MN House & Senate Reach Agreement on UI and Frontline Worker Bonuses

St. Paul, MN — An agreement between leaders in the House and Senate to fully replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund at $2.7 billion and provide bonuses to workers whose job put them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 was formally approved by a conference committee late Thursday. 

The House and the Senate approved the bill on Friday and make it available for the governor to sign before first quarter unemployment taxes are due.

District 4B Representative Paul Marquart, who provides weekly updates each Friday the legislative session, says by replenishing the unemployment trust fund we avoid having businesses across the state taking a major hit.

The amount available for worker bonuses is $500 million – less than $1 billion passed off the House Floor earlier, but twice the $250 million the Senate had approved.

The bill reflects an agreement announced Thursday that would send an estimated 667,000 workers checks of $750. The pool of workers eligible will be defined by the House. The House language makes eligible some of the lowest paid workers who were on the front line, including meat packers and grocery store workers, according to Marquart.

Marquart also notes that this was an important bill for both sides to compromise and hopefully it sets the tone for the final few weeks of the legislative session.

The bill also includes a provision that would make a one-time appropriation from the General Fund of $190 million made available for Gov. Tim Walz to use for testing, vaccinations or managing a COVID-19 outbreak after the legislative session ends.

A single expenditure greater than $2.5 million must be reviewed by the Legislative COVID-19 Response Commission and may be vetoed by a majority of either the House or the Senate membership.