After months of negotiations between the House, Senate, and Governor, a final agreement was reached on a package to replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund and deliver hero pay to frontline workers. The legislation, S.F.2677, passed the Senate by a vote of 65-1 on Friday, with Senator John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) voting yes for the bill.
“Today’s bill was the fulfillment of our promise to small businesses and our frontline workers, and I’m proud to have seen strong bipartisan agreement on these critical issues,” said Senator Hoffman. “Thanks to this bill, we will prevent taxes from going up on small businesses across the state and will double the amount of funding for hero pay for 667,000 frontline workers. I look forward to this bill being signed into law quickly.”
The legislation provides approximately $2.7 billion to repay the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, repays loans the state had taken from the federal government to pay out unemployment benefits, and provides $500 million for hero pay bonuses to eligible frontline workers. The bill also appropriates $190 million from the General Fund to Minnesota Management and Budget for COVID-19 management expenses that occur between May 23, 2022, and February 15, 2023, for testing, vaccinations, COVID-19 outbreak management, local and Tribal health, public education, and health system supports.
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