at the Legislative Website.
Housing First Minnesota staff is working around the clock to keep you aware of the latest information about COVID-19. For the latest news and information, visit housingfirstmn.org, the Housing First Minnesota blog, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
