Dear Neighbors,
We have all been greatly impacted by the spread of COVID-19, but our children and students have been especially impacted. While our schools continue to operate thanks to distance learning and our adaptable educators, concerns remain about how this is impacting our students. I know many of you have questions and concerns around this issue, and I want to hear these directly from you.
Check out some of the amazing work our educators are doing to help Minnesota work its way through this crisis. Jarred Severson is a constituent & a fellow teacher, I couldn’t be prouder to represent someone like him!
On Monday, April 13th, at 12:30pm I will host a virtual town hall on my facebook page. I hope to focus on how COVID-19 is affecting our education system, and what we are doing about it at the Legislature. Please email me any questions, concerns, or stories about how distance learning is impacting your family at rep.mary.kuneshpodein@house.mn.
Governor Walz Extends Stay at Home Order
Minnesotans have been doing a great job following the social distancing orders. We are leading the country when it comes to flattening the curve. However, we aren’t out of the woods yet, and if we go back to “normal” too soon we would undo everything our sacrifice has won us. That’s why it is important that Governor Walz extended the Stay at Home order until May 4th. What we are doing is working, now we just have to find the strength to keep it up.
Legislature Passes Workers’ Compensation Bill
We gathered remotely on Tuesday to pass critical legislation to ensure that healthcare workers, first responders, and home health aides are eligible for workers' compensation in the unfortunate event that they contract COVID-19 while serving Minnesotans during this public health crisis. In particular, the legislation provides a presumption that if these workers contract COVID-19, they did so during the course of their employment and are covered by workers’ compensation.
Which First Responders are Covered by the Bill?
Here is a list of the occupations that are covered by the presumption in the bill:
Under the bill, workers in the occupations listed above are presumed to be eligible for workers’ comp if they can show a positive laboratory test for COVID-19, which includes a written copy of the test. If a laboratory test was not available for a particular worker, they could provide a written diagnosis for COVID-19 based on the worker’s symptoms from a licensed physician, licensed physician’s assistant or licensed advanced practice registered nurse (APRN).
Update on Unemployment Insurance
Here is updated unemployment information after the U.S. Congress passed the CARES Act:
Keep In Touch
That's all for now — if you have questions regarding anything else, please reach out at rep.mary.kuneshpodein@house.mn or 651-296-4331.
Sincerely,
Mary KP